Q and A: Mack with… Conrad Youngren… Jose, Front-End Contract, Ruben, Spin

Conrad:

Just speculating, Mack,  about things of which I have no real knowledge:

Would a FRONT-loaded contract have any appeal to the Mets or Jose? Say, 4-years $80MM with a option 5th: $23MM, $21MM, $19MM, $17MM ($25MM option in yr 5).  In future value it’s worth more to Jose than the other way around, and more tradable in the out years for the Mets.

Mack: 

I’m being told that Jose has an ego amount in his head.  He wants a $100mil contract… period. BTW, IMO… get past that smiley, rah-rah, public side of Reyes… this is Jose being Jose.

The sad part is someone is going to offer him it, and the Mets simply can’t afford it. Look for a 4-year, $70mil offer from Sandy Alderson the first week after the World Series. Alderson will hold back a 5^th year as a last resort.

Front loading isn’t an issue here. It’s the $100mil figure that means everything.

Conrad:

Convincing myself, however, that a Tejada-Valdespin MINF (with some significant PT for Murphy & Turner and Havens another year away) isn’t the end of the world.  Better though IMO would be Pomeranz & Rosario for Wright and up the ante for Jose.

Mack:

Regarding a possible Wrignt deal for Pomeranz and Rosario… refer back to my pitching post on Friday. How would you like a 2013 rotation of Pomeranz, Wheeler, Harvey, Santana, and Dickey/Niese, with 8^th inning Familia and closer Mejia?

Now, you trade Wright, plus get two picks for Jose, and your 2014 rotation is: Pomeranz, Wheeler, Harvey, Michael Fulmer, and Lance McCullers Jr.

Tejada is a good shortstop,  but will never have the star power of Reyes.

But Valdespin, right now, is way ahead of where Reyes was in the minors, and has the

potential to be a star.

Daniel Murphy actually has enough talent on third base to stick there.