Jose Can't You See, You're Just Not Worth It

Is Reyes worth Carl Crawford money? No. Carl Crawford's not worth Carl Crawford money. He put on a ski mask and robbed the Red Sox out of $142 million over seven years. He's going to be 30 next month and he's batting .243 with 6 home runs and 31 rbi's. Not to mention he's coming off the dl with a Rickey Henderson-like bad hammy. Now don't get me wrong, I love to see the Red Sox get robbed. I'm a Yankee fan. Boston's a nice little town, quaint, full of history. But the people there don't need a great baseball team. They should be eating lobster, drinking Sam Adams, strolling around Faneuil Hall for overpriced chachka's and reminiscing about Dom DiMaggio instead being an annoying fruit fly buzzing around the champagne bottle of Yankee greatness. But I digress.

Oh God, What Have I Done?

Jose Reyes reminds me of a guy just out of a mental institution getting ready for a date. First day back home, getting all dressed up like nothing happened. Puts on his best clothes, great cologne, shines up the car. Fresh haircut. Looks in the mirror all afternoon making sure the smile is perfect. Like nothing ever happened. Forget the past eight years spent in a straight jacket. But an hour into the date the voices in the head return and it all unravels. "Get me outta here" screams the date. And "Get me outta here" is what the Mets will scream if they sign Reyes to a long-term mega deal.

Thanks For The Cash, Now I Feel Sick

Jorge Posada comes to mind. In 2007, the last year of his last contract, Posada was a monster. Everything he hit seemed to either end up in the gap or in the seats. From both sides of the plate no less. Posada hit .338 with 20 home runs and 90 rbi's that season. What could the Yankees do? Even though he was 36, Posada was a key member of the "Core of Four" with Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte, a clutch go-to guy in each of their four championship seasons ('96, '98, '99 and 2000). But sure enough after signing a four-year $52 million dollar deal, his numbers dried up faster than Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign. In mid-July Posada was placed on the dl with a bad shoulder. Then a week later the team said he would have season-ending surgery. In 51 games Posada batted just .268. He bounced back in 2009 to hit .285, but dropped to .248 last season, and got off to such a brutal start this year only his name and fond memories saved him from getting cut altogether. He even took himself out of the lineup for a game against the Mets of all people and told the front office to "get me out of here," but later apologized postponing for the time being a very ugly end to a great career in pinstripes.

But with Reyes things are even worse. Like a car with cheap tires, bad things seem to happen to his wheels. When he sneezes he blows a hamstring. Very bad for a player who's entire game revolves around his legs.

His rookie season in '03 was cut short by a month because of a sprained ankle. In '04, his season got off to a slow start as he suffered a strained hamstring and came off the dl on June 19th. Throw in a back problem and Reyes finished the year batting .255. But he managed to finally stay on his feet over the next four seasons showing Mets fans there was hope after all. Reyes played in 161 games in 2005, 153 in 2006, 160 in 2007 and 159 in 2008. He batted .273, .300, .280 and .297 respectively with a combined 258 stolen bases.

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Luckily for Jose he's not a horse because if he were he would've been put down in 2009. In May he was back on the dl with a calf injury. But while rehabbing he tore the calf muscle keeping him out until August. And just when he was about to come back he tore his right hammy. Thirty-six games played and his HMO had the best year of anyone. Then last year looked like another lost cause when he was diagnosed with a hyperactive thyroid gland during spring training. That landed him back on the dl causing him to miss the start of the season. When he managed to actually play he did pretty well batting .282 with 30 stolen bases.

So now's his walk year. Just like Posada did in his walk year, Reyes looks like a man on a mission, not a man looking to spend the rest of his career on the trainer's table. He's been a combination of Ricky Henderson and Rod Carew - 30 stolen bases through July with a major-league leading .354 batting average.
Could this be the real Reyes? One prominent ESPN reporter even did a piece proclaiming Reyes as a guy the Yankees should jump at to replace Derek Jeter. Can you see Reyes running full speed into the 3rd base box seats smashing his face up like Jeter did in a July 2004 game against the Red Sox? Or running the bases like Johnny Damon against the Phillies in the 2009 World Series? I can't. I see a Jose Reyes running the bases like a freshman at Queensboro Community College and running after a foul ball and pulling up lame like-well like Jose Reyes.

And Guess What?

Yep, he's back on the dl. With another hamstring injury, this one suffered against the Yankees. He'll miss his third All-Star Game because of injury and who knows how many games after that. Shame. Turning it on like a madman in his walk year and ending up back where he started.

So if you're GM Sandy Alderson, do you tell owner Fred Wilpon to spend Carl Crawford money on Reyes or trade him to a contender for some hot prospects? Wilpon, who's facing a billion dollar lawsuit in connection with the Bernie Madoff mess will have one helluva time finding the cash for that. The real question is whether there's a sucker out there who will overlook Jose's medical chart and see the numbers he put up in the first half.

Just like the mental patient, the GM of that other team will overlook Reyes' past history. And just like the mental patients date will end up screaming, "Get me outta here!"