Between Wilson Ramos, Todd Frazier and Robinson Chirinos, the Mets had three aging veterans that they could have kept around via team options. To no one’s surprise, New York is expected to decline on picking up all of those options, according to Newsday’s Tim Healey.
After his record $2.42 billion purchase of the Mets is expected to go through later this week, Steve Cohen will immediately be met with another bill, as he will have to pay buyouts on the three above mentioned players. Ramos and Frazier each carry $1.5 million buyouts, while Chirinos will receive a $1 million buyout.
Frazier and Chirinos only spent a month on the Mets after this year’s trade deadline, where they were acquired to try to make a push at making the playoffs. Unfortunately they came up short.
After Brodie Van Wagenen failed to land catchers like J.T. Realmuto and Yasmani Grandal during the winter of 2018, the then new Mets GM settled on signing Ramos to a two-year, $19 million contract.
Ramos had a successful first season in Queens, at least offensively, as he hit .288/.351/.416, with 14 home runs, 73 RBI and a .768 OPS. Then in 2020, Ramos’ production fell off a cliff.
The 33-year-old never looked comfortable during the shortened season, hitting .239/.297/.387, with five home runs, 15 RBI and a .684 OPS. He also struggled greatly behind the plate, finishing the year in the 8th percentile when it comes to pitch framing, while being worth -1 DRS.
With both Ramos and Chirinos heading into free agency, the Mets will clearly be looking to address the catching position this offseason. Tomas Nido and Ali Sanchez are their only catchers remaining on the 40-man roster.
