Source: Giants have discussed trading for Reyes

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May 3, 2011
URBAN ARCHIVEGIANTS PAGEGIANTS VIDEOMychael UrbanCSNBayArea.com

With limited internal options available, the Giants are considering addressing their problems at shortstop via trade, and Jose Reyes of the Mets has been discussed as a possible solution, a major-league source told CSNBayArea.com on Tuesday.With third baseman Pablo Sandoval on the shelf for an estimated seven weeks in the wake of his Tuesday surgery to remove a fractured portion of the hamate bone in his right hand, struggling Miguel Tejada -- he was signed to a one-year deal this offseason to play shortstop but has been nearly as bad in the field (five errors) as he's been at the plate (.227 through Monday) -- has been shifted to the hot corner because utilityman Mark DeRosa, expected to serve as Sandoval's primary backup this season, also is on the DL with a wrist issue. RELATED: Giants' Sandoval undergoes successful surgery
That leaves Mike Fontenot, also expected to serve as a utilityman this season, as the starting shortstop for the time being, and the Giants don't have anyone in the minors quite ready for The Show.

Reyes, 27, is a one-man show when he's healthy, and he's been just that this year for the Mets, who are paying him 11 million in the option year of his contract. Expected to be one of the top free-agent targets after the season, Reyes entered Tuesday's opener of a three-game series against the Giants batting .309 with nine doubles, two triples, a home run and 10 stolen bases in 28 games.The source noted that a Giants-Mets swap could work in that New York isn't likely to do what many teams have done to end conversations with Giants general manager Brian Sabean: demand a member of San Francisco's vaunted starting rotation.Mired in major financial trouble as the result of owner Fred Wilpon's alleged ties to Bernie Madoff and the infamous "Ponzi Scheme," the Mets, according to the New York-based source, have already decided to shop Reyes (and perhaps Carlos Beltran and David Wright) and will be looking to stockpile and rebuild with high-level prospects rather than established players anywhere near arbitration or free agency.The Giants, however, already have a franchise-record payroll of approximately 120 million, and they might be reluctant to add a pro-rated portion of Reyes' 2011 salary for what would amount to a four- to five-month rental if they were unable to keep him in orange and black after this season. Signing Reyes to a long-term deal appears daunting, too. A source familiar with Reyes' agent said the shortstop's camp will be looking for a deal similar to that of the seven-year, 142 million deal that outfielder Carl Crawford got from the Red Sox last winter.

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