Mets already discussing where Reyes fits in lineup

New York Mets manager Terry Collins is talking like a man who expects to have Jose Reyes on his roster.

The club appears so sure they're going to get him, Collins has already spoken to his coaching staff about how they plan on using Reyes, according to ESPN's Adam Rubin.

“We’ve talked as a staff about, hey, if he happens to come here, where would he play? How would he fit? Where would we hit him? How much would we play him?” Collins said. “All of those things we’ve sat with the coaches and talked about. We have nothing etched in stone, because he’s not here."

Reyes was released by the Colorado Rockies this week and will be a free agent at 1 p.m. on Saturday. At this point, it's expected the Mets will scoop him up.

The veteran was signed by the Mets at age 16 out of the Dominican Republic and played in their system until 2011, when he signed a six-year, $106 million deal with the Miami Marlins.

Beyond the fact Collins is turning over every stone with where Reyes would play, what his role would be, and his spot in the batting order, it's not out of the question he could see some time in the outfield.

“We took Matt Reynolds and put him out there with no experience at all,” Collins said, pointing out the club stuck Reynolds in left field Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals. “This guy is as good an athlete as certainly Matt is. He’s got the arm. He’s got the foot speed for it. These are just things we’re tossing around.”