Mets Notes: Reyes, Wright, Payroll, Backman

There's lots of chatter around the Mets regarding free agent Jose Reyes and the possibility of trading third baseman David Wright.  Here's more on that and other items concerning the Metropolitans..

• ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter) doesn''t know where Reyes will land, but thinks that the Brewers would be an excellent fit for the shortstop.  The Brewers should have the money to spend on a big-ticket free agent such as Reyes this summer.  MLBTR's Tim Dierkes ranked Reyes third on his top 50 free agents list, predicting Milwaukee as his destination.  Make your picks for Reyes the other 49 top free agents in MLBTR's contest — less than three hours remain to enter!
• Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter) makes an educated guess and sees the Mets with a $95MM payroll on Opening Day.  During the season, GM Sandy Alderson said that the payroll could grow into the $100-$110MM range, but that figure includes amateur signing bonuses.  Rubin (via Twitter) figures the Mets have about $18MM to spend this winter on a closer, set-up man, center fielder, a starting pitcher, and more bullpen arms.
• Wright could be moved next summer under the right circumstances, but it's highly unlikely that he'll be traded this winter, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) has been told.
• Wally Backman will accept the Mets’ offer to manage their Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, with the hope that he’s next in line after Terry Collins, writes Bob Klapisch of The Bergen Record.  Meanwhile, friends of Alderson say that he has no intention of a long-run as GM and eventually, Paul DePodesta will run the day-to-day operations of the franchise.  One NL talent evaluator told Klapisch that it would take four-to-five years to develop the talent to become competitive again in the division if the Mets do not retain Reyes.