The Mets are bringing Jose Reyes back

by Brian Erni January 25, 2018

Jose Reyes is back for another go 'round with the New York Mets.

According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Reyes and the Mets are in an agreement on a one-year deal with the understanding that Reyes will be a utility infielder.

#Mets in agreement with Jose Reyes on one-year contract, pending physical, sources tell The Athletic. Reyes returning with understanding he will fill utility role. Mets still looking for regular second baseman.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 25, 2018

Fan Rag Sports' Jon Heyman says the deal is for $2 million, with another $500,000 possible through incentives.

We probably should have expected this, especially if you were keeping tabs on Jose's social media today.

🤔 pic.twitter.com/P2HveZtvu3
— The 7 Line (@The7Line) January 25, 2018

I like it for many reasons. First, Reyes is still a very useful offensive player. Despite an abysmal start to the 2017 season, Reyes ended up being worth 2.0 oWAR. He still has plenty to give on offense, which includes the speed element, something Sandy Alderson's Mets teams have always lacked.

Secondly, it's clear that Amed Rosario loves Jose and views him as a mentor. The two have talked at length this offseason about the close relationship they enjoy, and with the Mets having so much vested in Rosario's success, bringing back Reyes is a good idea on that basis alone.

But what I love the most is that the Mets are still looking to add a starting second baseman.

Listen, I love Reyes' contributions on the field over the years as much as the next Mets fan, but it's clear his defense leaves quite a bit to be desired. In his age-35 season, he probably can and will be a fine offensive contributor, but this team shouldn't count on him to play at the defensive level he was at when he was 21, or play in as many games (145) as he did last season.

As long as the Mets go out and get someone like Neil Walker, Josh Harrison, or Eduardo Nunez to play second (or Todd Frazier or Mike Moustakas to play third, shifting Asdrubal Cabrera to second), and Reyes is going to be a veteran depth bat and a pinch runner in key situations, then this is a solid move.

Of course, that still has to happen. And I'm aware that it's always a very real possibility that the Mets change their minds and just go with what the have, which right now, would be Reyes and Wilmer Flores. But it looks like the Mets know Reyes' limitations at this stage in his career, and they want to utilize him for the strengths that remain in his game without overexposing his weaknesses. If they can do that correctly, we should have a lot of fun watching Jose do his thing.