(Neil Miller/Sportsday Wire)
If you are not a night owl, you may not have heard the rumblings from the baseball world.
In an absolute shocker, the Colorado Rockies sent their face of the franchise in Troy Tulowitzki along with LaTroy Hawkins to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Jose Reyes and prospects.
This means the Blue Jays are addressing their pitching problems with more offense, while the Rockies now have Reyes, who is most likely to be flipped, since shortstop prospect Trevor Story seems to be ready to take Tulowitzki’s spot in Colorado.
So if one door closes, another opens for the Mets. The golden unicorn in Tulowitzki is now north of the border, but Reyes can be had.
And if the Amazin’s get him, it would be a perfect reunion down the stretch.
Not since Mike Piazza came from the Marlins would a mod season deal ignite the Met fan base, as Reyes returning home. The Mets still have that image problem that they don’t want to spend what it takes to win. Even with the small moves of Juan Uribe, Kelly Johnson and now Tyler Clippard, there’s a sense that the club needs to bring one more credible bat in to make a run for the playoffs.
Over the past few days, the Mets were rumored to be in on names like Jay Bruce, Justin Upton, and of course, Tulowitzki, with the first two could still in play to be coming to Queens. Yes, they can help, but they won’t have the psychological impact with the fans as a Reyes reunion. He would be viewed as the conquering hero coming home, much like Tom Seaver in 1983. Reyes isn’t the Hall of Famer that Seaver was, but he has the trust and love of the fans.
Look the Mets need a leadoff hitter, as they are wasting Curtis Granderson in the top spot. Also, shortstop is their weakest position.
It just fits. Imagine a left side of the infield with David Wright and Jose Reyes as the Mets rumble for the playoffs. You can’t a write story any better than that.
Now, it’s no slam dunk. Reyes is owned about $55 million through 2017, but the bulk comes after this season. And with both Bartolo Colon and Daniel Murphy coming off the payroll, the contract is a little easier to swallow.
Reyes is also injury prone, but you have to think part of that came from playing on the turf in Toronto. Back on the grass in Queens will only help the 32 year-old.
Right now, Reyes is hitting .285 with a .708 OPS, which is lowest it’s been since 2005. But you would hope the change in scenery would improve the shortstop’s stats. Besides, with lower numbers, the Mets could get him for a discount or at least get a bulk of the salary picked up.
And if you fill the “big bat” slot with Reyes, Michael Conforto will stay in the Major Leagues for now and that’s not a bad thing either.
The knock on Sandy Alderson is that he doesn’t know the Met fan mentality and how close and loyal they feel to their home grown stars. Bringing back Reyes would ignite the fan base and make Citi Field a very fun place to watch baseball down the stretch.
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