A Fallen Star

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There was a time when shortstop Jose Reyes was one of the brightest stars that Major League Baseball had to offer. Reyes made his MLB debut with the New York Mets in 2004 and his speed made him an enigmatic player at the top of their lineup for several years. Reyes helped the Mets win the National League East in 2006 and he also became a regular at the MLB All-Star Game. As Reyes was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2011 MLB season, he became the first Mets player that year to lead the NL in batting as he hit .337. And at the time that Reyes hit free agency, the Mets were a cash strapped organization and it only took $100 million from the Miami Marlins for six years to see him leave New York.

As Reyes was set to join the Marlins in 2012, he was a key piece of what the team in Miami was hoping would be a quick turnaround. But that wasn’t the case for the Marlins who finished in last place in the National League East that year as they only won 69 games. After the season, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria decided to have one of his infamous “fire sales” which saw Reyes traded to the Toronto Blue Jays after just one year in Miami. Reyes continued to put up solid numbers for the Blue Jays, but injuries have always hampered his career. And when the Jays saw an opening to improve their team this year, they jumped on it.

On July 27, Reyes was traded to the Colorado Rockies in a deal that saw the Blue Jays acquire shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. While Reyes was with the Mets, Tulowitzki was the youngster who appeared ready to overtake the flashy Reyes as one of the best shortstops in the NL, and now he lost his job to him in Toronto.

Since the trade, the Blue Jays are 24-6 as they now have a deep lineup that is full of power hitters while with the Rockies, Reyes finds himself in an all too familiar spot.

Reyes has only been a part of one playoff team and he’ll once again be watching the playoffs from home this October as the Rockies are well on their way to their fifth consecutive losing season. Reyes has already expressed his frustration in Denver as he wants to play for a winner, but barring a miracle, he might as well get accustomed to life in the Rocky Mountains.

When Reyes signed his deal with the Marlins, it was back loaded. After this year, Reyes is still owed $44 million over the next two years with a $22 million team option for 2018. And whereas Reyes appears to be a player with diminishing overall skills, it will be very tough for a contending team to take a chance on him and his contract.

When Reyes left the Mets, the team was a franchise that appeared to be stuck in the Bermuda Triangle, but in 2015 they are now the team to beat in the National League East. And Reyes has also made it known that he would not mind a return to New York, but that is easier said than done due to his contract. Reyes didn’t want to leave the Mets as he loved the Big Apple which is evident by the fact that he still owns a home in Long Island, but baseball is a business and he had to do what was best for him and his family; especially since the Mets did not offer him a contract in 2011. But there aren’t that many teams that Reyes can help as a 32-year old shortstop that is no longer a solid stolen base threat, while also being a struggling hitter, and a defensive liability. And with that it is hard to believe that it wasn’t that long ago that Reyes was one of baseball’s brightest stars and he was considered as one the players that could have been mentioned as the best in Mets franchise history. But that is the way that the cookie crumbles for some folks around Major League Baseball.

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By | 2015-08-31T14:36:14+00:00 August 31st, 2015|Categories: Major League Baseball|Tags: , |0 Comments

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