Mack Ade - Jose Reyes

Good morning.

Whodda thunk it?

Nobody in Metsland ever thought Jose Reyes would be back in Queens wearing a Mets uniform. Maybe in a delicatessen wearing a Mets t-shirt, but nothing more than this.

Reyes became a free agent in June of last year and signed a minor league contract with the Mets. Because he was released by the Colorado Rockies with time left on his contract, all the Mets had to do was pay him a prorated league minimum for the remainder of the 2017 season. He was also under contract for the 2018 season, so why not pay him the minimum also?

Even at 33-years old, Reyes turned out to be the uber-utility infielder they needed last year. At times, David Wright, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Neil Walker all hit the disabled list and Reyes was there to play whatever position that was needed. In the end, after 255 at-bats with the Mets, he hit .267/.326/.443/769, with 8 home runs and 24 runs batted in.

Mike Maer, from Mack’s Mets added –

Jose Reyes’ return to the Mets last year was a gamble which paid off happily.  Not only did Jose prove he still has some good baseball left in the tank - he also brought his signature energy to the dugout, and was a solid citizen throughout the year.  All at a bargain price.

To me, the most interesting thing to see with Reyes for 2017 will be if and how the Mets find ways to get him in the lineup semi-regularly.  All infield positions are theoretically spoken for with the return of David Wright and re-signing of Neil Walker.  Yes, it seems fairly likely that there will be ample opportunities for Jose to play with the whole starting infield dealing with some combination of age and injury.  Still, I think the most important and exciting element that Jose brings to any team is his presence as an everyday leadoff hitter.  I could easily see a scenario where at some point with the overall offense struggling - even if the starting infield is healthy - Terry Collins is tempted to try to get Reyes into the leadoff slot every day. 

In the happy event that the starting infield is healthy and productive, I do wonder how Jose’s game would respond to spotty playing time.  Playing irregularly is something Reyes has never had to deal with, and which many former starting players have struggled with. 

Can he make the adjustment to a utility infield role?  Will he have to, or will we see him atop the Mets lineup on most days?  Certainly an interesting subplot as we head toward Spring Training.

Joining in was Christopher Soto, of Mack’s Mets –

As is the case with David Wright, as much as we love him (as a player), Jose Reyes is on the tail end of his career and needs to be evaluated as such. Now that said, Reyes is still quite the useful asset. If we take the 60 games he played as a Met last season and extrapolate that over a 162 game season.....Reyes was on pace to produce a stat line of .267 AVG, 121 Runs, 20 HR, 65 RBI, and 24 SB. Any idea who the last 20 HR, 20 SB Met was? That would be Carlos Beltran 9 year ago in 2008. How about the last Met to score 100+ runs? Also 2008 when the trio of Beltran, Wright, and Reyes all did it.

Of course.....we shouldn't expect Reyes to survive a 162 game season at this stage of his career, however, in his new role as the super utility starter, it is not outside the realm of possibility to see in rack up 450+ at bats in 2017. In addition, should (aka....when) David Wright ends up back on the DL, Reyes gives the team a solid back-up option (honestly...a better one in my opinion) to plug the hole.

Opinion – This is a no brainer. Reyes will be the starting third basmena until David Wright returns.

What he will never be in the player he was when he and David Wright joined this team a thousand years ago.

My two utility infielders in 2017 are T.J. Rivera and Wilmer Flores, with Gavin Cecchini in Vegas awaiting a phone call.