Projecting Jose Reyes' health

In terms of overall value, the 28-year-old Dominican is tied for first with Troy Tulowitzki at 4.5 Wins Above Replacement Player (WARP).

Reyes will become available to the highest bidder in an offseason that features few attractive options for suitors in search of a shortstop. In the wake of recent extensions granted to J.J. Hardy and Yunel Escobar, the market will largely be restricted to past-their-prime veterans on their last legs, such as Orlando Cabrera and the recently released Miguel Tejada, as well as defensive specialists such as Cesar Izturis, John McDonald and Jack Wilson.

Beyond Reyes, only Jimmy Rollins and Rafael Furcal (whose $12 million club option is unlikely to be exercised) offer any real offensive upside, and Reyes is the lone member of that trio on the youthful side of 30.

That perfect storm of positional scarcity should have Reyes and his agent, Peter Greenberg, salivating, but how smart an investment is the lifetime Mets player, and how long should teams be looking to commit when they start approaching him with multiyear packages?

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