It’s amazing how quick Jose Reyes has established himself in the Mets’ recordbooks. Reyes obliterated the single-season Mets steals record with his 78 in 2007. And in just his fourth full season, Reyes has already captured the club record for steals, eclipsing the mark of Mookie Wilson. He managed to do it in nearly 400 less games than Wilson.

If David Wright keeps it up, he could easily break the Mets’ all-time home run record, as well.

It is actually a sad testament to how few players have had long tenures with the Mets. Gary Cohen and Ron Darling discussed the issue shortly after Reyes broke the record earlier this week. Cohen said only somebody like Ed Kranepool, who spent his entire 18-season career with the Mets, has the kind of long tenure you’d expect from club recordholders. Team icons like Tom Seaver (roughly 10 and a half seasons) and Mike Piazza (7 seasons) had a number of years (and a few major accomplishments) without the Mets. The same can be said for team leaders from that 1986 championship team like Keith Hernandez (6 and a half seasons), Darryl Strawberry (8 seasons), and Dwight Gooden (11 seasons).

When thinking of some of these iconic Mets, it makes one wonder whether fans jump the gun in assuming Reyes and Wright will be with the Mets for their entire careers. For sure, they will play through the rest of their current contracts, which are pretty sizable ones. But how can we say what the state of the Mets will be after the 2011 season? And especially after the 2013 season? Who knows just what the productivity of those two players are at that time or the state of the Mets’ payroll?

For what it’s worth, though, the Mets have established their identity as Reyes and Wright ever since the beginning of the 2005 season and perhaps, even before then. It is what made not resigning Mike Piazza and Cliff Floyd, marginal past team leaders, all the easier. And Reyes and Wright have matured and filled those roles admirably, especially Wright who has remained a leader in the clubhouse when others (Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado) have occasionally faltered in that capacity.

Hopefully, if the two keep it up through their prime, the Mets can continue to identify Reyes and Wright, along with Beltran, Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and others as the team’s core for years to come.