Tom Brennan - METS' CATCHER TARGETS
With the extraordinary (but as my brother would say of the Mets, "TYPICAL!") "Dual DL Demolition Derby" of Travis d'Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki ON THE SAME DAY, AND IN EARLY APRIL, NO LESS (David Wright says he feels their pain), trading for a catcher seems imperative.
(That was quite a compound sentence, wan't it? Take 2 Excedrin, and read on, please).
Travis' days as a Met may be over, and Plawecki is likely gone for a month or more - after all, how do you catch 60 95+ fastballs from Thor when you are just getting over a hairline fracture of your pitching hand?
My guess for Plawecki? See you in 5 weeks.
Catchers set their targets for pitchers - so in a similar vein, who can we target to fix our catching dilemma?
Tomas Nido and Jose Lobaton - the odds of them being good alternatives right now? Miracles do happen, I guess.
Pat Mazeika in AA? The previously fine hitting catcher is off to a 2 for 25 start in AA. No answer there.
Johnny Monell just re-signed by the Mets. But he was lousy in his limited 2015 time with the Mets and lousy in international ball last year. Good luck there.
Mr. Realmuto of the Marlins? Rumor is the Marlins would want three players in return: the Sun, Moon, and Stars. Surprised if anything happens trade-wise there.
Wilson Ramos? Off to a slow start with the bat, but let me ask you - what did most fans not like about the otherwise very likable Travis D? His inability to gun down base stealers, of course.
Well, how has Ramos done the past two seasons? Brutal.
37 of 43 attempts have resulted in stolen bases!!!! That is about a 15% caught stealing rate. If that is a true indicator, he better come cheap in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, who never met a salary they didn't want to dump, especially considering their unsurprisingly bad season start, and their likely unstated goal of trying not to lose 100 this year.
But what about Tucker Barnhart of the 2-11 Cincy Reds? With that appalling team record, their season is already over, clearly, so why not restructure?
Tucker is a switch hitter, a .270 hitter in 400 at bats in 2017 and 2018, with good on base ability and modest pop - so far, so good.
And defensively? Guns of Navarone stuff - only 43 of 79 would be base stealers in 2017 and 2018 arrived at their destination safely - so he nails close to 45%. Stellar.
His player page notes that "from 2011-2014, for 4 straight seasons (he) was rated by Baseball America the best defensive catcher in the *Reds" organization.
He is signed through 2021 for a total of just $16 million.
What is not to like? What is not to love?
What would entice the Reds to trade with the Mets? Perhaps Justin Dunn, Gerson Bautista, Tyler Bashlor and Rob Gsellman? If they need a current catcher replacement, substitute Tomas Nido for Dunn?
Or if they need a major league caliber substitute, switch the healing Plawecki for Nido and make the trade Plawecki and Gsellman, and perhaps Bautista. Reds get a lesser catcher, a possible future closer, and a desperately needed fine pitcher in Gsellman. Sounds even to me.
What if they wanted more, though? What if the Reds, with a 6.04 ERA after 13 games, wanted someone like Zach Wheeler and not Gsellman in such a trade.
Would you do it? C'mon, man, I'm just a humble blogger, you're the GM, so don't just sit there eating popcorn, tell me: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Remember: at this stage, after this season start, anything less than gunning for the World Series is aiming too low. I'd do my best to try to pry Barnhart from the Reds.
Gsellman goes nowhere this year. He’a Too important to what Callaway’s doing with the.BP.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, given the cost of any catcher who would represent a significant upgrade, i’d move forward with Loboton and Nido for now. The defense will actually improve, we get a chance to give Nido some valuable experience, and Plaw will be back before you know it.
Adam, reasonable strategic approach for now.
DeleteI guess I'm an idiot, too, then. I agree completely with Adam, especially with Plaw expected back within a month.
ReplyDeleteWe are all idiots...we're Mets fans LOL
ReplyDeleteI was about to say your Plawecki trade idea is untenable as you can't trade a player on the DL, but a quick review of the rules states you can list him as a PTBNL and then reveal the identity once he's eligible to come off the DL.
ReplyDeleteSandy needs to sign an experienced ML catcher. This is still a young pitching staff that needs someone to lead behind the plate. We’re off to the best start in Mets’ history. Let’s get a solid defensive catcher (shame we still don’t have Rene Rivera). However, we’re not looking for a Yadier Molina; just a good game-caller who pitchers like throwing to, with a gun for an arm. I don’t care if a prospective Catcher hits below the Mendoza line. I think Sandy might be able to find one where we don’t have to trade Gsellman or mortgage out future.
ReplyDeleteRemember what LoDuca did for the staff and how he was a leader behind the plate?
That’s the type of catcher I’m talking about!
What about Jesus Sucre on TB? Good defensive catcher on a team going nowhere.........
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ReplyDeleteTom, have to agree with Adam and Bill. No way will I give up that much, and to get another ex-Red? Are we getting a Votto? But, I agree with you that Loboton sucks. Nido was talked up a bit by Callaway in the pregame presser.
ReplyDeleteThe catcher I would add is Carlos Ruiz. Seasoned, smart, and a great teacher for the entire team. Kind of similar to David Ross with the Cubs. He could teach Nido now and Plawecki in a month. He hits better than Lobaton or Nido and his defense is average, which is fine for a guy that will play twice a week.
ReplyDeleteIf Carlos Ruiz is ready, perhaps, TexasGus. But Barnhart would probably be a solid multi-year high quality starting catcher. Yanks set their sights high at times like this...I would like to see us try for real quality.
ReplyDeleteBut the Yanks get under the radar guys for peanuts. We aren’t offering peanuts.
DeleteTexasGus, if we can get Barnhart at a cheaper price than I casually threw out there, all the better. That said, I am the only person bringing up Barnhart's name, and so it is just idle speculation by me and me alone at this point.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere, Sandy is probably chuckling. And hopefully scheming.