Mets History Rewritten: Jose Reyes re-signs after winning the 2011 batting title

How Reyes leaving for Miami impacted the Mets and other teams

There’s no doubt Reyes impacted other franchises during the time he was away from the Mets. He was a part of a blockbuster trade between the Marlins and Blue Jays which included a total of 12 players. The deal accelerated Toronto’s chances of winning and put them in a spot to acquire R.A. Dickey in a deal with the Mets later on.

We’ll never know, but maybe if the trade never did take place, they would have found their version of Dickey elsewhere. Their fate would have drastically changed with Reyes in New York.

In yet another trade, Reyes shaped the way the Blue Jays and Rockies would look for a few seasons beginning in mid-2015. He was one of the most well-known names sent to the thin Denver air in exchange for Troy Tulowitzki.

Tulowitzki never did find success in Toronto. If Reyes stayed with the Mets after 2011, this trade may have never happened particularly because it had a lot to do with swapping salaries.

And finally, circling back to Miami, Reyes was one of several big pieces the team acquired ahead of the opening of their new ballpark. The team’s failure to win with him ultimately led to a major sell-off which then led to losing seasons and different draft picks along the way. Because Miami was at the beginning of Reyes’ decision to leave New York, the impact on their franchise is even greater.

When it comes to on-field production, it’s difficult to know just how healthy Reyes would have been. He played in 160 games for the Marlins during his one year down in Miami. However, he was limited to just 93 in 2013, 143 in 2014, and combined to play in 116 games for the Blue Jays and Rockies in 2015.

Although he still hit well, he wasn’t the star he was during the previous decade.

What would the Mets have looked like if Reyes stayed?

Back in New York, the Mets went through some major lows before experiencing the highs of 2015. All now minus Reyes, things would have shaped up a lot different if he was still at shortstop.

For one, the name Wilmer Flores may not mean nearly as much. Chase Utley might also not be as much of a villain depending on whether or not Reyes broke his leg in the 2015 NLDS like Ruben Tejada did.

Yet another consideration, the big contract Reyes would have received guarantees the Mets would have gone in different directions in free agency. Their commitment to him would have at least prevented a few additions along the way. We can only speculate about what some of those would have been.

Veterans like Curtis Granderson, Bartolo Colon, and Michael Cuddyer may have played somewhere else. The Yoenis Cespedes trade may have never happened which brings us down a completely different rabbit hole. For all we know, the 2015 season never amounted to anything with Reyes around for the next few seasons.

Back in 2012, one year removed from Reyes leaving, the team still had a lot of money committed to Johan Santana and Jason Bay. Their presence undoubtedly put a halt to any chance of the Mets actually retaining Reyes.

This was all post-Bernie Madoff, remember. Ownership was attempting to recover financially from a mistake that burned them for more than a full decade.

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Every decision has a cause and effect. Reyes’ departure from the club after 2011 would have changed plenty about the Mets and each team he played for. Dig deep enough and I’m sure we could find less than six degrees of how this altered the fortunes of each team in baseball.