Examining the Options to Address the Mets’ Catcher Logjam

Having four major-league caliber catchers is not a terrible problem for any team to have. However, the Mets will soon be faced with some tough decisions with their backstops.  Francisco Álvarez is currently serving as the team’s starter and, after a slow start, has done more than enough to earn the starting spot moving forward. But, with both Omar Narváez and Tomás Nido soon returning from the IL, plus the presence of the recently called-up Gary Sánchez, will the Mets opt to go with the veterans and option Álvarez back to Triple-A? Let’s take a look at the various options the organization could take.

Option 1: Keep Álvarez and Narváez, DFA Sánchez, DFA or Trade Nido

At the moment, this feels like the most likely outcome. Sending Álvarez down would send a terrible message to both the team and the fans considering his recent performance. While losing both Sánchez and Nido would sting, the combination of Álvarez and Narváez would be among the Mets’ best catching tandems in recent memory.

Because of his contract, Narváez is the only one of the four basically guaranteed to be on the big-league roster in a month, assuming he is healthy. Whether or not the Mets would choose to give him or Álvarez the bulk of the starts is a different conversation.

The biggest downside to this option would be that, should either catcher go down again (a distinct possibility), the Mets would have to turn again to Michael Pérez instead of having the power-hitting Sánchez or defensive-minded Nido still in the organization.

Option 2: Send Álvarez down to Triple-A, Keep Narváez and Nido, DFA Sánchez

This option feels entirely possible, but it would be the wrong decision. While Nido was a Gold Glove finalist a year ago and is well-liked by his teammates, he simply has not been able to hit with any consistency at the big-league level. In a different circumstance, the Mets would love to keep him, but the signing of Narváez in the offseason made that less likely due to the Mets’ top prospect also being a catcher.

Álvarez has not only been performing well with the bat in recent weeks, but he’s been more than solid defensively as well. Additionally, he’s earning the respect of his teammates more and more every day. Will Sammon of The Athletic spoke to several of Álvarez’s teammates for a story on the rookie’s recent performance, and they indicate how much his teammates have grown to enjoy playing with the rookie.

“For a young guy, that’s really good,” Carlos Carrasco said. “He just wants to learn every day.”

“He’s done a really good job of sticking with us, making adjustments, especially with the location of his glove on pitches,” (David) Robertson said. “He does a good job of listening to what most of the veteran pitchers want to do.”

Still, Álvarez is the only one of the four the Mets can send down without losing them. It’s entirely possible based on how Billy Eppler and Buck Showalter have spoken about young players this season that they still believe Álvarez could benefit from more time in the minor leagues.

Another benefit of this option would be that the Mets would have a catcher ready-to-go in Syracuse should either of the others get injured again, Plus, there’s nothing stopping them from simply calling Álvarez back up and DFAing Nido later in the season, if they ever changed their minds.

Despite all of that, this option feels less and less like the right thing for the organization to do every day. Let’s hope they think better of it.

Option 3: Keep Álvarez, Narváez, and Sánchez, DFA or Trade Nido

If the Mets like what they’ve seen thus far from Sánchez, they could opt to carry three catchers and use Sánchez primarily as a DH option from the right-side of the plate. However, this would create some serious logjam on the bench, and would likely force the Mets to part ways with either Daniel Vogelbach or Tommy Pham. Or, send Mark Vientos back down to Triple-A.

Without Pham, the Mets would be without a true backup outfielder (although Jeff McNeil and Brett Baty can both play corner outfield spots), and, while Vogelbach hasn’t been outstanding this season, he hardly feels like a candidate to be designated for assignment either, especially in favor of Sánchez The Mets also recently called up Vientos, who is likely to get a decent amount of the starts at DH against left-handed pitchers.

Ultimately, the playing time for Sánchez just wouldn’t be there enough for the Mets to go with this move, which ultimately begs the question of why they felt signing him was really worth it in the first place with two other catchers set to return in the near future.

Option 4: Keep Narváez, and Sánchez, Send Álvarez to Triple-A, DFA or Trade Nido

This option feels highly unlikely, and would essentially amount to the Mets choosing Sánchez over Nido while also feeling like Álvarez needs more seasoning in Triple-A.

While Sánchez certainly has the better bat than Nido, he has only been in the organization for a month, while Nido was signed in the offseason to an extension. This one would be a shocker if it were to happen.

Option 5: Keep Álvarez and Nido, Trade Narváez, DFA Sánchez

This one too feels like it has almost no chance of happening. Narváez was playing well before he got injured, and the Mets wouldn’t have signed him to a deal in the offseason if they didn’t think he could be a valuable piece to their team. Giving up on him now after he’s barely played feels like something the Mets simply wouldn’t be willing to do.

However, there is at least somewhat of an argument for this option. If Álvarez has earned everyday honors, Narváez would have to be OK with a backup role when he surely expected to be the starter heading into the season.

Plus, the Mets seriously need pitching. Even if Narváez has little trade value, he certainly has more than Nido, as there are several teams out there that could use a starting-caliber catcher.  Could they flip Narváez now for an arm or two, knowing they have a serviceable backup already in Nido? It feels unlikely, but you never know.

Conclusion

Personally, I expect the Mets to split time with Álvarez and Narváez while letting Sánchez go and trying to recoup some  value for Nido in the trade market. While this option forces you to lose two of the four catchers you currently have, it’s clear that Álvarez and Narváez are the two best players of the group, and they should be who the organization focuses on finding playing time for.