The Rockies "did the right thing" yesterday by designating SS Jose Reyes for assignment, "showing zero tolerance for physical abuse" against women, according to Mark Kiszla of the DENVER POST. By making the move, Rockies GM Jeff Bridich "did right by his baseball team," and the franchise "did right by battered women." The team will "still owe big money to Reyes," as the "price of doing the right thing was a tad under" $41M. But for all the grief Rockies Owner Dick Monfort "gets for being slow to reach for his wallet to build a winner," he "deserves a standing ovation for putting principle ahead of money when dealing with this crisis." There was a "sense in justice in saying goodbye to Reyes," but it was also a "move that made baseball sense" (DENVER POST, 6/16). Fox Sports' C.J. Nitkowski noted Reyes' salary is a "lot of money" the Rockies "will have to eat." However, with "all the issues that he had off the field" and SS Trevor Story "stepping in and being a great story, ... the Rockies don’t want the drama" (“MLB Whiparound,” FS1, 6/15). In Colorado Springs, Paul Klee writes "doing business in an honorable manner apparently doesn't come cheap." Monfort "took one for the team" by voting "for the right thing the old-fashioned way: With his wallet." Bridich said, "We considered every single scenario and everything under the sun that this situation presented us. At the end of the day, the finances were not the trump card or what carried the decision." The Rockies "considered the message it would send if they trotted out" a $22M per-year player who "had been accused of domestic violence" (Colorado Springs GAZETTE, 6/16). In N.Y., Billy Witz notes the Rockies "have some history with decisions involving off-the-field incidents." The team in '04 released P Denny Neagle and negotiated a $16M buyout of his contract "after he was issued a summons in a prostitution case" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/16).
ROAD LESS TRAVELED: USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale writes teams will "say they stand on principle, just like the Rockies, and declare there's no room in the game for domestic violence." Yet the "real reason Reyes will remain unemployed for a while has nothing to do with the evening in Hawaii when he allegedly hit his wife." It is "all about his talent," and Reyes' skills "have eroded" (USA TODAY, 6/16). SNY's Sal Licata said, "If they didn’t have Trevor Story or Jose Reyes was playing like the old Jose Reyes, they wouldn’t have DFA-ed him” (“Daily News Live,” SNY, 6/15).
NO WAY BACK: Sporting News' Jesse Spector wrote, "Reyes deserves a chance to play, having served his time, but the Rockies didn’t owe it to him to provide that chance at all" (TWITTER.com, 6/15). But CBS Sports Network's Adam Schein said despite the Rockies eating the remainder of Reyes' salary, "no team should sign him" because of the domestic violence incident. While Reyes' skills have diminished over recent years and his speed "isn't what it was," he could "absolutely, positively still start" for an MLB team. However, Schein said, "Reyes hasn't shown proper remorse, in my opinion. He shouldn't play again. ... I don't want to tell you how to feel, but if Reyes plays baseball again, I will be outraged, and you should too” (“Time to Schein,” CBSSN, 6/15).
