The New York Mets have been long suspected of dealing shortstop Jose Reyes away since he’ll be a free agent after the season, but a source close to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com says that GM Sandy Alderson could deal long-time third baseman David Wright.

“It will be a very ticklish situation because of what David has meant to the team for so long, but that’s not a concern of Sandy,” the source said. “There will be some capital there to spend on Reyes if they choose to go that direction. Now, he can’t obviously get monster money. If Reyes wants monster money, no, the Mets won’t keep him.”

Alderson has indicated that he’ll likely approach Reyes’ agents before the trading deadline to see how much he’ll be seeking in the off-season.

The source adds that it’s likely the Mets will complete the season with both Reyes and Wright on the roster.  The team may try to re-sign Reyes, but if they don’t then they’ll offer him arbitration and collect two first-round draft picks.

“I think they’ll go to him and they’ll request a home-team discount,” the source said. “He’s got reasons to stay. The flights between New York and the Dominican are easy. He’d be the man. That’s for sure, if that’s what he wants.”

Wright is under contract with the Mets for two more years with an team option for $16 million in 2013.  His salary will likely prevent the team from retaining their third baseman.

Said the source: “If they wanted to move Wright, there’s no better time to move him than now, because there still will be teams out there thinking, ‘Well, David Wright was sabotaged by the stadium. He’s still a good player. He’d be a good fit where he doesn’t have to be the guy,’ which he’s been here for so long. So they can get some return on Wright. Plus the fact that he has two years left on his deal, so you’re not talking about long-term financial damage for any team that does pick him up.”

There were rumors in early May about the possibility of the Giants acquiring Reyes from the Mets. San Francisco eventually denied those rumors.

Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.