Going into the offseason, the Mets pinpointed several needs to focus on to help bolster the team: a center fielder, bullpen reinforcements, a starting pitcher or two and another catcher.

The only caveat is, the team seems wary to exceed the luxury tax threshold, which they are roughly $14 million away from after the acquisition of Jake Marisnick from the Astros and re-signing Brad Brach to a one-year pact.

New York will have to be very creative this winter if they wish to stay under the luxury tax. Marisnick likely fills out the outfield for the Mets, and Brach is a nice piece, but more bullpen help is still needed, as is rotation depth. But today, let’s focus on that final need, another catcher.

Wilson Ramos is more or less locked into a starting role for 2020, with general manager Brodie Van Wagenen giving him a vote of confidence earlier this winter. Ramos said he will be working on his defense this winter, which he really needs to. Out of 113 qualified catchers by Baseball Prospectus, Ramos ranked No. 102 in 2020.

Overall, Ramos had difficulties forming a relationship with the pitching staff, most specifically Noah Syndergaard, who vocally opposed wanting to pitch to Ramos.

With that being said, New York could benefit from bringing in a defensive minded catcher who could either platoon with Ramos or catch every other day.

In this article, I will profile both legitimate MLB pieces, as well as some depth catching pieces the Mets should consider.

Jason Castro

Jason Castro, 32, (pictured above) has spent the last three years with the Twins. His pop time is slightly below average in the 41st percentile, but his framing is solid (63rd percentile).

Baseball Prospectus ranked him No. 25 out of 113 qualifying catchers. He had 4,517 framing chances and put up 3.5 FRAA (3.8 FRAA adjusted), however he had -1.9 blocking runs.

At the dish, Castro put up a triple slash of .232/.332/.435 with a wOBA of .328 and a wRC+ of 103 in 275 plate appearances. He strikes out 32 percent of the time, but increased his barrel rate to 17.2 percent, exit velocity to 91.5 mph, his launch angle to 14.0 and hard hit rate to 46.4 percent.

MLB Trade Rumors predicts Castro will get a two-year, $10 million deal on the open market this winter. Without any trades, signing him would then leave the Mets with $9 million left to spend after the deal.

Robinson Chirinos

The second on the list is Robinson Chirinos, who was linked to the Mets earlier this offseason.

Chirinos, 35, spent last year with the AL champion Houston Astros. He was worth 2.3 fWAR and ranked as the No. 35 defensive catcher by Baseball Prospectus.

The backstop had -3.5 framing runs, but 5.8 blocking runs to go with 3.0 FRAA in 6,599 framing chances in 2020. His pop time is mediocre, ranking in the 32nd percentile, while his framing ranks in the 44th percentile.

At the dish, he isn’t going to blow anyone away. His exit velocity is atrocious, ranking in the 12th percentile, and his xBA is in the 1st percentile. His hard hit rate is in the 38th percentile, and his xWOBA (33rd percentile), and xSLG (22nd percentile) leave something to be desired.

Overall, Chirinos hit .238/.347/.443 in 114 games for the ‘Stros and like Castro, could be a good platoon partner with Wilson Ramos. The one caveat however, is that I think Chirinos will likely go somewhere where he can start everyday. Like Castro, MLBTR predicts two years and $10 million for him.

Martin Maldonado

Martin Maldonado was ranked No. 29 defensively by BP. In 6,284 framing chances, the 33-year-old had -2.0 framing runs, 4.0 blocking runs 1.6 FRAA and 2.9 FRAA adjusted.

Maldonado’s pop time is strong, ranking in the 77th percentile and his framing overall ranks in the 47th percentile (slightly below average). At the dish, Maldonado is a generally weak hitter. He had a triple slash of .213/.293/.378 between three squads in 2019.

His exit velocity (23rd percentile), xBA (fifth percentile), hard hit rate (20th percentile), xWOBA (17th percentile) and xSLG (20th percentile) are all, well, not good. Overall he was worth 0.8 fWAR and could be a good backup catcher for the Mets.

Kevin Plawecki

An old friend!

After being traded last offseason to the Indians, Kevin Plawecki found himself non-tendered by Cleveland this week. The 28-year-old is an elite framer, ranked No. 13 by Baseball Prospectus, and ranking in the 98th percentile in framing by Baseball Savant.

In 2,801 framing chances in 2019, Plawecki had 6.6 framing runs, 2.2 blocking runs and 7.8 FRAA (8.4 FRAA adjusted). Where Plawecki really struggles defensively, however, is in pop time where he ranks in the fifth percentile.

It’s no secret Plawecki doesn’t pose much of a threat at the dish. In 59 games in 2019, he hit .222/.287/.342 with three home runs, a .273 wOBA and a 63 wRC+. His exit velo was just 85.5 mph, but he did improve his launch angle to 15.7.

Overall, Plawecki could be a good guy to extend a minor league deal to with an invite to MLB spring training. More than that, he’s just a slight upgrade over Tomas Nido as a backup catcher. But hey, if he’s predominantly in Triple-A and can fill a hole if need be, it’s not bad.

Consensus

The consensus for me would be for the Mets to have Castro, Chirinos and Maldonado on the top of their list of catching options, while also exploring some guys on MiLB deals, like Plawecki.