Marc Carig of Newsday reports that, while the Mets have not yet made a final decision, “all signs are pointing toward a reunion” between the club and their former shortstop, Jose Reyes. Carig says that “the idea has continued to gain steam within the organization,” and that the Mets could sign Reyes as soon as this weekend.
The idea will be for Reyes to either play third base, covering for the injured David Wright, or for him to play second base with Neil Walker moving to third from second. He is not envisioned as an option at short, where Asdrubal Cabrera is holding things down. Reyes hit .303/.425/.485 over 40 plate appearances on his nine-game minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Albuquerque. Last season he hit .285 with a .322 on-base percentage and stole 16 bases in 69 games for the Blue Jays. He hit only .259 with a .291 OBP in 47 games after being traded to the Colorado Rockies.
The biggest fallout of this signing, however, would be the p.r. fallout occasioned by the Mets giving a job to a man who was arrested in October for domestic violence and who hasn’t played in the bigs this year due to his lengthy suspension for the incident. There are some, of course, who view what happens on and off the field as totally separate things. Many fans, however, will not take well to the Mets reuniting with a player with Reyes’ recent history.
