One of the moves I've expected this offseason is for the Mets to move one of their catchers — Nido or McCann — to clear the decks for Francisco Álvarez.
Not moving one or both of them, or bringing in another vet catcher, I figured, was a sign that Álvarez would return to Syracuse to start the season. I didn't really expect this.
But in the absence of any developments, I've thought about a third way a little bit this week. Maybe the plan is to open with
three catchers, allowing Álvarez to initially split time perhaps three ways with his veteran teammates, while DHing against lefties, getting into the lineup 2/3 of the time, and hopefully more further down the road.
| Advantages: | Disadvantages: |
|---|
Lineup Strength!- Álvarez available as a righty DH certainly means Les Ruf. Likely, it means far less Ruf. Isn't this really what we want?
| Lineup Strength!
- Three catchers means that much more of the two catchers who haven't performed with the bat. Is this really what we want?
|
Development!
- Álvarez gets to find himself against major league pitching as a hitter without worrying too much until later about bearing the burden of being a #1 catcher.
| Development!- Playing 65-70% of the time in the big leagues is possibly less useful to his development than playing 80-90% of the time in AAA.
|
Depth!
- Little reason to ever fear running out of catchers.
| Depth!- One less infielder or outfielder on the roster.
|
Maneuverability!
- Little reason to not pinch-run or pinch-hit for a catcher when the situation calls for it.
| Maneuverability!
- Three catchers hurts that team speed. I mean, great, you can pinch-run for a catcher, except with whom, when your bench is loaded with catchers?
|
That old team chemistry!
- As their roles diminish, McCann and Nido continue to find meaning in mentorship opportunities. And Álvarez, delighting in the generosity of spirit his elders offer, learns what teaminess is all about.
| That old team chemistry!
- Álvarez resents sharing time with older, lesser talents, and they feel like dead men walking seeing the future overtake them.
|
Conservative but mindful deployment!
- Álvarez gets some protection against righties, but not so much that he fails to develop.
| Conservative but mindful deployment!
- Being a catcher who doesn't catch that often could undercut his cahnfidence.
|
Obviously, it's just a thought that I'm taking out for a spin. More of an option than a likelihood. A lot of time for further moves remains, including probably a couple of AAAA catchers brought in to muddy the picture.
