Sandy Alderson has given the impression that the Mets will stick with what they have going into spring training with regards to catchers. Ronny Paulino was DFAd which leaves Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas as the catchers on the 40 man roster. Taking Sandy at his word, I'm assuming there will be no free agent signings or trades made from here until spring training adding a catcher to the roster. But every team needs catchers to catch all the pitchers in spring training. Heres a list of the top four catchers who could sign minor league contracts and potentially make the Mets opening day roster.
4. Jason Jaramillo: Jaramillo was most recently with the Pirates. At age 29 now, he had his best major league run in 2009 when he hit .252 in 206 AB with 3 HR and 26 RBI. He has gotten little major league work over the past two seasons and had fallen down the depth chart with the acquisition of Michael McKendry and the signing of Rod Barajas. He would be expected to provide a little insurance defensively but not much of an upgrade over Nickeas or Paulino. He'd be a nice fit for depth purposes.
3. Ramon Castro: Its obvious that Castro's best days are behind him but he did enjoy his best days with the Mets from 2005-2008. Castro has always been an injury waiting to happen but I always liked him because he could run into a pitch at any time. If he could stay healthy for a full season, he could hit 10-15 homeruns, but thats been the problem. He also fell out of favor with Ozzie Guillen in Chicago and was seldom used towards the end of the 2011 season. I think it would be worth it to see if he has anything left. Similar to 2005, he'll take a minor league contract. Maybe he can hit his way onto the team.
2. Chris Snyder: Two years ago, it would be a no brainer to add Snyder to the team's roster. Now, its beyond that being Snyder could probably take a minor league contract. The only thing is, he probably won't go down to AAA if he doesn't make the team. So, essentially he would be signing a contract to try to make the team. Otherwise, he'd take free agency with the hopes of catching on somewhere else. He has had a good history of working with pitchers and has hit. His two years in Pittsburgh were held up by injuries and weak hitting, particularly in 2010 when he hit .169 in 124 AB after being acquired by Arizona. Perhaps a team sees Snyder as an upgrade over what they have behind the plate and gives him a major league contract. If not, the Mets should add him as a non roster player and see if he can make the team.
1. Dioner Navarro: Navarro spent last season backing up the Dodgers Rod Barajas. He only hit .193 last season after hitting .194 the year before in Tampa Bay. He has the biggest upside out of the four choices, having productive seasons in 2007-2009 with the Rays. A one time catching prospect of the Yankees, he has always had talent and knows how to call a game. The lack of offense the last three years (in 2009 he hit .218 in 376 AB) is a concern, but is worth a risk because of the lack of commitment that has to be made to him. Snyder may be a safer choice, but Navarro still has the ability to be the better all around player.
Remember, every team needs catchers for spring training. Each team usually has at least 10 catchers at the beginning of spring training as they are needed to work with all the pitchers. The Mets may not need to use a 40 man roster spot on another catcher, but they can add as many as all four of the before mentioned as each has tremendous upside and could overtake Mike Nickeas as the team's backup catcher in 2012.
4. Jason Jaramillo: Jaramillo was most recently with the Pirates. At age 29 now, he had his best major league run in 2009 when he hit .252 in 206 AB with 3 HR and 26 RBI. He has gotten little major league work over the past two seasons and had fallen down the depth chart with the acquisition of Michael McKendry and the signing of Rod Barajas. He would be expected to provide a little insurance defensively but not much of an upgrade over Nickeas or Paulino. He'd be a nice fit for depth purposes.
3. Ramon Castro: Its obvious that Castro's best days are behind him but he did enjoy his best days with the Mets from 2005-2008. Castro has always been an injury waiting to happen but I always liked him because he could run into a pitch at any time. If he could stay healthy for a full season, he could hit 10-15 homeruns, but thats been the problem. He also fell out of favor with Ozzie Guillen in Chicago and was seldom used towards the end of the 2011 season. I think it would be worth it to see if he has anything left. Similar to 2005, he'll take a minor league contract. Maybe he can hit his way onto the team.
2. Chris Snyder: Two years ago, it would be a no brainer to add Snyder to the team's roster. Now, its beyond that being Snyder could probably take a minor league contract. The only thing is, he probably won't go down to AAA if he doesn't make the team. So, essentially he would be signing a contract to try to make the team. Otherwise, he'd take free agency with the hopes of catching on somewhere else. He has had a good history of working with pitchers and has hit. His two years in Pittsburgh were held up by injuries and weak hitting, particularly in 2010 when he hit .169 in 124 AB after being acquired by Arizona. Perhaps a team sees Snyder as an upgrade over what they have behind the plate and gives him a major league contract. If not, the Mets should add him as a non roster player and see if he can make the team.
1. Dioner Navarro: Navarro spent last season backing up the Dodgers Rod Barajas. He only hit .193 last season after hitting .194 the year before in Tampa Bay. He has the biggest upside out of the four choices, having productive seasons in 2007-2009 with the Rays. A one time catching prospect of the Yankees, he has always had talent and knows how to call a game. The lack of offense the last three years (in 2009 he hit .218 in 376 AB) is a concern, but is worth a risk because of the lack of commitment that has to be made to him. Snyder may be a safer choice, but Navarro still has the ability to be the better all around player.
Remember, every team needs catchers for spring training. Each team usually has at least 10 catchers at the beginning of spring training as they are needed to work with all the pitchers. The Mets may not need to use a 40 man roster spot on another catcher, but they can add as many as all four of the before mentioned as each has tremendous upside and could overtake Mike Nickeas as the team's backup catcher in 2012.
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