The Colorado Rockies designated Jose Reyes for assignment earlier this week with the expectation of releasing him next week.
The Colorado Rockies were not shy about showing that shortstop Jose Reyes had no place on the team after returning from a suspension for a domestic violence charge.
He was immediately designated for assignment and is expected to be released, as no team is going to trade for him so soon after returning from such a suspension.
There is another reason why the Rockies have no desire to keep Reyes, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
"Reyes’ baseball skills have eroded. He’s 33 years old, his defensive range has greatly diminished, his power is gone, and he no longer is a front-line shortstop. It’s the reason why the Toronto Blue Jays desperately wanted an upgrade for their pennant drive last season, taking on Tulowitzki and the remaining $98 million in his contract through 2020. The Rockies, as part of the deal, were forced to take Reyes, who is being paid $22 million this season and in 2017, with a $4 million buyout in 2018."
The Rockies desperately wanted to rid themselves of Tulowitzki’s contract last year and found a partner in the Toronto Blue Jays. The only problem was that Reyes was thrown in the deal at a time well past his prime.
Getting Reyes did not seem like it would hurt the team at all, but the domestic violence charge all but assured Reyes would not be welcomed back to the team.
Reyes was last an All-Star in 2011, when he was all the National League batting champion with an average of .337.
That great season led to him signing a six-year, $106 million deal with the Miami Marlins, who traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays after the 2012 season.
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By designating Reyes for assignment and ultimately releasing him, the Rockies are on the hook for nearly $40 million from now until 2018. But there is no need to keep Reyes if he is not the same player he used to be.
Nightengale also brings up the fact that there is not only the domestic violence charge, but there is also the play of Trevor Story. Allowing Reyes to take any playing time from Story would be foolish for a team trying to develop a young talent who could turn out like a Tulowitzki, or perhaps a young Jose Reyes.
It remains to be seen if a team will give Reyes another chance in 2016, but teams will surely be kicking around the idea before the true playoff pushes begin. The signing would bring some negative publicity to the club, but it would fade away as time moves on.
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And with the Rockies paying nearly all of Reyes’ owed money, a contending team could take a chance on a player who has been great in the past. That team just has to deal with the possibility of losing fans because of the crime Reyes committed last October.