REAL’ DEAL IS FOR WILSON
Forget J.T., Mets get Ramos and keep Noah
The Mets went to the Winter Meetings last week making it very well known they were looking for a catcher.
They went shopping in the luxury aisle, pushing hard to try and work out a trade for All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto. And then they started talking to the representatives for top catching free agent Yasmani Grandal, another splurge.
In the end, they are taking a chance on an offensive upgrade with a history of injuries in catcher Wilson Ramos. An industry source confirmed a report by Venezuelan baseball reporter Daniel Alvarez Montes that the Mets were in agreement with the veteran catcher.
The deal is for two years and $19 million, according to a team source, and is pending a physical. It is expected to be announced this week.
The Marlins were asking a very high price in return for any trade of Realmuto. They were said to be targeting Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo or Amed Rosario in any package for the All-Star catcher. The Mets explored every way of making that deal work, including a potential three-team deal that would have included the Yankees getting Noah Syndergaard.
Grandal, though considered the best catcher on the freeagent market, comes with his own concerns. He has struggled defensively and was twice benched in the playoffs for not being able to field his position.
Aside from major injury red flags, Ramos is a solid offensive upgrade from what the Mets already have on the roster.
The 31-year-old split last season between the Rays and Phillies, slashing a terrific .306/.358/.487 with 15 home runs en route to being named an All-Star. He played in just 111 games, though, due to a hamstring injury in July. Concerns about his durability led many teams to back away from him last trade deadline, but the Phillies pulled the trigger before he was completely rehabilitated.
Ramos only played 33 games for Philadelphia after the trade because of various other injuries.
The biggest physical concern with Ramos, however, is his knees. He has twice torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, a concerning injury for a catcher.
That injury, as well as the others he has dealt with over the years, could affect his defense as well. Though he has been a decent defensive catcher in the past, he threw out just 29% of runners against him last year, just above the league average.
The Mets are looking to upgrade from catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who also has a long history of injuries, and Kevin Plawecki. D’Arnaud missed most of last season after Tommy John surgery.
Last year, the Mets started the season with those two in a platoon. They had 61 bases stolen on them in 75 games behind the plate. In 589.2 innings with Plawecki behind the plate, the Mets pitchers had a 4.15 ERA.
The Mets catchers — d’Arnaud, Plawecki, Tomas Nido, Jose Lobaton and Devin Mesoraco — were the thirdworst offensive catching staff in the National League. They hit a combined .208 with 17 home runs and 70 RBI in 162 games.
The Mets tendered the 29-year-old d’Arnaud a contract because of the uncertain catching market. He earned $3.475 million in 2018 and is projected to receive a nominal raise, according to MLBTradeRumors.com projections.
D’Arnaud is known as a good pitch-framer but has also had major issues holding runners. Offensively, he has also struggled. He has a .241/.302/.410 slash line with 47 home runs in parts of six seasons with the Mets.
The Mets have the option of releasing d’Arnaud in spring training and only being responsible for a fraction of the contract.