Everybody: Clichè, Clichè, Clichè, Clichè, Clichè

Jose Reyes and other players make me
 scratch my head when it comes to free agency.

The next time Jose Reyes comes to bat at Citi Field, Mets fans should change their "Jose, Jose, Jose" chant to "Clichè, Clichè, Clichè."

Reyes today uttered my least favorite baseball bromide. A free agent after this year and the subject of much speculation about whether he will stay with the Mets, the shortstop said he won't discuss a new contract until after the season.

He wants no distractions. And the cliche? Well, Reyes said on WFAN radio, "I want to be a Met" for my whole career. Really? Then I say get a deal done. Tell your agent to get the best deal from the Mets. And when he's done you'll sign. It's pretty simple.

Reyes is just the latest player to tell fans he'd really like to stay, without signing a contract. Prince Fielder has made similar comments about the Milwaukee Brewers. And C.C. Sabathia said how much he liked Milwaukee. In the end C.C. went to the New York Yankees who offered the biggest contract.

I find it tiresome to hear players utter nonsense like this. Can't these guys either say nothing or tell the truth. You know, something like, "I'm a free agent and I want the most money I can get. Sorry (insert home team here) fans, but you know you'd do it if you had the chance."

I have been told by almost everyone that the last part is surely what everyone would do. Even me. Well, I really don't think so. I actually find some things more important than money. And if I had the chance to decide between, oh, $100 million and $125 million, the least important factor to me would be money. Either way I'd be set for life.

I don't expect the players to agree. All I'd like is a little honesty. It's such a lonely word.

What the Fans Don't Know ...

David Wright played with a stress fracture.

For the last couple weeks, David Wright has been vilified by New York Mets fans and radio announcers. As his batting average plummeted the cries grew ever louder for the team to get rid of the third baseman. Mets fans know changes are coming to team. And many made their position clear.

Everyone figures Carlos Beltran, the oft-injured outfielder with an expiring contract, will be traded to a contender. What happens to shortstop Jose Reyes is up for debate. He'll demand big money as a free agent and it's unclear if the Mets and Sandy Alderson, the small-ball G.M., will want to pay his asking price.

And that brings us to Wright. An all-star player who sometimes has fielding lapses, Wright came up through the Mets farm system and was an instant fan favorite. But being the star on a team that had two spectacular September collapses and is now fighting to be mediocre has dimmed his star power.

It's an odd rule of sports that the best players on a bad team become lightning rods for the wrath of the paying public. Wright has been dealing with this syndrome for a season or two now. He started to strike out more often. And then his slump began.