Former St. Louis Cardinals top pitching prospect Alex Reyes is not signing with the New York Mets.
On Wednesday, a report circulated on social media that New York had signed the Elizabeth, New Jersey, native to a minor league deal. However, two people with knowledge of the situation told NJ Advance Media that the report was false. The people requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
“Terms were agreed to last offseason with the Mets, but Alex did not sign because of personal reasons,” one of the people said. “… (The) Mets remain interested and will revisit bringing Alex in at some point.”
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According to one of the people with knowledge, Reyes, who hasn’t pitched in MLB since 2021, signed a letter of agreement with the Mets last offseason, but he did not sign a universal player contract. The letter of agreement provides the terms of the contract, and by default, Reyes was placed on the restricted list.
Reyes fits the description of what the Mets have been targeting under president of baseball operations David Stearns, a reclamation project who is willing to sign a short-term contract.
In five seasons with the Cardinals, Reyes made 101 appearances (seven starts) and posted a 2.86 ERA with 177 strikeouts in 145 innings. The hard-throwing Reyes was once among the game’s best prospects in the mid-2010s.
The 30-year-old right-hander was selected to be an All-Star in 2021. That season, he recorded a career-high 29 saves behind a 3.24 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings. He also struggled with command, walking 52 batters.
Reyes signed with the Dodgers in February 2023, but never took the field for the organization. He has missed three consecutive seasons after having multiple shoulder surgeries. He also had Tommy John surgery in 2017.
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Manny Gómez may be reached at mgomez@njadvancemedia.com.
