Giants Discussing Reyes

Reports have surfaced stating the San Francisco Giants have internally discussed trading for New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes.  Reyes would fill a major need for the Giants, who have been plagued by injuries and offensive incompetence.

San Francisco began the year with Miguel Tejada as their everyday shortstop.  Giants manager Bruce Bochy has since moved Tejada to third to replace the injured Pablo Sandoval.  Utility man Mike Fontenot has been called on to fill in for Tejada at short.

Rumors have been surrounding the two teams for a while now as many believe the trade pairing makes sense.  The Mets are currently sitting in last place in the NL East and are approaching a crossroad, continue down their current path or blow things up and start anew.

The Mets are in financial trouble, and while Reyes could still be considered young enough to build around, the team does not seem have the payroll flexibility needed to sign the shortstop long term.  Trading Reyes could go a long way in beginning New York’s rebuilding process.

The Giants are coming off of a World Series Championship and seem to have the pitching necessary to challenge for another.  With the pitching carrying the team, San Francisco will be looking for a bat or two to pick up its offense as the trade deadline approaches.  Replacing Fontenot with Reyes would be a big boost for the club.

While this all may make sense on paper, several other factors come into play complicating the matter.  The Giants are not in financial trouble like the Mets, but are currently managing a franchise-record high payroll of about $120 million.  If the Giants are not confidant in their ability to sign Reyes long term, they may not be willing to give up the pieces the Mets deem necessary to obtain the shortstop.

Tim Dierkes at MLBTradeRumors takes a look at the situation in this article, naming some possible players that could come up in future negotiations.

The Giants will be able to preview their possible future investment tonight and Thursday as the team finishes up a three game series in New York.