Reports: Mets to Sign Jose Reyes
Multiple reports Saturday say the Mets will sign Jose Reyes when he officially becomes a free agent later in the day.
Reyes is coming off a 52-day suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence policy. Reyes and his wife got into a fight at a hotel in Hawaii in the off-season. He was initially charged, then Mrs. Reyes stopped cooperating with authorities and they had no choice but to drop the charges.
From a baseball standpoint, this is a no-lose situation. If Jose Reyes is even half the player he once was, he is better than anyone the Mets have on the bench. Reports say the Mets plan on sending him down to the minors for a couple of weeks to learn how to play second base, third base and perhaps even the outfield.
The Rockies are responsible for the $39 million dollars left on his contract, so the Mets will pay only a prorated portion of the MLB minimum, so there is hardly any financial commitment at all.
The Mets could have issues from a PR standpoint, though. No one takes domestic violence lightly. But you can be assured the Mets investigated the incident and are comfortable that it was a one-time thing and that Reyes has been punished appropriately. And if any organization knows the real Reyes, it is the Mets. There could still be protests from anti-violence groups that would not be particularly pretty.
There will of course be no pushback from Mets fans. They love Reyes — always have, always will. He was one of the most popular players on the team while he was here from 2003 until he ran off the field with his batting title in 2011.
So five years after he reluctantly left, Mets fans will have what they always wanted — Jose Reyes in a Mets uniform.