After Wilson Ramos‘ introductory press conference on Tuesday, New York Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen addressed what has become a hot-button topic since the team signed Ramos on Sunday; what’s to become of incumbent backstops Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki?
Speaking with SNY‘s Steve Gelbs, Van Wagenen gave some crystal-clear insight as to where the organization stands on these two and their future with the Mets.
When asked if he “could see himself” starting next season with Ramos, d’Arnaud, and Plawecki on the roster, or if he feels the need to trade one of the backups, Van Wagenen minced no words.
“We don’t need to move one of those guys”, Van Wagenen said. “There’s been a lot of interest from other teams, both before [the Ramos signing] and certainly after, that gives us an indication that teams value our players highly.”
He also noted d’Arnaud’s ability — and eagerness — to play other positions, and how it gives credence to the idea of keeping and carrying all three catchers.
“I think that Travis’ versatility to be able to play first, his willingness to explore third base and left field gives us [confidence] that we could carry three catchers given the fact that [d’Arnaud] could be an offensive-minded player that can fit around the diamond,” he said. “As we’re looking to build 25 guys, he can be a really interesting guy for us.”
The Mets chose to bring back d’Arnaud, 29, for his seventh season with the club. Before requiring ulnar collateral surgery in April, the California native carried with him a .245/.306/.406 slash line with 162-game averages of 19 home runs, 27 doubles, 66 runs batted in, and a 96 OPS+ rating.
Unfortunately for d’Arnaud, actually staying on the field for a full season has been an ongoing issue.
He played in over 100 games twice in his six-year career (2014, 108; 2017, 112), but played in a total of just 177 through his other four MLB seasons due to consistent trips to the disabled list caused by a laundry list of injuries (concussion, 2014; fractured finger, 2015; sprained left elbow, 2015; rotator cuff strain, 2016; bruised wrist, 2017; UCL, 2018). The life of a catcher, eh?
His framing skills are terrific behind the plate, but he’s got a notoriously weak arm. It’s possible a move from catcher could reignite a clearly talented ballplayer in d’Arnaud. There’s a reason he’s stuck around this long, after so much adversity.
As for Plawecki, his 2017 season (.260/.364/.400, 106 OPS+) gave a glimpse of what type of player the 27-year-old can truly be at the plate. Despite a not-so-pretty .210/.315/.370 slash line and 65 strikeouts in 277 plate appearances last season, his 13 doubles, seven homers, and 94 OPS+ indicate some definite upside.
With an everyday catcher in Wilson Ramos now in the fold, a hypothetical spring training battle between d’Arnaud and Plawecki should be a good one. Whether both are still here come February will be presumably be determined in short order.
