Reese Kaplan -- If Not Narvaez, Who Then to Backup Alvarez?

After having considered the free agent prospects to help the Mets with their starting rotation and their bullpen, now it’s time to do a similar analysis of position players.  This evaluation is quite a bit more difficult as you need to make either a commitment to go with the Baby Mets in 2024 or to use them in trades to help address other needs.  That decision needs to be made because it would affect the age and role of additional bats who would be slated as starting players or to serve as backups.  

Backup Catcher Free Agent Candidates

Given the fact that the Mets already have Omar Narvaez under contract for 2024 to the tune of $7 million, it’s possible they simply sit tight here and rely on his experience and language ability to help Francisco Alvarez adjust to being the everyday starting catcher. 

The opposite perspective would be to pay down a lot of his contract and find a taker somewhere much as they did when they wanted to get James McCann off the roster.  For now Michael Perez is no longer in the minors and Tomas Nido is not on the 40-man roster.  Pickings are somewhat thin internally if Narvaez leaves, but barring a major injury to Alvarez it would seem that the backup catcher doesn’t look to get into games more than once a week.  Consequently on the list of available catchers it would seem to make sense only to consider ones who would be affordable and content in a secondary role.

Mitch Garver is an interesting case of someone with great home run power but the inability to land a full time gig.  In fact, back in 2019 while playing for the Twins he got a Silver Slugger for his 31 home run season done in just 311 ABs.  You’d think he would be a 500+ AB player but that 311 was his highest single season number of ABs.  Even last year for the Texas Rangers he hit 19 HRs in just 296 ABs.  He’s likely looking to be a starter and as such would not be an appropriate choice but wouldn’t that bat look good as a spare catcher should an injury happen to Alvarez?  Garver earned $3.9 million last season and likely would trade additional years for a significant increase in salary.  He’ll be turning 33 soon and at that age for a catcher backup duty may be a realistic scenario.

Someone David Stearns knows well is former Brewers’ backup catcher Victor Caratini.  The veteran has only delivered a .236 batting average for his entire career and in his best ever season back in 2019 delivered 11 HRs in 244 ABs.  He has shown to have extrapolated to a full time basis roughly 15 HR per year power and earned $2.8 million in 2023.  He’s an adequate choice and a few years younger than Garver but not exciting for sure.

A potentially ideal backup catcher would be former Rockie and former Mariner Tom Murphy.  I’d once before long ago advocated him as a Mets acquisition prior to the James McCann deal.  He always struck me as a guy with good power who was underutilized.  Now as he is in his 30s backup is a suitable role but to give you an idea of what I mean, since 2019 (after skipping 2020) he has had just over 800 ABs while slugging 38 HRs and driving in 93 while hitting .250.  Turning 33 in 2024, he last earned $1.625 million as a part time player.  $2 million would probably get it done.  That seems like a more-or-less perfect fit in the backup catcher role for the Mets.

Next we'll take a look at the infielders who are available and affordable. Given the logjam the Mets have there now with Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Ronny Mauricio, Francisco Lindor, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos, it might take some decluttering before it would make sense to reach out for the new version of Luis Guillorme, but you do need to look. We'll see on Saturday.