Jose Reyes: 'I don't want to spend rest of my career on last-place team'
Jose Reyes doesn't seem too happy playing for the Rockies. He recently told reporters he doesn't "want to spend the rest of my career on a last-place team."
By
Mike Axisa
•
1 min read
The Rockies come into Sunday's game at 49-72 and in last place in the NL West. They have the second worst record and second worst run differential (-108) in baseball. Colorado has finished fourth or fifth every year since 2010.
A few weeks ago the Rockies seemed to finally commit to rebuilding by trading franchise cornerstone Troy Tulowitzki to the Blue Jays. As part of the deal, Jose Reyes came back to Colorado. Reyes, understandably, is not too happy about playing for a last-place team at this point of his career. Here's what he told Nick Groke of the Denver Post:
You come from a ballclub that was competing for a spot in the playoffs. And you come to a club in last place. You think about that," Reyes said of the trade that ripped him out of Toronto. The Blue Jays, with Tulowitzki, have surged into a battle with the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East.
"I'm at the point in my career that I want to win," Reyes said. "I say it over and over. I want to win. I don't want to spend the rest of my career on a last-place team. That's not the kind of player I feel like I am."
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"We'll see what happens here," he said. "But in the next couple years, I don't want to waste my time like that."
It's easy to understand where Reyes is coming from. He's 32 and his skills are clearly in decline -- he's hitting .282/.314/.389 (91 OPS+) with 19 steals this year -- and he hasn't played in the postseason since 2006. Reyes is running out of time to get a ring.
In all likelihood though, Reyes' time with the Rockies will be short-lived. They didn't flip him elsewhere at the trade deadline but they figure to move him in the offseason. There's no reason to keep him, not with top shortstop prospect Trevor Story mashing 38 doubles and 17 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A this year.
With any luck, Reyes will find himself back on a contender next season.
