The Mets‘ infield depth has thinned as the season has continued.
Off-season acquisitions Joey Wendle and Zack Short have both been designated for assignment and are within different organizations, while Brett Baty has struggled with consistency this season, resulting in his place being questioned.
On Saturday afternoon, president of baseball operations David Stearns made a trade to regain some of the organization’s depth.
According to Chris Henrique of Beyond the Monster, the Mets have acquired infielder Pablo Reyes from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations.
A look at Reyes’ baseball journey so far
Reyes’ baseball journey began on May 31, 2012, when the Pittsburgh Pirates signed him as an international free agent.
After years in the minor leagues, Reyes finally got the call to the show on September 1, 2018. In 13 games with the Pirates, the Dominican Republic native slashed .293/.349/.483 with three home runs and seven RBIs.
Reyes would make the opening day roster in 2019, slashing .203/.274/.322 with two home runs and 17 RBIs across 71 games before being designated for assignment after the season ended.
The Dominican Republic native would miss the 2020 season after violating MLB’s PED policy before signing with the Milwaukee Brewers the following offseason.
Reyes appeared in 53 games for the Brewers in 2021, slashing .256/.333/.359 with one home run and three RBIs. Reyes would appear in just five games during the 2022 campaign, going 4-for-15 without hitting any home runs or registering any RBIs.
After electing free agency after the 2022 season, Reyes signed a minor-league contract with the Oakland Athletics but would not appear in a major-league game for the Athletics before being traded to the Boston Red Sox.
The Dominican Republic native would be solid in the Red Sox lineup but struggled to stay healthy. Across 64 games in 2023, Reyes slashed .287/.339/.377 with two home runs and 20 RBIs.
Reyes struggled to duplicate the same level of success in 2024, slashing .183/.234/.217 with no home runs and five RBIs across 21 games before being designated for assignment by the Red Sox.
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What does this mean for the Mets?
The acquisition of Reyes provides the Mets with more infield depth and, more importantly, a replacement plan for Jose Iglesias in Triple-A Syracuse.
Iglesias has been hitting the cover off the ball in Triple-A, slashing .295/.331/.483 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs, and feels due for a chance in the major leagues.
Reyes likely won’t get a chance in the big leagues anytime soon but could find a way if everything were to align perfectly.