Catcher 2010

[Benjamin Grimm]

Marty says... it's Santos!

Pitches won't be rolling toward the backstop at Citi Field this year. The Mets will have to field a team with a catcher.

Though, no, the catcher will not be Bengie Molina. The Mets' preferred plan -- signing Molina for one year -- didn't work. So now they are forced to turn inward. Their primary catcher will be Omir Santos, and his understudy will be Henry Blanco. Call it "Plan B."

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The Mets could look elsewhere for someone to keep the shin guards and chest protector warm until Josh Thole is big-league ready in 2011. Rod Barajas and Yorvit Torrealba remain on the shelves of the free-agent market. Chances are the Mets will make no purchase, though.

A person familiar with their thinking said Wednesday the club is unconvinced that either free agent would constitute a significant upgrade over a Santos-Blanco tandem. He said the club is inclined to put its wallet back in its pocket for now and determine whether the Molina money would be more prudently spent in another area -- pitching.

[/quote:1rz2pu0p]

[smg58]

There really isn't anything wrong with what they have. Like I've said before, if the Mets were to sign Ryan Garko I'd give him a shot in ST to show what he can do behind the plate, knowing that the worst-case scenario is that he's still a more-than-adequate platoon at first base. Otherwise, I think the money would be better spent elsewhere.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

"...the club is inclined to put its wallet back in its pocket for now and determine whether the Molina money would be more prudently spent in another area -- pitching."

If it helps in to speed up the determination process, I will offer that I believe the money would be far better spent on starting pitching depth. Molina did the Mets a great favor by resigning with the Giants, Omar needs to capitalize on the teams good fortune. Now, please Omar, get some pitching before it's too late.

[Ceetar]

I think it's unlikely Santos, a career minor leaguer, will improve off his career year last year. I think he lacked fundamentals (but then, so did everyone.), was slow on the bases, and didn't really hit that well.

I really doubt Thole will do worse than Santos in 2010, and with a tremendous amount of upside. If we're not going to sign anything more than backups, Thole is the only one with starter potential, so make it so.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Not that I disagree about the prospects for improvement, but it's not too fair to call last year a career year, except in the sense that last year was the year that contains almost the entirety of his career.

[ashie62]

I think it's unlikely Santos, a career minor leaguer, will improve off his career year last year. I think he lacked fundamentals (but then, so did everyone.), was slow on the bases, and didn't really hit that well.

I really doubt Thole will do worse than Santos in 2010, and with a tremendous amount of upside. If we're not going to sign anything more than backups, Thole is the only one with starter potential, so make it so.[/quote:2orsd10w]


Thole will do no worse than Santos? What month?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I really doubt Thole will do worse than Santos in 2010, and with a tremendous amount of upside. If we're not going to sign anything more than backups, Thole is the only one with starter potential, so make it so.

[nymr83]

of the guys currently in the organization i still think a Blanco/Coste platoon has the most to offer. I'd like Thole to play at AAA until such time as his performance demands a promotion. I don't think Santos is better than either of the other guys, but is certainly useful depth.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yeah, one of the things that scares me in general about the Mets is that they could really suck at defense if they're not careful.

They already seemed to have suggested they didn;t admire Santos' chops behind the dish, at 3rd you got Wright and his penchant for poor throws and OK range, Muffy is a bit of a wildman at 1B annd Castillo's rapidly losing it at the keystone, though I wouldn;t say he sucked on a pure eyewitness level. I think we're OK at SS with Reyes but you never know with his injuries. In the outfield, Bay's been dissected to death and they seem OK with a below-average guy there, while Beltran's very very good but a big question mark until he shows us his knees still work. Pagan is capable of making some flat-out lousy reads. I think Francoeur is fine in right (eyewitness D again) but I think the numbers could argue he's less than awesome.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I wonder now whether Murphy's a wildman because he's a wildman, or because he knows he's playing next to a guy who's got legs as tender as osso buco and the range of William Shatner.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I wonder now whether Murphy's a wildman because he's ... playing next to a guy who's got ... the range of William Shatner.

[batmagadanleadoff]

William Shatner: Pitchman, MatchGamer, Make Believe Rat Packer. His range easily exceeds the limit on the number of photographs I can include in just one post. Anyone know if Luis Castillo ever recited Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds on National TV?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm convinced. And I'm going to Priceline dot com right now!

[Ceetar]

I may be exaggerating Thole's upside, sure, but I was comparing it to Santos, not to Posey.

The guy can hit, Santos can't. When i say career year, I was referring to professional baseball, not MLB. He doesn't really have a lot of power. 10 HR with Trenton once. My observations seemed to place him as below average defensively (in terms of fielding pop-ups and what not). And he didn't seem to run the bases well. Is Thole really going to do worse than that?

Granted, it's mostly a moot point. If the Mets really do go with Santos and in May he's hitting .205 with 2 HR and Thole's playing well in AAA, it'd be silly not to expect them to switch.

[Guest Edgy DC]

We might get that Topps All-Rookie Catcher trophy two years in a row.

[ashie62]

Thole reminds me of Alex Trevino

[batmagadanleadoff]

I know that this is the 2010 thread but is it unreasonable to dream of Joe Mauer as a Met in 2011? And if it is unreasonable to dream, then why? Because Mauer won't do the right thing and test the market? Because the Twins have more money than the Mets? Because Jorge Posada turns 40 in 2011 and 40 year old backstops are like 240 in catcher years and if the Yankees want Mauer, nobody else has a real chance? Because, assuming Mauer digs NYC, he doesn't have to sign with the Mets to benefit from everything New York has to offer -- he can sign with the MFYs'? Because the Mets are cheap? Stupid? Cheap and stupid? Because Thole will turn out to be better than Mauer? What?

[nymr83]

Because Mauer won't do the right thing and test the market?

Why is testing the market "the right thing"? what if the Twins make him an offer before free agency that he and his agent reasonably believe is better than what he'll receive later on? Matt Holliday took less than the Rockies offered him, and I'm sure he's not the only guy to ever turn down a contract only to find out that less money awaited him a year later in the market.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I could not bring myself to believe that the Mets can't significantly improve on whatever offer the Twins will presumably offer Mauer before the end of next season. I suppose that there are always risks to signing later rather than earlier. The economy could collapse again. Mauer might suffer a major injury before he gets to declare for free agency. A meteor might strike Minnesota. But on the other hand, Mauer is one baseball's elite inner circle stars right now and Minnesota is not where the big baseball money is.

[Gwreck]

I know that this is the 2010 thread but is it unreasonable to dream of Joe Mauer as a Met in 2011? And if it is unreasonable to dream, then why?[/quote:1q5bv5p8]

I don't see Mauer coming to the Mets (or any NL team) because his value is so clearly greater to an AL team that can use him at DH a couple times a week instead of resting him and taking his bat out of the lineup.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I know that this is the 2010 thread but is it unreasonable to dream of Joe Mauer as a Met in 2011? And if it is unreasonable to dream, then why?[/quote:1d38ltwc]

I don't see Mauer coming to the Mets (or any NL team) because his value is so clearly greater to an AL team that can use him at DH a couple times a week instead of resting him and taking his bat out of the lineup.[/quote:1d38ltwc]

So does that mean that the great catchers that can, should stay away from the NL?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Mike Piazza skipped free agency and signed with a National League team.

[Ceetar]

Mike Piazza skipped free agency and signed with a National League team.[/quote:1pxq9ii4]


Piazza was always an NL guy though, felt he should play the whole game and whatnot. And felt strongly about the HR as catcher record..

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

More realistically (?), Francesa-- since when did this guy get so concerned?-- pitched a surprisingly not-horrible-sounding idea: Trade for Chris Snyder. Yes, it's been brought up before, but... well, it makes even more sense now... from THEIR end.

The D'Backs are close to maxing out, budget-wise, after the LaRoche signing, and Snyder-- who'll essentially be a second catcher for them-- is scheduled to make a guaranteed 11.25 million over the next two years (with a 6.75M option with 600K buyout-- if I've got my numbers right-- in 2012).

They've got Kelly Johnson/Ryan Roberts for 2B, so Castillo-- even if they were once-upon-a-time interested-- is out as an option. So what's a fair offer that makes sense on the eastern end of the deal?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Include Santos, I assume to serve as backup.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

And there's your garnish. What's the meat, mate?

[ashie62]

I know that this is the 2010 thread but is it unreasonable to dream of Joe Mauer as a Met in 2011? And if it is unreasonable to dream, then why?[/quote:31pm41wk]

I don't see Mauer coming to the Mets (or any NL team) because his value is so clearly greater to an AL team that can use him at DH a couple times a week instead of resting him and taking his bat out of the lineup.[/quote:31pm41wk]

So does that mean that the great catchers that can, should stay away from the NL?[/quote:31pm41wk]


Mauer is a Twin til his last cigarette

[Guest Edgy DC]

And there's your garnish. What's the meat, mate?[/quote:1molkj8u]

Sean Green?

[nymr83]

Snyder for Green and Santos? eating 11 million seems pretty significant and i dont htink the mets should have to give up too much.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Fair enough, but just because he's something you'd rather not have sitting on your bench if you're a team on a budget, that doesn't make him worthless or-- worse-- a white elephant. Back problems, shmack problems-- he's a 29-year-old catcher who's decent defensively, and who before the last year put up two well above-average seasons with significant power flashes.