Mets Interested in Former All-Star Closer Alex Reyes

The New York Mets have interest in a low-risk, high-reward former All-Star closer.

Aug 29, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Alex Reyes (29) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Pittsburgh won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

With Juan Soto secured, the New York Mets now appear keen to keep bolstering their roster with a slew of other signings this offseason.

They have already acquired multiple veteran pitchers on minor league deals, such as when they signed former St. Louis Cardinals southpaw Brandon Waddell on December 16.

Despite a report that the Mets signed another former St. Louis Cardinals reliever to a minor league deal in Alex Reyes, which proved to be false, the team at least has interest in taking a flier on the 2021 All-Star closer, per Manny Gomez of NJ Advance Media.

“Terms were agreed to last offseason with the Mets, but Alex did not sign because of personal reasons,” a source told Gomez. “... (The) Mets remain interested and will revisit bringing Alex in at some point.”

"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," Gomez continued. "The letter of agreement provides the terms of the contract, and by default, Reyes was placed on the restricted list."

Back in 2021, Reyes, who was 26 at the time, notched 29 saves for the Cardinals with a 3.24 ERA in 72 1/3 innings, and made the NL All-Star team.

Reyes, who is now 30, has dealt with injury woes, which have derailed his career. The hard-throwing righty underwent multiple shoulder surgeries, knocking him out for the entire 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Despite missing most of the past few seasons due to injury, Reyes' career 2.86 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 145 MLB innings pitched — combined with him holding the MLB record for the most consecutive saves to begin a career, with 24 — shows that he's a low-risk, high-reward signing for the Mets.

Reyes seems like the sort of pitcher that lauded New York pitching coach Jeremy Hefner could help turn into a massive asset for the Mets next season if they ultimately bring him in.