The Mets bolstered their catching corps this winter when they inked Wilson Ramos to a team friendly two-year pact.
If healthy, him and projected backup Travis d’Arnaud will make a strong tandem behind the dish. However, the key word there is “if.”
Both Ramos and d’Arnaud have had their share of injuries throughout their respective careers, and beyond them on the depth chart, the Mets are rather thin.
If one gets injured, Tomas Nido can slot in as the backup, but if more than one of them gets hurt, they will be in trouble.
With that being said, the Mets should still tap into the free agent market for another catcher.
The list of catching free agents is thin, but there are a couple names New York could consider, including former Astro Martin Maldonado.
Maldonado, 32, spent last season between Houston and the Los Angeles Angels where he appeared in 119 games and hit .225/.276/.351 with nine homers and 44 RBI.
A light hitter throughout his career, Maldonado would be a good fit as a backup defensive catcher. According to Baseball Prospectus, Maldonado had 7.057 framing chances and 5.9 framing runs in 2018.
While he isn’t the sexiest name, he would give New York more depth at a thin position.
Mets’ GM Brodie Van Wagenen has done a splendid job this winter of giving New York depth at the Major League level that they haven’t had in years. They still have some other holes to fill, including adding another outfielder, a reliever and potentially even a starter, but catcher could benefit from additional help as well.
Apart from Maldonado, a couple other catchers New York could consider are Rene Rivera, Matt Wieters and Caleb Joseph.
