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

What would the New York Mets and the rest of Major League Baseball look like if Jose Reyes stayed in Flushing after winning the 2011 National League batting title?

There weren’t many New York Mets players in the 21st Century as exciting to watch as Jose Reyes. His deadly speed made him a uniquely gifted player. In three consecutive seasons, he led the league with 60+ stolen bases. In many ways, he was one of the last great base thieves in MLB history.

Reyes was more than just a guy who could run. In 2011, his .337 batting average led the National League. It was the first and only time a player in a Mets uniform has won a batting crown.

Unfortunately, Reyes’ attempt at winning consecutive batting titles led him to Miami. He signed with the Marlins after the 2011 season as the Mets embarked on the first half of a miserable decade.

On another timeline, Reyes stayed in New York and played out the next few seasons with the Mets. How would this have changed the team? Let’s rewrite some Mets history.

Assuming Reyes would sign the same six-year deal he got from the Marlins, we can get a clearer picture of what things would look like with the Mets.

The massive deal included a total of $102 million plus a $22 million option for a seventh season. There was a buy-out for the seventh year at $4 million which was eventually paid by the Colorado Rockies.

Reyes’ days with the Mets were not over following the 2011 season as he did return in 2016 after his release from Colorado. Prior to a short stint in Denver, Reyes played two and a half seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays. This all came after one year with the Marlins who quickly realized their spending-spree ahead of the 2012 season was not a wise idea.

All four teams—the Mets, Marlins, Blue Jays, and Rockies—would have looked vastly different this decade if Reyes never left New York.

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.