Jose Reyes is back in orange and blue, but is it the right move to run out the same group of guys from 2017?
The theme of 2018 is quickly becoming if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. The problem for the New York Mets is that based on what happened last season, things are broken and need to be fixed. Unfortunately for anyone with a vested interest in this team, the front office has taken one step closer to putting out the same group of guys this summer. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reports that the Mets have agreed to a one-year contract with Jose Reyes. The 34-year-old Reyes will earn $2 million, a number that can grow as high as $2.5 million with incentives in 2018.
#Mets in agreement with Jose Reyes on one-year contract, pending physical, sources tell The Athletic. Reyes returning with understanding he will fill utility role. Mets still looking for regular second baseman.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 25, 2018
Once one of this franchise’s most exciting and productive players, Reyes departed to Miami in 2011 after the Mets were reluctant to sign him to a long-term extension. The Dominican Republic native agreed to a six-year, $106 million deal to join the Marlins. Reyes was later shipped to the Toronto Blue Jays and Colorado Rockies before a domestic violence incident derailed his career. An incident with his wife on a trip to Hawaii resulted in domestic violence charges for Reyes and would lead to being suspended for the first 51 games of the 2016 season. Upon completion of his suspension, the Rockies designated Reyes for assignment.
The Mets wasted no time bringing back their old star, taking a flyer on Reyes 10 days after Colorado DFA’d him. The once speedy shortstop provided a spark to a struggling ball club and helped the team reach the second of back-to-back postseasons. Reyes agreement to rejoin the Mets came with a team option for 2017, that the club opted to pick up. 2017 started abysmally for Jose Reyes, but the wave of injuries afforded him the chance to play and work through his issues at the plate. Reyes was one of the few players to remain healthy for the majority of the year, playing in 145 games with a slash line of .246/.315/.413, as well as 15 home runs and 58 RBI. The latest star shortstop in Queens, Amed Rosario, has openly campaigned for the return of his mentor.
Reyes’ return to the Mets comes with the caveat that he will be confined to a utility role. The expectation is that he will fill in all around the infield and in the outfield if absolutely necessary. The Mets are still intent on signing an everyday second baseman.
The Front Office Talks Payroll
During yesterday’s Q&A with Sandy Alderson and the brain trust, Evan Roberts of WFAN took the microphone and asked the burning question on all of our minds: why aren’t the Mets spending like they should?
The full question and answer from the Mets event… https://t.co/WCVx6ToBfl
— Evan Roberts (@EvanRobertsWFAN) January 25, 2018
Alderson responded with a joke about why he doesn’t listen to WFAN and deferred the question to John Ricco. Ricco would go on to explain that spending responsibly is the better strategy as throwing money at the problem blindly can handicap this franchise in more ways than one. He would go on to cite the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels as examples of teams whose blind spending didn’t pay off.
Other Mets News, Stories
- ESNY’s Nicholas Santuccio says the Mets should be smart and bring back “Big Sexy,” Bartolo Colon.
- ESNY’s Gregg Cambareri wonders why the Mets are so obsessed with Brandon Nimmo.
