The Mets are still working on constructing their roster for the 2024 campaign, but a former all-star catcher may not be a part of it.
The Mets are open to trading Omar Narváez
According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets have indicated to other teams around baseball that they are open to trading Omar Narváez.
Narváez picked up his player option in November, with the 31-year-old set to earn $7 million in 2024 before becoming a free agent after the season.
What could the Mets get back for Narváez?
With limited starting catchers available on the open market, the Mets could get something decent for Narváez.
Perhaps a team looking for an upgrade at the catcher position would be willing to send a top-30 prospect in exchange for the 2021 all-star.
Even if a team is just willing to send cash for Narváez, that could still be viewed as a win for a team looking to shed some payroll.
Who could replace Narváez?
The Mets have a few options when it comes to replacing Narváez.
The blue and orange still have former backup catcher Tomás Nido in their organization after he spent most of 2023 in Triple-A Syracuse.
While Nido is a stellar defensive catcher, even being named a 2022 Gold Glove Award finalist, the 29-year-old has struggled inside the batters box.
In 2023, Nido slashed .125/.153/.125 with no home runs and one RBI while having an abysmal -22 OPS+ across 22 games.
The Puerto Rico native is set to make $2.1 million in 2024 and is not on the 40-man roster.
Another option could be the recently claimed Tyler Heineman.
The Mets claimed Heineman off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays last month after the 32-year-old spent 2023 splitting time with the Blue Jays and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In 22 games, Heineman slashed .236/.383/.316 with no home runs and three RBIs while playing average defense.
If the Mets were to go outside of their organization for a backup catcher, they could reunite with Gary Sánchez or take a chance on a reclamation project like Mike Zunino.
Hopefully, for the Flushing Faithful, the Mets will get a solid return for Narváez and find a cheaper replacement either internally or externally.