The Mets are trying to find a way to retain super free agent, José Reyes, but as suggested here, it might require some creativity to find a deal within the means of the team that meets with his approval. Some "out of the box" suggestions:
#1 Change the name of the team to something that makes it sound like a new form of some other team’s name ala Anaheim Angels of Anaheim Formerly Known As Something or Other, tricking Reyes into thinking that he is signing for a team with a future.
#2 Sign him for a long contract, knowing his body won’t hold up that long, but use some form of foreign currency, like Lire, so that not only will it be something the team can afford, it might be close to what he actually is worth.
#3 Sign him part time, since he’s going to be injured or playing partial strength 1/3 of the year anyways.
#4 Sign him for what he’s worth, full time, in American dollars, but have a clause where he has to do gigs on the side, even when he’s injured. Figure out a way to make money off him a third way, after realizing he sings about as good as Murphy plays Second.
#5 Seeing how good the bullpen was on $10M, dispose of Pelfrey and everyone else possible, including a few expensive players by tossing in an Ike Davis or by some trickery (maybe Madoff can help?) and replacing them with scrubs worth 10M. The more expensive players will be busts or get injured at some point anyways. Money saved goes to pay Reyes.
#6 Sell souls to devil. Worked for the Cards this year.
#7 Point out what happened to Carl Crawford — does he really need that kind of headache, just for money?
#8 Try to stop him from laughing.
#9 Beg. It works on the subways. It’s good to have a gimmick or spiel. Perhaps, a song or dancing. Admittedly, many people trust some drunk on the street (with some amount of cause) with their money more than the current ownership.
#10 Include special perks like a second "Reyes" Apple that pops up whenever he hits a triple. Whenever he wants, he can have one turn at bat, get a bunt base hit and leave the game. Or, something.
A killjoy comment was made about the "humor" of overpaying someone whose talent is largely in his legs, which are due to break down, even as they do now periodically. This is a bit harsh -- see, e.g., his batting title -- but it is a telling point.