Reese Kaplan -- Can the Mets Finally Catch a Break?

The Houston Astros often are held up as an example of a smart baseball organization who should be emulated by others looking to build a winner.  They made what appears to be a curious decision to pay Robinson Chirinos $1 million to go away after he provided them with a 3.8 WAR season as a defense-first catcher who also managed to club 17 HRs in fewer than 400 ABs.   It’s not as if he was making huge money.  His contract in 2019 was for $5.75 million, so the man is now a free agent at age 35. 

That development piques my interest in two ways.  First, the Mets most definitely are in need of a backup catcher who can provide a bit more thump than Tomas Nido should an injury take Wilson Ramos out of the lineup.  He certainly seems to fit the bill in that regard.

However, the more interesting aspect is that while Houston has signed Dustin Garneau to compete with Garrett Stubs for the backup catching role, they do not have a starting catcher.  Might they be interested in a deal for Wilson Ramos?  After all, he could also suit up at DH on days when he’s not catching and would probably have a monster year surrounded by all of the bats in that powerful lineup.

The rub, of course, is that the Astros probably are concerned with how whomever catches for them handles their pitching staff.  Would Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke and company want him as their primary receiver?  It may be that the Astros need to go in a new direction anyway since they’ve lost Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley to free agency.  They may decide to become a latter day Big Red Machine, winning based on offense and confident whomever they trot out to start the games will be good enough if they can hold the opposition to under 5 runs.  If so, then they could withstand a Wilson Ramos who would reinforce that offensive approach. 

If that’s not a good fit for the Mets to deal away Ramos or sign Chirinos, who else is out there on the free agent market suitable to be a backup?

Seemingly every year we hear the name Martin Maldonado who is a solid defensive backstop who is once again looking for a job.  Last year at age 32 playing for three clubs (including those same Astros) he hit .220 with 12 HRs in just over 300 ABs.  He earned $2.5 million and probably could be had for $3 which is not a bad price for someone who delivered 1.6 WAR.

Another familiar name is Alberto Avila, another highly regarded defensive backstop.  As a lefty hitting backstop, he would provide a different look on days Ramos needed to rest.  He’s never been a huge hitter, only .207/9/24 in under 200 ABs for Arizona, and he’s just a .235 career hitter.  He earned $4.2 million last year and might make less than that this time around.

Another lefty swinger is defensive minded Jason Castro who most recently plied his trade in the Twin Cities.  At age 32 he hit .232 with 13 HRs and 30 RBIs in 237 ABs.  As a backup, he might make sense.  His last contract paid him $8 million.  If he’s willing to play for half that amount, he might be a worthy choice.

Of course, under Sandy Alderson the Mets were famous for reunions and that happened again last year when BVW brought back Rene Rivera to the Syracuse Mets.  He eventually made his way to Queens after a nice season in AAA and he delivered a .235 average in limited play (which is 15 points higher than his career mark).  Sorry, I’ve been there, done that multiple times and I’m ready to move on. 

At this stage of his career Russell Martin must know he’s not likely a starter anymore, but his wealth of big league experience with some good ballclubs might make him an interesting backup option.  He is coming off the end of his $20 million contract and having provided just the .220 range for past several years, he’s perhaps suited for a minor league invitation to camp.

Yankee backup catcher Austin Romine put in a highly credible year, hitting .281 with 8 HRs and 35 RBIs in just 228 ABs.  Oddly, the Bronx Bombers are letting him walk.  Never regarded as a great defensive backstop, he certainly wouldn’t embarrass you if called upon to take up several weeks as your primary catcher.  He earned just $1.8 million in his final year in pinstripes, so he may be an interesting option that Beltran already knows. 

Welington Castillo was always regarded as more of an offensive-oriented catcher and is coming off his worst year in the majors – so much so that the Texas Rangers bought him out of his contract for $500K.  He has provided some solid numbers with the bat, including a year recently for Baltimore in which he hit 20 HRs and hit .282 while playing about half time.  For the right price he might be interesting in the Austin Romine mold. 

Finally, there’s the San Diego Padres who have a surplus of catchers.  There is defensive-minded Austin Hedges who is a great behind the plate but pretty much useless with a bat in his hands.  

He is now listed as 2^nd in the depth chart behind Francisco Mejia who was at the top of many prospect lists when the Indians sent him to the west coast in the Brad Hand deal.  He’s not yet put it together, but the 23 year old last year hit .265 with 8 HRs and 22 RBIs in 226 ABs.  I’ve seen him throw from his knees routinely to throw out baserunners while in AAA here in El Paso.  Either one of them might be worth a conversation with A.J. Preller, Hedges as the good glove man and Mejia as a long-term solution after Ramos. 

So there has been some chatter about former BVW client Wil Myers coming to the Mets.  He is penciled in to play LF for the Friars but has also played 1B, 3B, RF and CF.  He's OK in LF but thus far not very good in CF.  The real rub with Myers is his contract.  He’s slated to earn $22.5 million per year for the next three years with an option for a 4^th.  To obtain Myers would require some major salary relief for the Mets.  Could an aggressive Preller and a creative BVW come to a meeting of the minds?  

For example, sending Wilson Ramos to San Diego would send $10 million of salary obligation.  Add in some additional salary dollars such as Jed Lowrie and the Mets would pretty much cover Myers’ salary for this year.  If you did a Ramos/Lowrie for Myers/Mejia the dollars would even out in 2020 and in 2021 and 2022 you no longer have Cespedes on the payroll.  He’s a right handed hitter who has logged 28 and 30 HR seasons for the Padres.  Think of him as a righty version of Michael Conforto.  Preller and the Padres would probably do cartwheels to have someone else pick up his contract.  This type of deal could pay dividends for years to come with Mejia and although he’s had two down years in a row, obviously Myers’ talent is there.  Would some variation of this deal make sense for both sides?