Speedy Mets roster addition should immediately replace Pablo Reyes on the team

Beyond the two September call-ups on the first of the month, there aren’t too many major roster changes for most MLB teams in the final weeks of the season. The waiver wire does remain one source of assistance. The New York Mets picked up someone on Thursday to help them in their final push for the playoffs.

Jose Azocar, a 28-year-old outfielder who was designated for assignment by the San Diego Padres, was added to the 40-man roster via waivers for some very obvious reasons. Azocar has measured as one of the fastest players in baseball this season with a sprint speed within the top 50 in the league.

Heading into September, the thought was the Mets would promote prospect Luisangel Acuna to give them speed off the bench. They, instead, went with Pablo Reyes. A fine utility player, his speed this season doesn’t measure even close to Azocar. His 27.3 feet per/second is average. Considering the Mets don’t have much of a need for Reyes beyond pinch running, swapping him for Azocar feels like the best move to make.

The Mets have already found an upgrade for September call-up Pablo Reyes

Opportunities for Reyes to do more than pinch run are minimal. The left side of the infield is covered by Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos, and Jose Iglesias. The right side is covered by Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and Jose Iglesias again. If we ever see him grab a glove, it’s probably because someone is winning big. The same goes for grabbing a bat. 

Azocar showed off his speed in the minors this season swiping 24 bags in 29 attempts. Reyes stole 13 in 15 attempts.

More important than stealing bases is the speed itself. Whoever the Mets have in this roster spot is meant to go from first to third or second to home. The stolen bases are a bit of a bonus.

Upon acquiring Azocar, the Mets sent him down to Triple-A. The reason? Maybe it was as a courtesy to Reyes whose birthday was on Thursday. There’s a possibility the Mets may also prefer to see Azocar up close and wait to pull any sort of trigger. The team has no need for any more outfielders on the roster. However, the difference in speed is quite significant from a guy in the 91st percentile (Azocar) down to Reyes who is much more average or slightly above.

If the Mets decide to make a change, Reyes would be DFA’d and need to pass through waivers. It’s not much of a major loss at this point. One consideration is Azocar will not be eligible for the postseason because he was not on the 40-man roster on August 31 at 11:59pm. How likely would the Mets be to even use a postseason roster spot on Reyes? In the first round, when only three starters are needed anyway, an extra bat is often added. If speed is essential to them, Acuna is an alternative.

On any given day, the Mets will regularly have Harrison Bader, Tyrone Taylor, Jose Iglesias and even Starling Marte on the bench. All capable runners, they already have some built-in options.