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New York Mets Rumors: Jose Reyes Seems To Confirm His Return To Queens With Snapchat Of Team’s Win

By Nathan Francis
Published on: 18:17 PST, Jun 24, 2016

The New York Mets are rumored to be re-uniting with Jose Reyes, and the team’s former shortstop seemed to confirm his return with a Snapchat post on Friday night.

There had been rumors building throughout the week that the Mets would be taking a run at the controversial player. While it was initially reported more than a week ago that the team had no interest in Reyes, that gradually shifted throughout the week to the point that it was almost assured by Friday night, MLB.com reported.

The Colorado Rockies had placed Reyes on waivers after he completed a 52-game suspension after his October arrest for domestic violence. There seems to be little interest among other teams, which pushed the rumors that the New York Mets would be signing him.

Jose Reyes did his part to help those rumors along. On Friday night, he posted a short clip on Snapchat showing the Mets recording the final out of an 8-6 win over the Atlanta Braves.

The abrupt change in stance for the New York Mets comes more out of necessity than a desire to bring back the glory days of his first tenure with the team, which stretched from 2003 to 2011. The New York Mets have been hit hard by injuries to David Wright and Lucas Duda, and are in need of bench depth and reliable bat. They reportedly view Reyes as a role player, likely someone who can fill in as needed and help the Mets make it to the trade deadline and a more permanent solution.

While it remains to be seen if the slump he suffered last season is indicative that Reyes is over the hill or if he just needs a change of scenery, his return to the New York Mets will at least help the club in some ways. The Mets have only 13 stolen bases this year — putting them 29th overall in the majors — and Reyes would be able to give the team a bit more speed, even if he has lost a step.

If the New York Mets do follow through on the rumors and sign Jose Reyes, it would be a low-risk proposition for them. Once Reyes clears waivers and becomes a free agent, the Mets would have to pay only a pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum, which MLB.com reported is about $300,000.

Mets manager Terry Collins, who coached Reyes at the end of his tenure with the Mets, said the former All-Star shortstop could still have something to offer.

“He was a great player,” manager Terry Collins said. “I haven’t seen him in recent years, but he did a lot of things. He was a good hitter. He could fly. He’s got a great arm. He played a very good shortstop. He brought a lot to the party.”

Even if Jose Reyes does sign with the New York Mets on Saturday, he may not be with the team immediately. The Mets would likely move him to third base, which means sending Reyes to Triple-A Las Vegas to get comfortable with the new position.

There could be some other complications to signing Jose Reyes, NBC Sports noted, namely the difficulty of snagging a player still embroiled in controversy.

“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.”

But assuming the rumors are true, the New York Mets will have Jose Reyes back on the roster by Saturday afternoon.

[Photo by Matt York/Getty Images]

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