Settle Down — Jose Reyes Not Coming Back to Mets

The Mets universe is in a tizzy Tuesday over the late night shocking trade of Troy Tulowitzki to the Blue Jays for Jose Reyes and prospects. Aside from the disappointment on losing out on Tulowitzki, the conventional wisdom is that the Rockies will flip Reyes for more prospects, and his landing spot could be Flushing. It ain’t happening, folks.

Multiple reports citing numerous sources say the Mets have no interest in a Reyes reunion. Nor should they, as popular such a move would be with the fans.

At 32 years old, Jose Reyes is no longer the explosive player we remember. And word out of Toronto is that his Gold Glove-caliber defense has slipped considerably.

Sandy Alderson wanted nothing to do with Reyes when he became a free agent after his batting title 2011 season. He famously did not even make an offer for him to stay. So why would he want Reyes now that he is four years older, and give up prospects to boot?

Reyes is owed $48 million over the next two years, including a $4 million buyout in 2018. That does not even include the $10 million or so he is due for the rest of this season. Do you really want to pay anyone not named Trout, Stanton or Harper nearly $60 million for two and a half years of baseball?

Now, if the Rockies were amenable to picking up most of that salary, say, all but $10 million, then it might be worth it. But that will not happen. The Rockies are clearly rebuilding and likely will keep payroll low while that happens. They are not going to pay a substantial part of Reyes’s salary to play for another team, unless they can get a Noah Syndergaard or Steven Matz in exchange. We all know that’s not happening, either.

So keep your Jose Reyes Mets jersey tucked away in your drawer, and break it out when he signs one of those one-day contracts so he can retire as a Met.