On Wednesday afternoon, SS Jose Reyes was officially introduced as the newest member of the Miami Marlins. After nine up and down years with the New York Mets, Reyes decided to take his talents and his newly signed six years, 106 million dollar contract to South Beach.
Reyes was asked why the decision was easy to leave New York.
“They (Marlins) showed that they really want me,” said Reyes
Reyes said the Mets never made a formal offer to retain his services. It’s unheard of to have a team from Florida outbid a team from a huge market like New York. Reyes said that wasn’t necessarily the case.
“I always said I wanted to go back to play there, but they didn’t do anything to have me there,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s because of the money or they don’t want me there. They didn’t offer anything.”
Reyes is now the villian, that’s what a 106 million dollar contract will do to you. When the Marlins visit the Mets at Citifield in April 2012, don’t expect for the Mets faithful to extend a heart felt, three-minute standing ovation. In fairness, there will be people in the stands that will applaud and salute their old hero, on the flip side, there’s going to be fans that boo and associate Reyes to one of the most crippling, and daunting collapses in Major League History.
Reyes is the all-time Mets franchise leader in stolen bases and triples. He became the first Met to win the batting title with a .337 average last season. But anything short of a playoff appearance in 2012 would be considered a failure and he will be the center of it all. With big bucks, comes great responsibility so for Reyes’ stake, a stint off of the disabled list would greatly help his cause.
The Reyes’ signing might not be up to par with Lebron’s James signing with the Miami Heat, but the baseball world will soon find out if he made the right decision. New York was all Reyes had ever known. Time will tell if he will be able to perform at a top level during the duration of his contract. That’s a dicey proposition considering his ‘game’ is predicated on his legs.
It will certainly be odd and eerie for Mets fans to hear the Mets public address announcer announce, ‘BATTING FIRST FOR THE VISITING MIAMI MARLINS, THE SHORTSTOP, NUMBER SEVEN, JOSE REYES.’
