The highest-paid player in Rockies history is like a ghost in limbo. Jose Reyes, the fleet-footed shortstop taken down by charges of domestic violence, has been a Colorado player by contract only. He has no uniform, no locker, no physical connection to his team.
Instead, he’s waiting for Major League Baseball to decide his fate.
In baseball’s first major effort in handing out punishment to violators of its new domestic violence policy, even Commissioner Rob Manfred is stuck waiting. Two months ago, at spring training, Manfred said he was ready “to act quickly.” One month ago, in the opening week of the season, Manfred said he hoped a decision would come “in days as opposed to weeks.”
It has now been six months since Reyes was arrested in Maui and alleged by Hawaii police to have assaulted his wife in their Four Seasons hotel room.
Since then, the Rockies moved on. Rookie shortstop Trevor Story took over for Reyes beginning in spring training and on Friday hit his 10th home run. He is tied for the major-league lead. Reyes hit seven home runs in 116 games last year.
The Rockies, who entered the season with the highest payroll in franchise history, about $113 million, have paid Reyes, 32, more than $3 million to not play. He is currently on paid administrative leave while MLB works through his case.
A punishment is likely to be leveled this week, sources told The Denver Post. But what then?
“We’re paying him. So I really don’t know how to answer that other than we’ll deal with it,” Rockies owner Dick Monfort said.
The strange saga of Reyes’ short tenure with the Rockies started in late July when Colorado swapped Troy Tulowitzki, the best shortstop in franchise history, and veteran reliever LaTroy Hawkins to Toronto in exchange for Reyes, pitching prospect Jeff Hoffman, reliever Miguel Castro and then-20-year-old right-hander Jesus Tinoco.
To make the exchange of salaries feasible for Toronto taking Tulowitzki, the Rockies accepted Reyes, who had a whopping $56.3 million remaining on his contract.
Colorado will recoup a portion of Reyes contract when an expected punishment is finally leveled. In March, MLB suspended Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman for 30 games because of domestic violence allegations. And New York saved $1.8 million of his $11.3 million salary this season.
Reyes’ salary is only part of the Rockies’ problem. He has been working out on his own in New York, away from the Rockies’ facilities in Colorado and Arizona, but even if he returned tomorrow, Reyes would still likely need weeks to ready himself for major-league games. He missed all of spring training and any live competition since last fall.
There might not even be a spot on the roster for him by then.
“There are punches you don’t see coming. You have to roll with them and prepare for that,” said Jeff Bridich, the Rockies’ general manager. “Whether it’s in the absence of Troy Tulowitzki or Jose Reyes, we’re well-positioned to adjust and succeed at that position.”
And would the Rockies even want him back?
Reyes’ wife, Katherine, told police in October that he pulled her off their hotel bed, grabbed her throat and shoved her into a sliding glass balcony door, according to a Hawaii news report.
Reyes pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in November but he has not talked about his arrest since then.
“I’d like to know exactly what happened,” Monfort said. “It’s easy for us all to speculate on whatever happened. But until we really know, it’s hard. You’re dealing with a guy’s life.
“But if he did something wrong, he should pay for it.”
Chapman’s punishment was a first for MLB under a new policy negotiated with the players union last year. Baseball’s policy was written in the wake of the NFL’s bungling of Ray Rice’s domestic violence charges, in which the Baltimore Ravens running back was suspended for two games, then suspended indefinitely after a video became public, then reinstated on appeal.
Reyes’ case will likely prove to be a lasting precedent for baseball. Chapman’s accusations surfaced in December but he was never arrested or formally charged. Reyes was set for trial in Hawaii on Aug. 4. His case was dropped this spring after prosecutors said they could not get Reyes’ wife to testify.
MLB was able to move quickly with Chapman in part because it was able to gather information in Florida. Reyes’ allegations, though, sprung from Hawaii, where MLB doesn’t have an official presence.
“We can’t talk about the case specifically,” said Pat Courtney, baseball’s chief communications officer. “But each case presents its own unique circumstance.”
Reyes last wore a Rockies uniform on Oct. 4, when he went 0-for-5 in Colorado’s season-ending 7-3 victory at San Francisco. In the nearly seven months since then, his future in Colorado became a mystery.
“Since there wasn’t any trial, it makes it a little more difficult,” Monfort said. “(MLB) wants to be fair to everybody. That means to all our fans, all of us who have a little bit of a problem with whatever happened. But you’ve got to be fair, and they want to do it right.”
Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or @nickgroke
Paid not to play
The Rockies’ opening-day, 40-man payroll was the largest in team history, at $113 million. But without Jose Reyes, their highest-paid player at $22 million, the Rockies’ 25-man roster had its lowest payroll since 2013:
Rockies Payroll MLB rank
With Reyes: $113 million, 17th
Without Reyes: $91 million, 26th
Reyes is due $48 million through 2017, including a $4 million buyout for 2018. Carlos Gonzalez, with a $17.4 million salary this season, is Colorado’s next-highest paid player.
Source: Cots Baseball Contracts
Where are they now?
Jose Reyes arrived in Colorado as part of the blockbuster Troy Tulowitzki trade in July. A lot has happened since then. Here are the pieces of that trade:
ROCKIES GOT …
Jose Reyes, SS
Paid leave, pending suspension … Hit .259 with 3 HR and 19 RBIs in 47 games for Rockies in 2015
Jeff Hoffman, P
Triple-A Albuquerque … 2-0 with a 1.99 ERA in four games this season.
Miguel Castro, P
On Rockies’ 15-day DL … 1.50 ERA in six relief apperances (6.0 IP) before minor shoulder injury
Jesus Tinoco, P
With Single-A Modesto … 20-year-old is 0-3 with a 14.85 ERA in four games.
BLUE JAYS GOT …
Troy Tulowitzki, SS
Starting shortstop in Toronto … Hitting .184 with 4 HR and 10 RBIs in 22 games.
LaTroy Hawkins, P
Retired … Had a 2.76 ERA in limited duty for Toronto last season.
Nick Groke, The Denver Post
