March 26: Mesoraco has indeed been placed on the restricted list, tweets Jon Heyman of the MLB Network.
March 25: Veteran catcher Devin Mesoraco, who was in Spring Training with the Mets as a non-roster invitee but reassigned to minor league camp over the weekend, is now contemplating retirement, The Record’s Matt Ehalt reports (Twitter link). Mesoraco has no plans to report to Triple-A with the Mets, but rather than release him the organization could instead place him on the restricted list. If that happens, per Ehalt, Mesoraco’s inclination is to retire.
It’s a bizarre scenario in which a veteran player does not appear to have been contractually promised anything but may have had a handshake agreement with the team. As Newsday’s Tim Healey reported over the weekend, during their discussions on a minor league contract this winter, Mesoraco’s camp was given the impression that he’d have a path to the big leagues either in the event that Travis d’Arnaud proved unready for Opening Day or should the Mets carry three catchers. Now, despite the fact that d’Arnaud will indeed be on the injured list to begin the season, Mesoraco was assigned to minor league camp and asked to report to Triple-A.
Mesoraco’s contract doesn’t contain an opt-out provision, it seems, though multiple reports last week indicated that his contract did have an “upward mobility” clause. The Mets last Wednesday informed teams that Mesoraco would be available should any team wish to put him on the big league roster, at which point they had 48 hours to inform him of their intent to do so. The Mets, in turn, would’ve then had the opportunity to instead place him on their own 25-man roster to prevent him from leaving. As the New York Post’s Mike Puma reported (via Twitter), however, no team expressed the intent to add Mesoraco to its big leagues roster.
Given that report, it’s possible that Mesoraco wouldn’t find a more immediate path to the Majors elsewhere anyhow. That said, he’d still have the opportunity to speak to other clubs with less-solidified catching situations where he could have a more plausible chance at a promotion back to the show. While it’s impossible to know exactly what kind of verbal assurances were given or implied during negotiations, it’s also understandable that Mesoraco would feel jilted had he spent the entirety of camp believing himself to have been competing for an opportunity that was never really there. To this point in Spring Training, he’s gone 6-for-26 with a homer and three doubles after batting .222/.306/.409 in 222 plate appearances with the Mets last year.
Frankly, it’s difficult to see what the Mets gain by placing Mesoraco on the restricted list rather than releasing him. The team doesn’t view him as one of its best options behind the plate — they’re reportedly in agreement with Rene Rivera and also have d’Arnaud, Nido and Ramos on the 40-man roster — and all 29 other clubs already passed when the Mets made him available. Perhaps the organization feels that Mesoraco is in violation of his contractual terms and that a hard line simply needs to be drawn, but beyond that possibility the motive seems muddled.
Playing for the Mets will do that to you lol
Actually it’s not playing for the Mets that did this to him.
Retire then. See ya!
He’s taking his ball and going home if he doesn’t get his way. And unfortunately for him, the Mets and the league in general might just let him.
Are you advocating the league force somebody to work against their will?
No, and I’m honestly not sure how you thought that I was. I’m suggesting that this might be a bit of a power play by Mesoraco to get released or traded, but that he might very well not get the interest elsewhere around the league that he might think he will get. Or maybe he genuinely is thinking about retiring. In either case, I hope it works out for him, I have no reason not to.
No, the 13th amendment prevents that. But they can restrict him from playing with any other team due to him violating the contract he signed with the Mets.
Or you know make him go down to minor leagues
He doesn’t want to go to the minors.
Even if he was advocating that, you act like he should be stoned for it.
He’s already made $29.6 million in his career, he’s been constantly injured year after year, and now he doesn’t have a direct way of even semi-regular playing time. I would heavily consider retiring too if I were him.
I could live on 29.6 million for the rest of my life.
While he dosent need us to hold a benefit for him to pay his bills.. his career earnings were 29.6… after taxes and his agents cut.. he took home less than half that..
Less than half could be $10 million. As long as he isn’t stupid with his money, he should be fine.
The agent got a max of 5% of his net. Taxes vary by year since you pay state and local taxes based on where the teams plays games at. He probably banked about $18-20 million if he has a good tax attorney and accountant. Certainly enough to set your family up for generations living in Punxatawney, PA.
When about Darneau? He’s always injured as well.
Typical of the Mets to crush a veterans hopes of an mlb job.
Good luck
It’s actually very typical of the Mets to do the opposite and favor veterans at their own expense (see Jose Reyes, Adrian Gonzalez, Jay Bruce, etc…).
But sure, any nonsense for upvotes right?
The are favored until nature takes over and proves that they were BAD signings meant to appease the fans. Then they torture the players leaking stories for the back page of the NY Post and Daily news
no one was giving him a MLB deal after his recent injury history and lack of great production last year. He’s more injury prove then Darnaud, (which is really saying something) not as good as Ramos, and not as young as Nido. Mets had no obligation to keep him around.
Seriously? The Mets just gave like 6 guys the $100k bonus just so they’d stick around albeit in AAA.
he’s easily better than 25% of the backups out there. Hope he lands somewhere, might take waiting for an injury for a month or more, the dude can still hack it
At that point, it’s a coin flip.
I’m sorry, but anyone that trusts a “handshake agreement” in this day and age deserves exactly what they get. If he wanted an opt out, then he should have had an opt out put into the contract like many other players did. The guy had one good season 5 years ago, it’s not like he is Gary Carter or Johnny Bench. He need to get over himself and prove himself in AAA if he wants to play in the bigs again. If not, then let him retire and get a real job.
Handshake agreement would be naive in modern day, but you are talking about a certain trade with informal agreements are often used. Not just baseball, but other sports as well.
It is an issue here as I think the off-season negotiations took place at multiple junctions and some agreements might have been implied at another time (with agent/player expecting it to carry over).
Shaking hands with executives and owners that have slimy hands is a sign that you should get it in writing.
Doesn’t need a real job.
Has made almost $30 million. Might be able to scrape by.
60-65% of that is gone through taxes/fees/etc. Hopefully he has invested wisely and prepared himself for a future without million dollar contracts and not spent it as if it never ended like other former players.
$30 million could easily be enough to never have to work again OR it could be gone very quickly. Just ask a lot of former lottery winners.
He washed up when the Reds traded him
How the heck did it happen so fast? Seemed to be a legit young catcher.
Injuries year after year.
Just sad, he had a very promising start, and then got derailed by the injury bug.
If I was a multi-millionaire in my early thirties Id probably prefer sitting at home to toiling away in AAA baseball, too.
Well he earned 29 mil already.
Maybe the Giants will take him. . . ???
Dom Brown of catching, highly touted but just 1 good year as a pro.
eh, at least he can blame injuries. Dom Brown was garbage even when healthy.
Before you retire, wait for a call form the GIANTS.
They would have to trade for him.
Release him Met’s gain nothing with this action. Other veteran players will think twice before signing with the team (ask Jason Werth).
yeah, ask the idiot who turned down a sure shot path to the majors to instead toil in AAA and retire
I wonder how toiling with 135 million in the bank goes
I could toil on that…
As someone who has lived in NYC from birth, I’ve been watching the Mets mishandle veterans since I started watching baseball in the early 90’s. It comes as absolutely no surprise that the Wilpons falsely advertised an opportunity that didn’t actually exist to get a guy to agree to a contract, then bone him at the end.
Bone him at the end or in the end?
Both.
… in the end at the end.
So just to be clear, you think the owners were involved in the pitch to a third catcher? That’s funny.
Sounds like someone has a bad agent.
I like Rene and it looks like we’re trading deGrom’s personal catcher for Thor’s, but I don’t think this was fair to Mes. They basically said they felt comfortable with Nido over Mes if d’Arnaud was out, then brought in another catcher to leapfrog over Nido.
Mes didn’t distinguish himself from Nido and Nido is already on the 40. then Rivera (currently an upgrade over Nido) became available and they signed him to a minors deal. who knows if Mes said yes he’d be willing to accept a AAA assignment when he signed the minor league deal and then reneged.
He must have been named in the Mueller Report.
There is no evidence of collusion between the Mets from office and his agent.
Interesting. Handshake agreements happen all the time – and while Mesoraco should have ensured an opt-out was included in his contract, the Mets front office may have just trodden on a bit of tradition here.
cry baby
Why? Because he realizes that at this point in his career, it’s not worth just clinging on as AAA depth, when he has already had tons of injuries, and has already made just under $30 million in his career?
He had major surgery on his left hip in 15 and his right hip in 16. Not good for any player much less a catcher.
maybe the handshake was that he wouldn’t refuse AAA assignment and he did so anyway
Farhan must finally be passed out from his weekend bender.
God, its so infuriating to read over and over “Well, he made $29 mill”
1. That’s before taxes
2. That’s before agent fees – so really, he might have 10 mill to live off from age 23-death.
3. Keep in mind he’s probably going to have problems walking in his future and might want to spend time with his family before that happens.
So yeah, he destroyed his body for probably $10M. Why is that bad or wrong or “stupid”?
I highly doubt the number would be that small. And even if it was, even just some moderately smart investing would make him and his family set for life.
But you are assuming sound financial knowledge from a jock that didn’t even get a bachelor’s degree. And financial advisors that DID get those degrees ain’t cheap.
10 million is not much too sneeze at either
Your math is astounding
Not that I’m condoning the actions of the Mets, but I’d destroy the hell out of my body for $10mm.
I get the feeling there was way more going on behind the scenes that hasn’t been reported. I was shocked when he got sent out to minor league camp given all that had been reported but I gotta think that he did something or said something that turned the Mets off to the idea of keeping him around
They’d cut him in that case not poison the farm system
He signed a minor league contract & Now Because he didn’t make the MLB TEAM. he wants to Welch on his deal and sign a minor league deal with another team ….. I don’t blame them if they put him on the restricted list.
We could do a pool in what month/year does Mesorocco decide he wants to try to make a comeback with his two new hips?
This is an awfully dirty move by the Mets.
These types of scenarios happen every year in MLB and teams are always happy to release veteran players on MiLB contracts when those veterans are not going to be on the 25 man. It’s always, always, ALWAYS the right thing to do.
Now the rest of players know there must be an opt out clause in their contract. No ifs ands or buts.
There’s got to be something missing here. These last few spots on rosters are key for veteran players to grab on to if they want to continue their careers. If he didn’t get protective language in his contract, then he should be looking at his agent. But if there was a handshake deal, but the Mets always really intended to assign him to AAA to be kept there as a depth piece, well, they have the power to do it, but I’m not sure it’s the wisest thing to do. I’ve been a lawyer for about 30 years, and I can tell you it’s the guy who breaks regularly accepted “unwritten” norms who makes it harder for the next one, because you can’t make the same mistake twice.
Beggars can’t be choosers. He probably agreed to the only/best deal his agent could secure.
The Mets traded Jay Bruce to the Indians in 2017 and then when they re-signed him said that he would play out his 3 year deal in NY. Then they traded him after one year.
deGrom was promised that he was the priority in signings this offseason and now he and other players on the team including Syndergaard are saying that the Mets are not acting in good faith and have not even made a formal extension offer to him.
This is just another in a line of bad faith acts by the Mets.
It is certainly in their power to do this to Mesoraco, but players take note of acts like this and you can be sure that it will come back to haunt the Mets when they are looking for FA and when they are looking to trade for guys that have NTCs.
As an attorney, you know better than most that you have to have trust in negotiations and the Mets current FO has proven they are not trustworthy.
I thought the Mets turned over a new leaf when they hired Van Wagenen. I guess I was mistaken.
Typical METS BS
Karma will bite the Mets this year. Bad faith acts like this and like what they did with Bruce in trading him after promising him he would finish his contract in NY when he re-signed will make it harder to sign FA going forward. Players don’t want to go play for organizations they can’t trust and obviously they can’t trust BVW and the Wilpons. Injuries are going to kill their season anyway and paying all that money to Cespedes who is out all year and Cano who is 36 is going to bite them in the behind.
Let’s assume your statement is correct and someone promised Bruce he would be in NY for the length of the contract, that was done under completely different management. The new GM came in with a plan, whether you agree with it or not is irrelevant, he wanted to make moves and and revamp the roster. That’s exactly what he did. Bruce is a professional getting paid millions regardless where he plays. Players are not going to shy away from signing with the Mets, their money is just as good as anyone else’s.
I mean he is older than Gronk, so what’s he waiting for?
Wilponzi
Free Devon. Let that catcher go
Crap move by the Mets. This is not how you treat a veteran player. Show some frickin’ class.
If they did they wouldn’t be the Mets.
Mutt, Jeff and Wagon Wheel need to do right by this guy. Especially after signing Rivera as depth
Hey dummy, no one wanted him and he refuses to go to the minors. He signed a contract he is now refusing to honor. The team honored the terms of the agreement. Besides the need to use your tired nicknames, what is the point of your comment?
According to Cots, he has over 6 years MLB service time (7.028). Can’t he just refuse the assignment?
He could if he was already on the 40-man roster, but he only signed a minor league contract.
I do not know if anyone else wanted him or not.
His agent should have had an opt out clause.
Guy banked on a job thinking that since he caught most of deGrom’s starts last year he was a shoe in
I’m a huge Mesoraco fan, but he should just get up to Syracuse and prove he is worth it. D’Arnaud is still not ready, and Mes is superior to Nido and Rivera,
The Mets signed him for depth and passed on other opportunities (Maldobado)
What fresh hell is that Syracuse facility? First Thor, now Mes…