Yankees Have No Interest in Jose Reyes
The New York Yankees have no interest in recently DFA’d shortstop Jose Reyes according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
33-year-old Jose Reyes, once one of the most dynamic young stars in the game, has seen his reputation deteriorate both on and off the field over the past year. He has not played at all at the major league level this season after receiving a 52 game suspension for violating MLB’s new domestic violence policy. After finishing a nine game rehab stint with Colorado’s Triple-A affiliate, the Rockies designated Reyes for assignment Wednesday. The team now has 10 days to trade or release him.
There is zero chance any club will take on the almost $30 million owed to Jose Reyes through 2017 (including the $4 million buyout on his 2018 option), so he will likely be released and granted free agency next week, allowing any team to sign him for the league minimum. The Yankees were rumored to be interested in acquiring Reyes at last year’s trade deadline, with one proposed deal reportedly involving top prospect Jorge Mateo (although not in a one-for-one swap).
Related Story: Yankees and Rockies Discussed Jose Reyes at the Trade Deadline
Although New York’s infield is more or less set, Brian Cashman does have a history of buying low on talented players. Jose Reyes’s off the field issues are very similar to those of Aroldis Chapman, whom the team acquired at a discount this winter because of domestic violence allegations. The difference is that Chapman remains an elite player, while Reyes was roughly replacement level (0.5 fWAR) in 116 games for the Blue Jays and Rockies last season, batting .274/.310/.378 (80 wRC+) while playing below average defense.
Steamer projects a slight rebound to a .300/.348/.424 line in 2016, although the poor defense would still be problematic. The public relations problems that would come with acquiring another alleged domestic abuser is also a headache team officials would probably rather avoid. Heyman also reported that the Mets are also not interested despite Reyes playing his best years in Queens and the possible loss of David Wright for the remainder of the season.