The New York Mets are in the midst of another disappointing campaign. After entering the season pegged as a sneaky third wild-card contender, the blue and orange are sitting 10 games under .500 (23-33) with a little more than a one-third of the season played.
The Mets have struggled to get consistent production from the catching position
One of the keys to the Mets’ struggles has been the lack of production from the catching position following Francisco Álvarez going down with a torn ulnar collateral ligament that required surgery. On Friday, president of baseball operations David Stearns felt it was time to cut bait. He designated Omar Narváez for assignment and traded for a depth catcher from the Yankees to fill his spot.
Mets acquire catcher Luis Torrens from the Yankees
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets have acquired catcher Luis Torrens from the New York Yankees in exchange for $100,000.
Torrens’ baseball journey began on July 2, 2012, when the New York Yankees signed him as an international free agent. The Venezuelan native spent the next few years in the Yankees minor league system before being scooped up by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2016 Rule 5 draft, who quickly traded him to the San Diego Padres.
Torrens, who was just 20 years old and had never played above single-a, made the Padres’ 2017 opening-day roster. The right-handed hitter would appear in 56 games, slashing .163/.243/.203 with seven RBIs before spending 14 games with the big league club over the next couple of seasons and being dealt to the Seattle Mariners at the 2020 trade deadline.
Torrens would get his first chance to play daily with the Mariners in 2021, slashing .243/.299/.431 with 15 home runs and 47 RBIs across 108 games.
The Venezuelan native struggled to replicate that same success in 2022 and bounced between Triple-A Tacoma and Seattle before being non-tenured at the end of the season.
Torrens would sign a minor-league contract with the Chicago Cubs to begin 2023 and had a cup of coffee in the big leagues, going 5-for-20 with three RBIs before being designated for assignment.
The right-handed hitter would spend time in the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals organization before returning to the Mariners. Torrens would go 2-for-8 with the green and blue before becoming a free agent following the 2023 season.
The 28-year-old signed with the Yankees and was assigned to their Triple-A affiliate, where he has performed exceptionally well, slashing .279/.339/.469 across 30 games with five home runs and 19 RBIs.
What does this mean for the Mets?
With Narvaez gone, Tomás Nido will take over the starting catching role until Alvarez returns. The 22-year-old just started his rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton yesterday and will likely require a week or two to get back into everyday condition and be able to catch multiple games in a row.
Torrens will back up Nido for the time being but will get a shot to prove himself at the big league level. If the 28-year-old can perform, it will make Stearns’ decision on who should stay on the big league roster a difficult one.