Team sources have told Mets beat reporters that there will be no reunion with shortstop Jose Reyes and they have no plans to pursue him.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post adds:
“There used to be no more elating play in the sport than Reyes rounding second and gaining speed toward third. He is not that player any longer. He is a fielding liability. He ranks next to last in Defensive Runs Saved among shortstops.”
“He has a .613 OPS against lefty pitching, negating his impact as a switch-hitter. Reyes is making $22 million this season, $44 million between 2016 and 2017, and there is a $4 million buyout on a $22 million 2018 option.”
Yes, all that plus what Connor wrote below…
(Joe D.)
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As news broke of the shocking Troy Tulowitzki trade last night, some Mets fans immediately shifted their hopes to another shortstop: Jose Reyes.
Reyes, of course, was dealt to the Colorado Rockies in that Tulowitzki trade along with three other players. He is currently in the fourth year of the six-year, $106 million contract he signed with the Marlins before the 2012 season. He is making $22 million this season and $22 million in each of the next two seasons, along with a $4 million buyout in 2018 for a team option of $22 million.
Many Mets fans would probably love a reunion with the 32 year-old shortstop. He would certainly provide some speed at the top of the lineup that the Mets just don’t have. Reyes has stolen 16 bases so far this season, and a combined 85 in the previous three seasons. Ironically, he has only hit 16 triples since leaving the Mets, the same amount he had in 2011, his last year in New York. Whether or not you want the Mets to target Reyes, he would definitely bring an energy and an aggressiveness that this team currently lacks.
However, today’s Jose Reyes is vastly different from the one we grew to love. In his last six seasons with the Mets, Reyes slashed .297/.354/.458, stealing 59 bases and hitting 15 home runs per 162 games. He is no longer capable of putting up anything close to that now. In fact, Reyes is really a shell of his former self with the bat.
This year, Reyes is hitting .285/.322/.385 with four home runs, 17 doubles, and 16 steals. Overall, that amounts to a 95 wRC+. To put that line in context, Ruben Tejada has a very similar 93 wRC+ so far this season. That’s not to say Tejada is a better hitter or would hit that way over the course of a full season, but it nonetheless shows how far Reyes has fallen.
Possibly the biggest concern the Blue Jays had with Reyes was his defense, which has pretty dramatically declined in recent years. Once ten to 15 runs above average in his time with the Mets, Reyes is now a below-average defender. Since leaving the Mets, Reyes has accumulated -45 Defensive Runs Saved and, according to Baseball-Reference, has been two whole wins below league average on defense over that span. Say what you will about Ruben Tejada and Wilmer Flores, but both have much better defensive numbers than Reyes.
The only big asset that Reyes still has in his tool belt is his speed, which is still solid. Reyes has been ten runs above average since leaving the Mets just in terms of stolen bases. In other types of baserunning, he’s also been above average. That would be an immediate upgrade for the Mets, who rank 13th in baseball in wSB (only because they don’t even bother trying to steal), and 20th in UBR. Also remember the excitement acquiring Reyes would bring back to this team. He’s one of the most popular Mets players ever, and nabbing him would certainly put more fans in the seats.
Lastly, what would discussing a trade like this be without comparing Reyes to what the Mets already have? As a team this season, Mets shortstops rank ninth in baseball with an 88 wRC+. They currently own a combined .252/.300/.366 slash line with 12 home runs.
Met shortstops have also posted well above-average defensive numbers, coming in at 8.9 runs above average according to Fangraphs. Put it all together, and Mets shortstops have a combined fWAR of 2.3 this season, fifth in baseball. What has Reyes done? fWAR has him at 1.2 so far this season and Baseball-Reference, whose defensive metrics really hurt Reyes, have him at just 0.6 wins above replacement.
Frankly, that doesn’t even come close to being worth the money Reyes is still owed. No GM on the planet would sign Reyes to a two-year, $48 million deal right now. The Mets’ seemingly-limited funds can be much better spent somewhere else, which is perhaps why early signals show the Mets as not at all interested in Reyes.
Reyes would be a slight upgrade offensively for now, but with his decline, he may not be better with the bat than Flores and Tejada for much longer. His defensive game has fallen apart since leaving the Mets. He is now, without question, a liability on defense. The only real asset he still has left is his speed, which is not worth $48 million over two years, plus whatever he is owed the rest of this season.
A Reyes reunion would be exciting for the fans and wouldn’t cost any prospects if the Mets ate some money, but if Sandy Alderson is really looking to acquire one more bat, Reyes is absolutely not the way to go.
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