Reese Kaplan -- Without a Catcher You Get a Lot of Passed Balls

When you look back at the 2022 season, the lack of productive output from the catcher crew was one of the lowlights that people would point out as a problem in dire need of solving.  

The Mets got a very brief last minute glance at Francisco Alvarez in late September as an almost desperation move to bring both interest and winning potential back to a slumping team, but the move didn't accomplish the latter at all.  

Going forward, the club needs to decide how to handle this position effectively both for the 2023 season and for the future.  

The first name to consider is the alleged defensive wizard James McCann who was signed back in 2021 for a seemingly fat contract when others who play that position were available as free agents or via trade.  While it's true that McCann did get an All Star nod for his 2019 season with the White Sox, but even then he was a semi-regular with under 500 ABs.  

He did turn in highly respectable numbers with a .273 average, 18 HRs and 60 RBIs.  If he'd replicated those numbers for the Mets then this whole topic would not be necessary.  

The 2020 abbreviated season did not produce typical full-year numbers for anyone, but the not-so-hidden gem for McCann was his .289 average.  After having been a mostly .240 or below hitter for his career, two solid batting averages in a row certainly caught folks' eyes.  A guy who could get on base regularly, handle the pitching staff with aplomb and who can deliver decent home run power seemed like a good combination.  

Whether or not it was worthy of the $40 million gamble the Mets took is certainly a matter of debate as he didn't have much of a long term history with the bat.  More importantly, his contract was structured imbalanced with lower level salaries in the first two years and higher level salaries north of $12 million annually for the next two.  

Now to be fair, McCann had a series of injuries during his Mets tenure which included broken bones which obviously are necessary for gripping a bat properly.  During his 2021 season he was just a .232 hitter with 10 HRs and 46 RBIs.  It had to get better, right?  Unfortunately, 2022 was far worse with a sub-Mendoza batting average, 3 HRs and 18 RBIs.  Extrapolated over a full season he'd have been good for 9 HRs and 54 RBIs.  Again, that's not very good.

Coinciding with McCann's offensive disappearing act came the defensive show, bunting and batting average delivered by formerly all-glove-and-no-hit Tomas Nido.  While no one is suggesting he's an All Star in the making, the fact is you no longer felt that a Nido at-bat was a sure recipe for an unproductive out.  

He finished with many more ABs than did McCann, delivered a .239 batting average with 3 HRs and 28 RBIs.  Double those numbers for a full season output.  It's not the stuff of legends, for sure, but he earns next to nothing and his defense seems to have surpassed what the Mets have seen from McCann.  

The real question, however, is for how long and towards what end is the McCann/Nido show going to play out with hefty slugger Francisco Alvarez ready to launch his full time big league career.  

Everyone is well aware of the numbers Alvarez has produced in the minors.  In the equivalent of about two full seasons worth of playing he's hit 58 HRs and driven in 174 while hitting .274 all the time being well younger than the pitchers he was facing.  The sky is the limit for Alvarez, though many foresee him more as a DH in the future than a key cog as the catcher.  

His defense hasn't caught up to his offense and his limited 45 games in AAA suggests he may need to be there to play 5-6 days per week to continue refining how to handle pitchers while also working on improving his lackluster .234 batting average.

While it's easy for people not writing the payroll checks to volunteer that the club should simply cut McCann loose, the fact is he's still due over $24 million for 2023 and 2024.  Yes, the Mets did swallow the Robinson Cano contract to the tune of $37.6 million, but McCann is not a former superstar (aided by PEDs) who delivered eye popping offense.  

No, the Mets are likely better to try to eat half of that remaining McCann contract to open up a spot for someone Tomas Nido can share the catching duties.  Right now Alvarez needs to begin 2023 in AAA without the enormous pressure of being expected to be a Mike Piazza type right out of the gate.  There are usually plenty of older catchers around who would take a single year deal which meant money and playing time.  

Obviously the big name on the free agent marketplace is Willson Contreras still technically a member of the Chicago Cubs.  He's a career .256 hitter good for over 20 HRs and 65 RBIs per season.  He's a three-time All Star and is earning just under $10 million this past year for the Cubbies.  

He'll be looking to get a multi-year deal to take him through ages 31 through 35 or thereabouts.  Consequently with Alvarez in the wings, unless the team is prepared to launch him as a young DH in mid 2023 or in 2024, that kind of deal would block the catching position.

After that the free agent crop is OK, but not outstanding.  Perhaps the next biggest name is Yankee flop Gary Sanchez who hit 16 HRs for the Twins this past year but he's eclipsed the 30 HR level twice while playing in homer-friendly Yankee Stadium.  He's not known as a great catcher and also would likely want a pricey multi-year contract offer.

It drops considerably with guys like Roberto Perez from Pittsburgh, Christian Vazquez who is a backup in Houston, and Mike Zunino who is an all-or-nothing power hitter with a career .200 average but good catching skills.  None of these players seem like great answers as a primary catcher.  Nido is a known commodity and costs way less.  

You could instead take a flyer on someone like Martin Maldonado or Kurt Suzuki to be the backup while Nido gets the majority of innings behind the dish.  

They are at ages where a one-year deal or a minor league invitation to camp would be palatable and wouldn't pose a blockage to Alvarez when he's truly deemed ready.  In either case, it would appear that James McCann's days as a Met should be coming to a buyout end.