No. Just....no

Yes, I know José Reyes was a pain in the ass towards the end of the season. But the answer is not to trade him -- or David Wright -- to make room for a greedy 32-year-old with a history of not being able to hack it in New York:

Now Minaya, who is the team’s general manager, has another chance to sign Rodriguez, who, through Boras, informed the Yankees that he would opt out of the final three seasons of his contract. And there have been indications in recent weeks that the Mets may enter the Rodriguez sweepstakes.

This time around, he could make more than $30 million annually, and he will be in his late 30s, or perhaps even in his 40s, when his next contract expires. The Mets have never exceeded the luxury-tax threshold and could be forced to trade a marquee name to make room.

There is no question that signing Rodriguez would instantly make the Mets a better team. He would add at least 40 home runs and 125 runs batted in to the lineup and would be another marketable presence that could help sell tickets for the team’s new stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2009. He would also help the team promote SportsNet New York, which the Mets hope will become as big a force as the Yankees’ YES Network.

What is far trickier is where Rodriguez would fit in on the field.

The Mets locked up José Reyes and David Wright to long-term extensions in 2006, expecting them to blossom together into perennial All-Stars on the left side of the infield. The Mets would have to ask one of them to switch positions to accommodate Rodriguez.

The most likely candidate would be Wright, who in spring training volunteered to move anywhere if the Mets acquired Rodriguez. But where would he go? To first base, where Carlos Delgado is owed $16 million next season? With second base unsettled, they could shift Wright there, too, but even for the athletically gifted Wright, that seems like a stretch.

The Mets’ marketing campaign has featured the Wright-Reyes tandem, and the presence of Rodriguez would dramatically change how they would fit into the greater mosaic.

Sometimes the best acquisition is the one you don't make. Memo to Mets: Don't do it. Resist the temptation. Alex Rodriguez may be an offensive powerhouse, but you have quite enough of an attitude problem with Reyes these days. Don't make it worse.