According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, to fill their need at catcher the New York Mets would prefer to add either J.T. Realmuto via trade from the Marlins or Yasmani Grandal via free agency.
Sherman notes that the Mets are seeking the offensive and defensive upgrade behind the plate that both Realmuto and Grandal offer. However, if the price is too steep for the both of them, the Mets would look to add a defensive backstop in Martin Maldonado rather than the offensive minded Wilson Ramos.
Realmuto appears to be the Mets top target at the moment, but it is not know it they will be willing to meet the Marlins extremely high demands. The 27-year old backstop hit .277/.340/.484 with 21 home runs, 74 runs batted in, and a 131 OPS+ rating in 125 games last season.
Grandal is the top catching option on the market, and MLB Trade Rumors projects he will receive a four year deal worth around $64 million. In 2018 with the Dodgers, he hit .241/.349/.466 with 24 home runs, 68 run batted in, and a .815 OPS. Defensively last season, Baseball Prospectus ranked him as the top catcher in the game.
Maldonado is an above average defender behind the plate. In 2017, he took home the American League Gold Glove award. Last season with the Astros and Angels, he threw out would be base stealers at a career-high clip of 49%. However, offensively he shouldn’t be viewed as much of an upgrade from the Mets current options.
