Despite other, more expensive options in Yasmani Grandal and J.T. Realmuto, the New York Mets sought and secured their new catcher this offseason, signing nine-year MLB veteran backstop Wilson Ramos to a two-year, $19 million deal with a $10 million team option for 2021.
So far this spring, it appears as if Ramos, 31, is everything the Mets had hoped he was. After four Grapefruit League appearances, the Venezuelan native is 6-for-10, including a 3-for-3 day on Saturday versus the Astros in Port St. Lucie.
After consecutive singles in his first two at-bats, the first coming off of Houston’s ageless wonder Justin Verlander, Ramos crushed a grand slam to deep right-centerfield, giving the Mets a short-lived, 6-5 lead.
Mets skipper Mickey Callaway spoke to Dan Martin of the New York Post after Saturday’s loss and seemed giddy at the prospect of having Ramos behind Michael Conforto, who hit his first homer of the spring in the first, and Robinson Cano in the Mets’ 2-through-4 spots in their batting order.
“That’s what they’re capable of. The middle of the lineup, what we had out there today is what we expect it to be and they produced,” Callaway said. “There’s a threat there. You can’t take it easy on Cano and you can’t take it easy on Conforto because [Ramos] will get you.”
Later in the game, Ramos showed the increased level of ability he brings to this roster from the other side of the chalk, gunning down Houston’s Ronnie Dawson attempting to steal second with an absolutely perfect throw.
Not that Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki weren’t serviceable backstops with room for more development. It’s just that what Ramos brings to the table for this team is simply of a higher grade of quality.
After compiling a respectable batting line over his first six MLB seasons (.258/.301/.411, 93 OPS+), Wilson Ramos had himself a breakout season in 2016, slashing .307/.354/.496 with 22 homers, 25 doubles, 80 runs batted in, and a 121 OPS+ rating over 131 games played for the Nationals.
After battling injuries and a slight dip in productivity in 2017 for Tampa Bay (.260/.290/.447, 97 OPS+), Ramos returned to mashing in 2018, sharing time between the Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies. Over 111 games (416 plate appearances), Ramos slashed .306/.358/.487 with 15 homers, 70 RBI, 22 doubles, and a career-high 130 OPS+ rating.
Any other year, Wilson Ramos should-and-would have gotten handsomely rewarded for his talents in free agency. But as the cards have fallen and cookies have crumbled over the last two offseasons, we’ve seen the winds shift. Good ballplayers simply aren’t being paid as they used to on the open market.
Luckily for the Mets, who seem to be perpetually in search of the next bargain, Wilson Ramos was willing to “settle” for the mid-tier contract he did and here we are.
If the 31-year-old can continue to hit as he has thus far and keep making solid plays behind the dish — basically be a true field-captain, which is what the catcher is supposed to be — Van Wagenen and the Mets may have found their man in Wilson Ramos, and the perfect backstop to corral this uber-talented pitching staff.
