As reported yesterday by Ken Rosenthal, the Mets re-signed longtime Met infielder Jose Reyes to a one-year deal worth $2 million with $500,000 available with incentives.

As you might expect, many fans were not happy about this. Once one of the most beloved players in the history of the franchise with his blazing speed on the bases and great defense, Reyes has aged and fallen off from his previous levels of stardom. While there is no denying his decline, I feel as though this was a smart move by the Mets and that Reyes still has something left in the tank.

Reyes actually quietly put up a decent 2 fWAR season year, which is considered average for a starter. He rubbed some fans the wrong way with just a .655 OPS in the first half due in part to some lower body injuries, but he rebounded nicely in the second half by putting up an .828 OPS as the Mets’ already marginal playoff hopes crashed and burned.

Reyes also posted significantly stronger numbers against lefties, batting .267/.343/.500 as a right-handed batter with a much weaker .239/.306/.386 line against right-handed pitching. Overall he hit for a 94 wRC+, which is slightly below league average but certainly not terrible, especially for his role of a utility player going forward.

A big reason Reyes is not a starter anymore is his decline in defense. While he has graded positively in his defense at shortstop in the past, it is now nothing of what it used to be, as he had a negative DRS at every position he played in 2017, with -15 DRS at shortstop and -5 DRS at both second and third. While this makes him a less-than-ideal option to be a starter, his defense really isn’t as bad as you might think.

With all the components of his defense combined, including his positional adjustment, he actually had a positive dWAR of 1.1 according to Fangraphs. Now, it’s not in the same stratosphere of the 18.9 mark he put up in 2007, but it’s passable for a bench player who won’t be getting the bulk of the playing time.

He’s still a better defensive option than Wilmer Flores or Asdrubal Cabrera, as his UZR/150 at each of second base, third base, and shortstop was better than that of the other two in 2017. He is also much smoother with his footwork due to naturally being more able-bodied than Flores and Cabrera, although his range is more limited than the Reyes of the past.

Another knock I’ve heard on Reyes has been his lack of speed. While he has gotten slower with age and is not the prolific 78-base stealer of 2007, he still led the Mets last year with 24 stolen bases and gets a great 7.2 Spd rating according to Fangraphs. His speed has regressed, as it would in any 34-year-old, but it has regressed from elite to just really good, and is still a very valuable and probably undervalued asset.

Another aspect that has to be taken into account is his defensive versatility. He is no longer confined to shortstop, and can switch between third and second as needed. Additionally, he can play short in a pinch if he has to. He also played some outfield in 2017.

We already know that he is a team player who is willing to make these adjustments for the sake of the team winning. Reyes knows he’s old. He knows he’s not as good as he used to be, and he knows that he’s no longer the center of attention. He’s said publicly multiple times that he loves being a Met and wouldn’t rather play for anyone else, and that kind of passion and simply wanting to be a Met is something the Mets need not just on the field but in the clubhouse.

He’s also developed a great relationship with the Mets’ rising franchise shortstop Amed Rosario, and we saw this past year that Reyes is a very good mentor and teacher for Rosario, whose game and style of play has a lot of similarities to Reyes. His positive energy can bring a lot of value that can’t be put in a number, and can bring out the best in other players, especially Rosario.

As we all know, injuries and underperformances happen and are difficult to predict, so Reyes may be forced to start some games, but it’s really not the end of the world if it does happen. If he can put up another 2-WAR season similar to last year, he’s a viable but unspectacular option to be used in emergencies, and as of now, he’s a much better option off the bench than someone like Matt Reynolds or Gavin Cecchini, neither of which have displayed a consistent ability to hit at even a Major League bench player level.

As far as bench players go, what Reyes provides is all you can expect of a bench player to provide: fine hitting, versatile defense, great speed, veteran leadership and someone who can feasibly start if they have to. It’s not like the Mets have anyone better, at least not in the short-term, which is why Reyes is signed for just one year, so they don’t have to make any kind of long-term commitment for when he really gets old and some of the young infield prospects become Major League ready.

In the end, the Mets got a cheap depth piece that gives them more options on the bench. Now go get a starting second baseman.