The New York Mets catchers have minimal big-league experience behind James McCann, and they signed veteran Caleb Joseph to bolster the group. Instead of joining on a typical minor league deal, his split contract forces the Mets to guarantee him a spot on the 40-man roster.
Caleb Joseph gives his post-clincher pep talk – "Enjoy this moment, you never know when it's your last. It'll be the only time that all of us are here in this spot. The only time. Enjoy the crap out of it." (Video via @Sportsnet) pic.twitter.com/UF38STUPPM
— Ian Hunter (@BlueJayHunter) September 25, 2020
Joseph is a tremendous locker room personality and showed it during 2020 as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. He spent all but eight at-bats on the taxi squad with a home run as his only hit. Joseph spent his first five seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and was a stellar defender. He had 37 DRS and threw out at least 30% of base stealers in four of his five seasons. After his days in Baltimore ended, he moved on to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019.
Sanchez Replacement?
The Mets 40-man roster is full, and Patrick Mazeika seems like the odd-man-out. Mazeika is 27-years old but is still waiting for his first big league at-bat. It is unlikely for the Mets to DFA a pitcher, and there is no logical option to choose from.
Joseph will replace Ali Sanchez, who was traded before spring training and have the same role as Rene Rivera from past seasons. He is a veteran who will fill in nicely as a backup if any of the top two catchers suffer injuries. Tyler Flowers and Matt Wieters were two remaining depth options on the market but were too expensive to keep in the minors.