"The Mets do not plan to make an offer to free-agent shortstop Jose Reyes anytime soon, general manager Sandy Alderson said Monday, nor do they expect Reyes to sign before December.

"Things are going to go slow, which I think is typical of most if not all free agents," Alderson said. "That's not just because players are attracted to other clubs, but because they're not really sure what the market is."

Though the Mets are in the middle of a five-day exclusive negotiating period with Reyes, they do not expect to make him an offer before it expires. Offering Reyes a contract would not be productive, the team feels, until other teams set what Alderson called a "less-defined market" for a unique free agent."