Mets GM considers making Reyes substantial offer: source

Sandy Alderson was pigeonholed early in his administration as a risk-averse executive who would strongly reject the idea of a mega-contract for any player, but specifically an injury-prone one such as Jose Reyes, who did not have the Mets’ general manager’s favorite asset: elite on-base percentage.

Alderson warned not to stereotype him, and that decisions would be based on information absorbed during the season.

We should have listened.

Alderson is now leaning strongly toward authorizing a substantial offer after the season to try to retain Reyes, a free-agent-to-be, two sources with ties to Alderson told The Post.

Even Reyes’ first 2011 injury did not seem to have dimmed Alderson’s belief that the Mets are best served working diligently to retain the All-Star shortstop.

“He may be out just one day,” Alderson said when asked if even a mild hamstring strain could influence contractual strategy with Reyes. “Before we jump to any long-term conclusions, let’s see about this injury. I will say this, most players miss a few days at some point of the season, and so in that context this is not unusual.”

Spoken like a Reyes convert.

Alderson has not only been swayed by the MVP-caliber play of Reyes, but also in calculating the additional worth that would come by elating the fan base if Reyes could be retained and how much it would cost to replace a switch-hitter in his prime if Reyes left.

In other words, if the Mets surmise that Reyes is worth, say, five years at $100 million, is it worth it to go to, say, six years at $120 million or more and see that additional money as: 1) $10 million of advertising directed at the fans and 2) $10 million in peace of mind that they do not have to try to find replacements to make up for what would be lost, especially since they already know Reyes can play in New York and loves playing here.

Alderson refused to discuss my information that he is now strongly committed to convincing the Wilpons that making a substantial bid for Reyes is vital. But he did tell The Post: “There is more going on here [when it comes to Reyes] than the game on the field.”

For now, the sources said, there is almost no way the Mets will trade Reyes before the July 31 deadline, in part because Alderson is committed to trying to retain the star.

Reyes has told the Mets he will not negotiate during the season. So it is still possible he could slump badly or suffer an injury far worse than his current Grade 1 hamstring strain, forcing Alderson to reconsider his position. Also, the elephant in the room remains the Wilpons’ financial plight. Remember Fred Wilpon is on record saying that Reyes is not worth near the $142 million, seven-year deal received by Carl Crawford.

One source told me the Wilpons might be willing to approach the $20 million-a-year pricetag, but are scared of giving seven years to a player whose legs are his major asset. There is a split among officials from other teams if Reyes will actually garner a Crawford-like deal, though he is a year younger than Crawford, a switch-hitter and plays a more premium position. His sustained success and health are more in question, however.

Reyes will not start tonight in Los Angeles and the Mets did not dismiss sitting him out the rest of the first half. But they know every game missed by Reyes impacts their long-shot playoff hopes, even if they did rally to beat the Yankees 3-2 in 10 innings yesterday without him.

Reyes currently has a career-best .398 on-base percentage, but that is more about his major league-best .354 batting average than a greatly improved eye. His walk rate remained around his career average.

Nevertheless, Alderson values Reyes’ multiple tools and bond with the fans. Yes, Reyes is having his best season in his walk year, normally a red flag. But the Mets know Reyes loves to play, and so do not think he would shut down if he received a big contract.

In addition, while Alderson sees mega-deals as inefficient and failure prone, he told me recently some big-market teams must go there because, for example, like the Mets, they own their own ballpark and network, and have to have stars their fans want to invest in emotionally and financially. Alderson regularly calls baseball an “entertainment” venture, and Reyes clearly is an entertainer.

Plus, should Reyes leave, the Mets would probably have to go with Ruben Tejada at short and find ways (probably expensive ways) to replace the lost offense of Reyes; with almost no way to replace the lost dynamism and connection to the fans. And the Mets know Reyes wants to be a Met, an advantage they are unlikely to have with other targets.

Alderson said: “He has strengths in so many areas, it would be wrong to try to assess his ability in conventional ways.”

Translation: Alderson has learned to admire what Reyes does to such a degree that neither a minor hamstring injury nor the lack of elite on-base skills is dimming his ardor to keep the shortstop.

Filed under 7/4/11