The Mets, who were rumored to be trade market sellers before a decent June made them briefly relevant, surprised almost no one when they declared shortstop Jose Reyes day-to-day with a strained left hamstring on Saturday.
Reyes has been the standard-bearer of the Mets' recent history of medical troubles, and that's no small feat on a team that includes Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran. In the last two years, the once-durable shortstop has been taken down by a number of minor and major injuries, and Saturday's hamstring strain threatens to sideline him just as he was playing like the best player in baseball.
Reyes has only missed three games this season, but he missed 29 in 2010 and 126 in 2009.
If Reyes, Beltran, Francisco Rodriguez and any number of Mets stars are available via trade, let the buyer beware. The Mets have seven players listed on the injury report, four with possibly long-term injuries and two — Reyes and pitcher Manny Acosta — freshly listed Saturday.
Reyes, Beltran and K-Rod are free agents at the end of 2011, so they wouldn't cause long-term damage directly. But Rangers president Nolan Ryan's swiftness to shoot down rumors that Texas was interested in Beltran or Rodriguez was instructive. Ryan recognizes it was not worth mortgaging the farm system for bullpen help that is likely to break down anytime between now and October.
The Mets' penchant for overpaying stars nearing the ends of their primes has saddled them with a $118 million payroll and lots of long-term salary trouble. Unlike owner Fred Wilpon's financial trouble, injuries to highly paid stars can't be undone with an infusion of money from a new partner like David Einhorn.
To shed money from payroll, the Mets have to convince another team to take on not only an injury risk, but an aging Mets injury risk. That double whammy should give any trade partners pause.
