12:01 AM Applesauce: Reyes is available! (sigh), Wheeler is awesome! (yay), Dykstra contra Canseco! (uhhhh)

Hey, so Jose Reyes is a free agent now. Look, we all knew this day was going to come, there is no need to panicpanipanicpanicpanic.

/cuts out words from various magazines

//sends 100 million dollar ransom demand to Fred Wilpon.

Okay, now that I've taken care of that, let's (sigh) look at where else Jose Reyes might end up. I think Detroit and Washington are the two most likely candidates all in all. Though the upgrade in Milwaukee from Yuniesky Betancourt to Reyes is, well, let's just say significant. I don't want to offend any members of Yuni's family that might be reading this by using a more precise adjective. I will also point out that Rubin stayed up to 12:01 AM specifically to announce Reyes' free agency on twitter. Rubin can be a bit of a troll.

Prospect news! Baseball America unveiled their Top 10 Mets prospects for 2012. No real surprises on the list. They have Puello and Flores higher than do, but that is keeping in line with the way BA rates players. I will point out that Darin Gorski was awarded best change-up and best control. GORSKI!

More prospect news! Rumors of Wilmer Flores' move from shortstop have been greatly exaggerated. I assume Flores starts at Binghamton next year, and they will need a shortstop, so whatever. Sounds like even D3PO knows he is most likely a third baseman in the majors, so maybe these rumors are only moderately exaggerated

The whole Maddoff affair finally seems to be coming to an end. I guess it could have been worse. Of course, the Wilpons are still heavily in debt and have no interest in spending money on the team commensurate with their market size, so...

Ted Berg did one of his famous Twitter Q+As yesterday. Here is Part One, and here is Part Two. Spoiler Alert: He talks Taco Bell and McRib.

Jason Fry of FAFIF talks about a subject near and dear to my heart, obsessively collecting Mets baseball cards. My personal favorite find from this year was a Topps Heritage R.A. Dickey, which is unspeakably cool-looking. Even if it lacks a proper Dickey face.

In case you didn't know, BIS's Defensive Runs Saved hates Justin Turner. Let's just cross our fingers that we are watching a Reyes/Tejada double play combination next year.

And then there is this.

Theo I, King of Chicago, handed down his first edict yesterday, officially relieving Mike Quade of his duties as manager. I guess he recommended Theo marry Anne of Cleves. It could have been worse for Quade. I mean, he could have actually recommened Theo marry Anne of Cleves. 

Ryne Sandberg may not be a candidate for Quade's job, but the Cardinals do seem to be interested. That would seriously rile up the North Side, setting off some sort of War of Roses, no doubt. The dowry for young Theo's hand is, of course, still being painstakingly negotiated. But now I will move on as I have run out of historical allusions.

At least the Cubs have a GM, as the Orioles still can't find anyone to stand in between Buck Showalter and Peter Angelos for team photos. I can't imagine why. This brings up the question, one I debated on twitter some yesterday: Who is the worst owner in baseball with the McCourts now out of the picture? I voted Loria, since he has now screwed with two teams, but I think you can make a case for Angelos.

Of course, they are still trying to figure out who is going to replace Frank McCourt, and the field is getting crowded. They should just handle it like they do on Storage Wars. Stick Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw in a storage unit, give them some blankets to huddle under, and let the bidders go nuts. Of course, since you aren't an expert like me, you might miss that hidden behind Clayton Kershaw's lanky frame is a vintage Galaga machine!

Free Agency started at 12:01, and Reyes isn't the only high-profile name hitting the market. There is also some guy named Pujols. So let's play a game. What ridiculous amount of money will he get?  I'll start the bidding at 8 years, 240 million. You can follow all the hot stove action with MLB.com's free agent tracker. 

And look, we already have our first free agent signing! The Dodgers have inked Juan Rivera to a one-year deal.

If you tune in breathlessly to catch the announcement of the Grammy for "Best Spoken Word Album," you are probably also interested in seeing who won the SIlver Sluggers! So there ya go. Reyes lost out to Troy Tulowitzki which would make me more upset if I hadn't just seen Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier win Gold Gloves.

The Rays have a decision to make about James Shields. Personally, I would move Niemann for whatever you can get and roll out Price, Moore, Shields, Hellickson, Davis and take my chances. Unless I am getting an elite MLB-ready bat for Complete Game James.