Last December, the Mets shipped out Endy Chavez, Joe Smith, and Aaron Heilman in exchange for J.J. Putz, Sean Green, and Jeremy Reed.
While most fans were caught up in the acquisition of Putz alone, many failed to realize the talented player they got in Reed, who was once a highly regarded prospect in the White Sox organization.
Upon being drafted by the White Sox, Reed tore it up in the minors and subsequently was named the Minor League Player of the Year in 2003.
In the offseason the White Sox sent Reed, along with two others to the Seattle Mariners in the trade that brought them Freddy Garcia.
Following his arrival in Seattle, Reed never lived up to his potential. During his five year tenure with the ball club, Reed hit .257 and only drove in 98 runs.
Now that he is with his new club, Reed is hoping for a fresh start. As of now, Reed and new teammate, Cory Sullivan, seem the two most likely candidates to fill the void left by Endy Chavez.
Both are essentially the same player. They are both in their late twenties. Both skills are more defensively oriented. And both hit from the left side of the plate.
Despite all of this, Reed’s chances of making the ballclub seem greater than those of Sullivan’s. Reed is an incredible defender and could help sustain the lack of defense from Fernando Tatis.
Also, Reed is rather speedy around the base paths and his stolen base numbers should improve under the tutelage of new teammates, Jose Reyes and Luis Castillo, who are notable base stealers.
Jeremy Reed certainly has big shoes to fill, but I believe he has the potential to be a solid fourth outfielder for the Mets. Look for him to be on the 25 man roster on Opening Day.
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