NEW YORK — One minute, Jose Reyes is going to be traded. The next, he's staying. This newspaper has him wearing a New York Mets uniform for the rest of his career. That radio talk show has him vanishing into the night.
After nearly eight dynamic years in Queens — plus a 2011 season in which he's in the running for the National League MVP award — Reyes is waiting to see if he will be traded, leave as a free agent after the season or stay with a long-term contract.
The speedy shortstop whisks back his long dreadlocks and slowly breaks into a sheepish smile. He has no idea what's going to happen. How could he when his employers aren't sure, either?
The Mets are one of many teams trying to determine whether to buy, sell or stand pat at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Through Sunday, there were 17 teams within six games of a playoff spot and others like the Mets (47-47, 8½ games out of the wild-card lead) on the fringe of contention.
Tuesday night against the Cardinals at least, the team anticipates enough improvement in Beltran's flu-like virus, and Reyes' strained hamstring, to allow both stars to return.
"No doubt about it, they are game-changers," Capuano said.
Let us stop for a moment and praise these lesser-known Mets hitters who made the spring and early summer interesting. Ruben Tejada, Daniel Murphy, Willie Harris, Scott Hairston - they have all had their moments. They have delivered a competitive team to this town, which is more than we expected after so many stars succumbed to injury.
But really, that success could stretch only so far before snapping, and the Mets lineup was simply too depleted Monday night. The starting nine had combined for 22 home runs all season, and that was before Hairston and his five dingers left with a bruised shin.
Collins, who rightly believes that his job is to deal with reality as it is, not as he wishes it could be, did not want to hear it. He would not accept that missing so many important players caused the recent losses."
"I don't sit there on the bench and think about who isn't here," Collins said. "I'm thinking, hey you've got to get out there and get a ball to hit. You've got to put a good swing on it, and we just didn't do that."
Fortunately for Collins, two stars return Tuesday night, with another, David Wright, expected this weekend. Although the reunion will occur too late for a playoff race, it should at least provide more entertainment, and stave off doldrums like these.
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