On February 7th, the Mets signed catcher Devin Mesoraco to a one-year minor league contract. The contract granted him $1.75 million once in the majors with a chance to earn $250,000 in performance bonuses based on games. What we didn’t know when the details of the contract were revealed was his upward mobility out.
The upward mobility out in Mesoraco’s contract means that the Mets have to inform the other 29 teams in the league that Mesoraco can be added to their 25-man roster if they are interested. If there is a team that wants him the Mets will be forced to either let him go or add him to their 25-man roster.
In his 25 spring training at bats, Mesoraco has obtained a .240 batting average and 2 RBIs. His numbers last year are pretty similar with his .221 bating average, 11 home runs and 33 RBI’s between both the Mets and Reds. He may not have earth shattering offensive numbers, but he is a very solid backup catcher. With a caught stealing percentage 28%, it seems that he may not be as great defensively as some teams may like.
However, today in the MLB, it is often very difficult to find a decent backup catcher given their scarcity and susceptibility to injuries. Devin Mesoraco has a few past injuries the would concern any prospective team. Between the shoulder and foot injuries he sustained in 2017 with the Reds, and his neck injury last year with the Mets, it’s easy to understand other teams hesitation to add him to their roster.
Some teams like the Dodgers, who just lost their starting catcher in Yasmani Grandal, and the Royals who lost Salvador Perez to Tommy John Surgery this offseason, should be interested in Mesoraco. It would be ideal for those teams to get Mesoraco with his one-year contract.
There are people who are speculating that the Mets will carry three catchers on their roster; however, that third catcher would take away from another position player’s offense on the bench. In the grand scheme of things, the Mets signed Mesoraco for Jacob deGrom in the first place, so losing him may be a big loss for them.
I am not aware of the plan Brodie Van Wagenen and Mickey Callaway have for the 25-man roster, but if they include Mesoraco in those plans they better hope no one else wants him. Personally, I would prefer to keep him given d’Arnaud’s injury history, but if he is wanted elsewhere all the best to him.
