New York Mets Make Decision On Jose Reyes, Jay Bruce, Jon Niese

The New York Mets picked up the club options for Jose Reyes and Jay Bruce but declined the one for Jon Niese.

The New York Mets began prepping for their offseason after the San Francisco Giants eliminated them from the postseason in the National League Wild Card game. The first order of business for the Mets was deciding the 2017 club options for players.

The Mets had three players to make decisions on; infielder Jose Reyes, right fielder Jay Bruce, and pitcher Jon Niese. According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Mets have decided that they will pick up the options on Reyes and Bruce. The same cannot be said for Niese, who ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin says will have his option declined.

Picking up Reyes’ option was a no-brainer for the Mets based on on-field performance. It is for the league minimum and the Mets would be hard-pressed to find someone better on that kind of deal.

After serving a 51-game suspension for domestic violence, Reyes joined the Mets in July. He played in 60 games and was rather productive. Reyes isn’t the same player he was when he was with the Mets the first time around, but still gave the lineup a jolt.

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Reyes slashed .267/.326/.443 with eight home runs, 24 RBI, 45 runs, and nine stolen bases. He provided some versatility for Terry Collins as he played all over the infield. He helped fill the void at third base with David Wright sidelined, also chipping in at shortstop. He is also capable of helping at second base if the need ever arose.

Bruce struggled after the Mets acquired him at the MLB Trade Deadline from the Cincinnati Reds. He saw his playing time diminish at times as he provided nothing at the plate. He did finish the season on a high note, though, which is encouraging. He ended the regular season on an eight-game hitting streak with four home runs and eight RBI.

Overall, Bruce slashed a disappointing .219/.294/.391 in 169 at-bats. The Mets are hoping he can bring those numbers closer to what he did with the Reds when he slashed .265/.316/.559 in 370 at-bats. There is no guarantee he is with the team once the regular season rolls around, as the Mets could shop him to try and upgrade elsewhere on the roster.

Cutting Niese lose was a no-brainer as well. He was scheduled to make $10 million had his option been picked up. That was just not a number the Mets were going to pay as Niese was a disaster with the Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates. He registered a 5.50 ERA and 1.59 WHIP between the two teams.

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The Mets will have multiple players joining Niese on the free agent market. Jerry Blevins, Bartolo Colon, Neil Walker, James Loney, Fernando Salas, Alejandro De Aza, and Kelly Johnson will all be free agents as well.

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