Reyes leaves Mets, signs with Marlins for mega deal

Well, Met fans, you can thank Fred and Jeff Wilpon for this one.

The cash strapped Mets, who showed no interest in re-signing Jose Reyes this off-season, will have to watch Reyes play against them 19 times a year when the Mets play the re-tooling Miami Marlins.

The Marlins had been courting Reyes for a couple months and agreed to terms with the multi-faceted short stop on a six year $106 million deal, with an option for a seventh year that would cost Florida $22 million.

Reyes was a dynamic player for the Mets. A guy who was a base-stealing threat, and a huge threat to leg out triples in Shea Stadium and Citi Field; he was one of the most exciting players to wear a Mets uniform.

He helped re-energize a franchise that was dying in the mid-2000's, and energized a fan base that chanted his name with each plate appearance. He was looked upon, with David Wright, as the savior of the franchise, a presence that would be a part of the Mets for decades to come.

But then with the financial crisis that hit the Mets after the 2008 season, it became disturbingly clear that the Mets were not going to be able to afford Reyes when he hit the market; however, more disturbing was the lack of interest the Mets showed in Reyes to remain part of the franchise. This was a guy who hit a career .292, stole 300 bases, scored 750 runs over his eight year career. He won a batting title this past season and was the spark plug for a franchise and fan base. Now he is gone, and the Mets front office doesn't care.

It was Fred Wilpon who in an article published in the New Yorker magazine said that Reyes was not worth Carl Crawford money, citing the outfielder's big pay day with the Red Sox last winter; this sent the message that he was not going to pay Reyes a dime. Well, guess what? He didn't.

Conclusion: Terrible job by the Mets and the Wilpons.

Now they will have to get used to seeing Reyes kill them every single season. It is time for Fred and Jeff Wilpon to go and sell this Mets team before they sink it beyond recovery.