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Soriano-Reyes deal?
BY DAVID LENNON
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
February 23, 2004
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The Mets were shut out of negotiations for Alex Rodriguez this offseason, but they remain very interested in the player used to acquire him, Alfonso Soriano, and are discussing a trade with the Rangers that would involve Jose Reyes, a person familiar with the situation said yesterday.
Shortly after the A-Rod trade was completed last weekend, the Mets asked the Rangers about Soriano and were told he was not available. But with Texas desperate for a shortstop, and the Mets looking to add a marquee slugger, the two teams are talking again about Soriano. Only this time Reyes' name is featured prominently in a multi-player deal.
The Rangers have had their eyes on Reyes, a speedy switch-hitter and true shortstop, who would have earned Rookie of the Year votes last year if not for his season-ending ankle sprain. The acquisition of Japanese star Kazuo Matsui this offseason prompted the Mets to switch Reyes to second base.
A Mets' official said yesterday it is "unlikely" Reyes would be included in a trade at this time, but the Rangers have been thinking of possible packages for Reyes, and two names that have been mentioned are reliever Francisco Cordero and outfielder Kevin Mench, presumably in addition to Soriano.
The Mets obviously prefer to keep Reyes, and with the Rangers all-too-anxious to further trim payroll in the wake of the A-Rod deal, ditching Soriano's $5.4 million salary for this season could also be done for prospects. At the moment, Texas has yet to settle on a position for Soriano, with manager Buck Showalter stuck with the dilemma of who should switch to shortstop - Soriano or second baseman Michael Young. Soriano, who initially moved from leftfield to second base for the Yankees before the 2001 season because of Chuck Knoblauch's throwing yips, might be a defensive liability at shortstop, while Young has played only 18 games there in three full major-league seasons. Soriano also aged two years since the A-Rod swap was announced, jumping from 26 to 28.
It is unclear why the Mets would be willing to trade Reyes, who already is showing signs of developing into an exceptional second baseman. Reyes, 20, lived up to the hype almost immediately after he was called up from Triple-A Norfolk last season, batting .307 with five home runs, 32 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 69 games. Reyes' season was cut short on Aug. 31 when he suffered a Grade 2 sprain of his left ankle and the Mets' so-called shortstop of the future was stunned this offseason when team officials visited him in the Dominican Republic to tell him of their plans to sign Matsui - requiring Reyes to move to second base, a position he is learning in spring training.
While Matsui and Reyes have the potential to be one of baseball's best double-play combinations, the Mets may be more intrigued by Soriano's gaudy offensive numbers, with the flexibility of using him at either second base or in rightfield. Soriano batted .290 with 38 home runs, 35 stolen bases and 91 RBIs last season, which was only a slight dropoff from his breakthrough year of 2002, when he hit .300 with 39 homers, 41 stolen bases and 102 RBI. The flip side of those stats, however, is Soriano's whopping strikeout totals - he's whiffed at least 125 times each of the past three seasons - and there is also concern that he was exposed during the playoffs last October. Soriano looked lost during the ALCS and World Series, when he had 20 strikeouts in just 52 at-bats.
Mets GM Jim Duquette said last week that he anticipated making trades to strengthen weak areas and he mentioned his stockpile of young talent as attractive bait for other clubs. Ideally, the Mets would choose to draw on their surplus of young pitchers to swing a deal for Soriano, but if that's not possible, Reyes could be used as a bargaining chip rather than a building block in the Mets' grand scheme.
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I don't think the Mets should trade away their young talented player. Reyes has great upside, so I'm not sure if whether this trade is a good idea. But nonetheless, I would love to see Sori back in Big Apple. More chances to see him play.
</font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />
Soriano-Reyes deal?
BY DAVID LENNON
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
February 23, 2004
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The Mets were shut out of negotiations for Alex Rodriguez this offseason, but they remain very interested in the player used to acquire him, Alfonso Soriano, and are discussing a trade with the Rangers that would involve Jose Reyes, a person familiar with the situation said yesterday.
Shortly after the A-Rod trade was completed last weekend, the Mets asked the Rangers about Soriano and were told he was not available. But with Texas desperate for a shortstop, and the Mets looking to add a marquee slugger, the two teams are talking again about Soriano. Only this time Reyes' name is featured prominently in a multi-player deal.
The Rangers have had their eyes on Reyes, a speedy switch-hitter and true shortstop, who would have earned Rookie of the Year votes last year if not for his season-ending ankle sprain. The acquisition of Japanese star Kazuo Matsui this offseason prompted the Mets to switch Reyes to second base.
A Mets' official said yesterday it is "unlikely" Reyes would be included in a trade at this time, but the Rangers have been thinking of possible packages for Reyes, and two names that have been mentioned are reliever Francisco Cordero and outfielder Kevin Mench, presumably in addition to Soriano.
The Mets obviously prefer to keep Reyes, and with the Rangers all-too-anxious to further trim payroll in the wake of the A-Rod deal, ditching Soriano's $5.4 million salary for this season could also be done for prospects. At the moment, Texas has yet to settle on a position for Soriano, with manager Buck Showalter stuck with the dilemma of who should switch to shortstop - Soriano or second baseman Michael Young. Soriano, who initially moved from leftfield to second base for the Yankees before the 2001 season because of Chuck Knoblauch's throwing yips, might be a defensive liability at shortstop, while Young has played only 18 games there in three full major-league seasons. Soriano also aged two years since the A-Rod swap was announced, jumping from 26 to 28.
It is unclear why the Mets would be willing to trade Reyes, who already is showing signs of developing into an exceptional second baseman. Reyes, 20, lived up to the hype almost immediately after he was called up from Triple-A Norfolk last season, batting .307 with five home runs, 32 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 69 games. Reyes' season was cut short on Aug. 31 when he suffered a Grade 2 sprain of his left ankle and the Mets' so-called shortstop of the future was stunned this offseason when team officials visited him in the Dominican Republic to tell him of their plans to sign Matsui - requiring Reyes to move to second base, a position he is learning in spring training.
While Matsui and Reyes have the potential to be one of baseball's best double-play combinations, the Mets may be more intrigued by Soriano's gaudy offensive numbers, with the flexibility of using him at either second base or in rightfield. Soriano batted .290 with 38 home runs, 35 stolen bases and 91 RBIs last season, which was only a slight dropoff from his breakthrough year of 2002, when he hit .300 with 39 homers, 41 stolen bases and 102 RBI. The flip side of those stats, however, is Soriano's whopping strikeout totals - he's whiffed at least 125 times each of the past three seasons - and there is also concern that he was exposed during the playoffs last October. Soriano looked lost during the ALCS and World Series, when he had 20 strikeouts in just 52 at-bats.
Mets GM Jim Duquette said last week that he anticipated making trades to strengthen weak areas and he mentioned his stockpile of young talent as attractive bait for other clubs. Ideally, the Mets would choose to draw on their surplus of young pitchers to swing a deal for Soriano, but if that's not possible, Reyes could be used as a bargaining chip rather than a building block in the Mets' grand scheme.
<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">
I don't think the Mets should trade away their young talented player. Reyes has great upside, so I'm not sure if whether this trade is a good idea. But nonetheless, I would love to see Sori back in Big Apple. More chances to see him play.
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