Pay The Man His Money

The New York Mets announced today that they have signed infielder Jose Reyes to a four-year contract extension worth $23.25 million with a club option for 2011.
Reyes, who turned 23 on June 11th, was signed by the Mets to a non-drafted free agent contact in August, 1999.

"The commitment from ownership is to sign our core players to long term contracts so they can be part of the team for years to come," said Mets Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Jeff Wilpon. "We are delighted to reach this agreement with Jose Reyes. It's something that gives our team stability and a foundation to build upon now and in the future."

"Jose is one of the most exciting young players in the game today," said Mets General Manager Omar Minaya. "He is one of the lightning rods for our offense and we couldn't be more excited to agree to a long term contract with him."

Reyes already ranks fifth on the team's All-Time Stolen Base List with 136 and third on the All-Time Triple List with 36.

"It's an exciting day for me," said Reyes. "I never dreamt this was imaginable when I signed as a 16-year-old. I owe a great deal of thanks to Fred and Jeff Wilpon and Omar Minaya for making this happen."