David Wright will be a highly craved commodity on the free agent market this offseason if the Mets let him go that far. That’s an obvious preciction.

However, the Mets would be silly to let their homegrown star leave the big apple.

Here are three reasons why the Mets must extend David Wright to a long term contract, soon.

He’s a Cornerstone Piece

Cornerstone pieces don’t fall from trees, and any team that has a cornerstone piece also must keep him. The Mets have one of these commodities in David wright.

David Wright is an asset you build around, not let reach the open market. If the Mets choose to go into complete rebuild mode, Wright should stay, and they can piece together a club around him.

At 29 years-old, he’s still in the middle of his prime, and has plenty of production left in the tank. If he was aging, his $15 million option wouldn’t be as attractive, seeing that New York is still a couple years out from being legitimate contenders in the National League.

In retrospect, R.A. Dickey isn’t worth keeping around. Not because he’s incapable of being the ace of New York, but because he’s 38. The likelihood of him being an effective pitcher when the Mets finally build a contender, is slim. Let’s not forget that he’s a one trick pony. And one trick pony’s can go from dominant to horrific in a small matter of time.

Wright, though, is a rare five trick pony. Meaning that he can hit for power, average, he possess speed, plays a great third base, and boasts a cannon for an arm. If it wasn’t for the Mets completely falling off the table in the beginning of the second half (4-14 record in their first 18 games post all-star break), Wright might be your National League MVP winner. However, things didn’t go according to plan, and Wright finds himself with great numbers (.314/.405/.505, 17 HR’S, 79RBIs, 5.9 WAR), but no one to respect them.

The Mets seem adamant on extending Dickey and Wright come the offseason. Whether or not Dickey remains in New York is a different story for another day, but should GM Sandy Alderson part ways with his third baseman, expect nothing less than a riot in the big apple.

The Fans

OK, Sandy Alderson probably couldn’t care less about the fans during his decision making process. But he should be, especially when he’s making a decision about David Wright’s future in New York.

Why be so careful with Wright?

Because he gives the fans an incentive to come out to the ballpark when the team is in the cellar. This same situation is taking place in 2012. The Mets breezed through the first half and looked to be a wild card contender. Then, everything went south, and now, they’re 18.5 games behind the first place Washington Nationals in the East.

There are very few motives for the casual fan to make the trip to Citi Field these days. One of those reasons is David Wright. His hustle, talent, and the fact that he’s a homegrown commodity, attracts fans just like any other superstar does. If the Mets lose him, the reasons for the general fans to come out to the ballpark are, well, there practically aren’t any.

So the Mets lose fans which ultimately costs them money. Sound like a winning formula? I’ll let you determine that.

Who Would They Replace Him With?

Part of the reason why Wright is such a valuable asset, is just because he plays third base. Okay, third base, big deal, right?

Not so fast.

Third baseman aren’t a dime a dozen as Ryan Zimmerman, Pablo Sandoval, and Chase Headley, headline a small group of quality third baseman. And trust me, outside of those three, the rest of the pack is middling to the extent that drawing comparisons isn’t even worth an attempt.

If Wright is permitted to test open waters, some team will surely fork up a massive contract to obtain him. In result, the Mets would be left with nothing but mediocre options to fill his void.

They don’t have many factors working in their favor, either.

This year’s free agent class is extremely thin on star power, and primarily thin on third baseman in general. In that regard, Wilmer Flores is the Mets top third base prospect and he’s not quite ready for a promotion. So how they would fill Wright’s aperture with a suitable option will take some deep thinking. Obviously, management could patch the gap for the short term, but they need a long term solution if winning is a priority