The New York Mets were hamstrung by their defensive inefficiencies behind the plate last season. Despite trotting out one of the most talented pitching staffs in baseball, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and his staff clearly didn’t prioritize who was on the receiving end.
Mets backstops ranked 17th in baseball last season (-5.1 FRM, FanGraphs‘ framing statistic), with starter Wilson Ramos‘ -7.6 FRM ranking dead last among qualified catchers in the same metric.
Part-time backup Tomas Nido accumulated 2.4 framing runs above average, good for 23rd in MLB (minimum 300 innings), but his offensive game — at this point in time — simply isn’t strong enough to justify anything more than affording Ramos a brief respite.
Heading into 2020 with just as strong a staff on the mound, the Mets need to make a strong commitment to shoring up an important weakness on this roster.
Even without Zack Wheeler, the combination of Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, Steven Matz, and Rick Porcello is still a formidable rotation. The importance of having a quality backstop on the receiving end of these guys is optimal.
With Dellin Betances added to the Mets’ stable of high-quality relief arms, the conglomerate of him Edwin Diaz, Seth Lugo, Justin Wilson, and Jeurys Familia at the back end of the bullpen, there is value to be added here as well.
With free agents Yasmani Grandal (White Sox), Travis d’Arnaud (Braves), Jason Castro (Angels), and Robinson Chirinos (Rangers) all off the board, the Mets may have to explore the trade market for a viable, defensive-minded catcher to act as the yin to Ramos’ yang.
The San Diego Padres have been actively shopping Austin Hedges — arguably the best defensive catcher in baseball — this offseason. This should be the player Brodie & Co. should be targeting.
Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported in December that the Friars were indeed looking to move Hedges, adding the team “can no longer afford for his bat to be a drain at the bottom of the lineup,” which is a fair point.
A .201/.257/.360 career slash line over five seasons is not good. His .176/.252/.311 line over 102 games in 2019 is even worse. But once you get a look at Hedges’ defensive metrics, where his value lies becomes crystal clear.
The 27-year-old finished last season with 20.7 FRM (FanGraphs), 20 runs via extra strikes, and a 54.1 percent strike rate on all pitches (both via Statcast), leading MLB by a wide margin in both categories.
His strike percentage on pitches just low of the strike zone in 2019 was 61.1 percent, good for fourth in baseball. Wilson Ramos‘ strike rate in the same area was 33.1 percent, worst among all qualified catchers.
With an extra roster spot to work with this season, the Mets should be all-in on adding an elite defensive catcher to complement Ramos’ inadequacies. Austin Hedges should be that addition.
Plus, with extremely limited funds to play with, Hedges’ $3 million salary this season makes him even more attractive.
What the Padres might expect in return for the Gold Glove-caliber backstop is anyone’s guess. But with Francisco Mejia already making an impact at the major league level and Luis Campusano not too far behind him in his development, this might be the time to kick the tires.
Van Wagenen should be able to work out something fair considering Hedges brings next-to-no offensive upside, but A.J. Preller, San Diego’s GM, is no slouch. He knows he has leverage in this scenario and may look to play-up that angle.
In any case, the Mets have no excuse not to, at the very least, explore the possibility. Heading into 2020 with Ramos, Nido, and Ali Sanchez seems counterproductive considering who’s throwing to them.
