José Reyes; the Miami Marlins’ short-term man?

Editor’s note: Exciting news to announce. We are about to debut two new authors here at Marlin Maniac. Today, we start off with Will Privette, he is also known as @Thrill21 on Twitter. Will has connections with the former Marlins minor league affiliate, the Carolina Mudcats.

When Jose Reyes first hit the free agent market a week ago, people throughout baseball assumed that Reyes was looking to fully cash in on a long-term deal; six or seven years were the general idea. That has all changed today when reports surfaced that the soon to be Miami Marlins have offered the Dominican shortstop a three-year deal with an annual salary around $20 million. At first thought, many people laughed at the report, thinking that Reyes would never accept a short-term deal, but upon further review, it could make better sense for Reyes.

If Reyes were to sign a deal for seven years, he would likely get paid an annual salary around $15 million. With this deal, Reyes, 28, would become the highest paid shortstop in baseball and could potentially reenter free agency when he is 31. Assuming he stays healthy, which is a big assumption, Reyes could cash in once again and still make a boatload of money.

For the Marlins, it really is the perfect scenario. Yes they are dishing out $20 million a season, but they will not be giving out $15 million to a 35-year-old Reyes, who already has bad knees. It goes along with the Marlins’ ‘win now’ mentality that they are showcasing this vital off-season.

Reyes met with the Marlins brass today in Miami as expected and will likely meet with other clubs before it’s all said and done. However, most people in baseball think it’s already a forgone conclusion that Reyes will take his talents to south beach to make one hell of an infield with Hanley Ramirez, Omar Infante and Gaby Sanchez already there.

In other news, the Marlins have signed former first round pick Beau Jones. The Atlanta Braves originally drafted the 25-year-old lefty in the first round of the 2005 draft before he was apart of a package that was sent to Texas Rangers  in exchange for first baseman Mark Teixeira. The Marlins have also re-signed right-handed pitcher Brett Zawacki and infielder Jeff Dominguez to minor league deals. They also inked lefty Michael Jarman to a minor league contract.