Jose Reyes is back with the Mets — or back with the Mets organization. He signed a minor league contract over the weekend and is expected to spent a week or two getting in baseball shape and learning some new positions, so he can return to Queens as a super utility player.
It’s unclear whether this will help the Mets — his skills have been in decline for the last three years — but my Mets heart is happy to see one of my favorite players from a decade ago back with the team.
The Reyes signing, though, raises some questions beyond what he can still do on the field, questions pointed to by the response I received to a tweet I sent out Saturday:
@newspoet41 he's a creep and his skills are shot. Pathetic sad move.
— Babe Ruth (@hean_mike) June 25, 2016
I can understand Babe Ruth’s anger. Reyes was accused of assault and domestic violence in Hawaii during the offseason, though he was never charged because his wife Katherine Ramirez — the victim — refused to cooperate with the investigation. He wasn’t cleared, though police couldn’t find enough evidence to proceed, and Major League Baseball acted. Reyes was suspended for 52 games to start this season in accordance with league policy. (Was 52 games enough of a suspension? Should it have been longer? Would a lifetime ban have been appropriate?)
The suspension ended and the Rockies essentially cut him from the team (the MLB process is a bit involved but not really necessary to explain here). They ate the bulk of his massive contract and the Mets decided to take a flier on one of their old heroes.
As a baseball move, it makes sense — a low-risk gamble. Is it an ethical or morall? How do we deal with the domestic violence? Is he just a creep, as the Twitter response says, irredeemable and unforgivable?
“It’s outrageous how little women’s lives seem to matter when someone can throw a baseball really hard, wins Super Bowl’s, or has a good jump shot,” Mark-Viverito said in a statement.“Domestic violence kills thousands of women every year and it’s time professional sports actually takes it seriously. The Mets should be ashamed. We need to be better.”
We do need to do better, and we should ask whether Reyes is being given his second chance because of his — diminishing — talents or his history with the team.
I honestly can’t answer that, though I suspect it is a factor — the way it is for so many in powerful positions. As a general rule, I believe in forgiveness, but I think that forgiveness is earned. I also think there is a difference between someone who is a serial abuser and one who gives in to his worst impulses once. The act is still a crime, a sin, and cannot be explained away. As Barretta said, you do the crime you should do the time.
Some domestic violence advocates, at least, are prepared to give Reyes a chance.
“Domestic violence is a choice,” said Cindy Southworth, the executive vice president of the National Network to End Domestic Violence. “Because it’s behavior that can be chosen, it’s also behavior that cannot be chosen. People can come back from that and have a more respectful relationship. It’s hard work and needs a trained therapist, but I do think it’s possible.”Southworth emphasized a point that she said could seem counterintuitive: Reyes being allowed to continue his career could benefit his wife and others who find themselves in abusive relationships with athletes.“What we don’t want is for someone, the moment the police are called, is for an athlete to lose his entire career,” she said. “It would create huge, unfathomable pressure not to call 911 if they knew their loved one’s career would be in jeopardy.”
What happens after the abuse or when the abuser is caught also has to be factored in. Ray Rice, for instance, initially faced an unexplainably short punishment that was lengthened to something more appropriate. He showed remorse — I think — and probably deserves another shot on the field. Reyes faced a stiff penalty in baseball terms and is at least saying the right things. The question is what that might be worth. Has he earned his second chance?
I can’t answer that, either. I can say that we have, for too long, treated domestic violence as a private matter, failing the victims. Reyes’ wife refused to cooperate, but that is part of the tragedy in these cases — women are afraid or refuse to come forward. It has made prosecuting cases of domestic abuse very difficult.
As you can see, I’m ambivalent. Reyes was my favorite Met until he left, and my baseball heart is glad to see him return. My baseball head sees it as a good baseball move, as well. But my ethical and moral compasses are sending different, and mixed signals.
Hank Kalet 