The Mets have found their catcher. And they didn’t have to trade their entire team away either!
New York has signed Wilson Ramos to a two year deal worth 19.5 million dollars, and includes a team option for a third year.
The Mets were also linked to Yasmany Grandal, but felt like Ramos was the better option. Signing Grandal would have cost them a second round pick and 500k in international signing bonus money.
Who is Wilson Ramos? Let’s break it down.
The lefty-heavy Mets have snagged a much needed right handed bat. Wilson Ramos has put together a nice career against Left Handed Pitchers: .301/.346/.479.
Ramos is coming off a very nice 2018 campaign. Over 111 games, he put up the following numbers .306/.358/.487 15 HR 70 RBI .845 OPS earning himself anAll-Star appearance.
Over the last 3 yrs, Wilson Ramos has the 2nd best OPS+ among all catchers. He has garnered praise for his veteran presence in the clubhouse and ability to handle pitching staffs.
This is a steal.
HOWEVER. Injuries are definitely a concern here.
The 31 year old backstop missed time last summer with a left hamstring strain and tore the ACL in his right knee at the end of the 2016 season.
Ramos has dealt with a myriad of injuries throughout his career. He has not reached the 100 games played mark in 4 of his 8 seasons in the league.
Sure, I’m concerned about his health, but I love the deal.
We don’t have to hear the name JT Realmuto again this offseason. Any team would love the Miami catcher in their lineup. But at what cost? Trading any combination of Nimmo, Rosario and Conforto would be counterproductive. Absolutely gutting the farm system is short sighted. Finally, involving a third team so we can ship Syndergaard away would have been ludicrous.
Ramos is a league average catcher defensively. He’s not going to hurt you behind the plate by any means, and it’s time to get some offense out of the position.
Some fun facts about Ramos. He came up with Minnesota and he is the first Twins player since Kirby Puckett in 1984 to collect four hits in a major league debut, and the only catcher in modern history (since 1900) to collect four hits in his MLB debut.
If the Mets decide to exercise their team option the deal is worth 26 million dollars altogether.
VERDICT: Good job Brodie!