Even though Wilson Ramos is only in the first season of a two-year, $19MM contract, the struggling Mets could attempt to trade him before the July 31 deadline. The problem is that teams aren’t exactly lining up to acquire Ramos, per the New York Post’s Mike Puma, who reports inquiries have been “scarce.”
The Ramos pickup is one of several splashy offseason moves that haven’t gone to New York’s liking during a campaign to forget. On the positive side, the offensively accomplished Ramos has continued to post respectable production with the bat. With a .267/.345/.396 line in 304 plate appearances, Ramos’ 99 wRC+ is 12 points higher than the average catcher’s. Still, it probably isn’t the type of output the Mets were envisioning they’d get from Ramos, whose wRC+ has dropped 32 points from the career-best 131 he recorded with the Rays and Phillies in 2018.
Although Ramos hasn’t been the legitimately great offensive catcher he was a year ago, his defensive decline is the bigger concern for the Mets. Going by Baseball Prospectus’ Fielding Runs Above Average metric, Ramos has been one of the worst behind-the-plate defenders in the majors this season. The 31-year-old has gotten negative reviews as a framer and a blocker, and to make matters worse, he has thrown out only 9 of 71 would-be base stealers. Ramos’ 13 percent caught-stealing rate is down 16 percent from his career mark.
Ramos’ defensive woes aren’t lost on the Mets’ best pitchers, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, who Puma notes have expressed that they’d rather pitch to light-hitting backup Tomas Nido. If Ramos isn’t going to catch either deGrom or Syndergaard, it clearly makes his contract and presence that much less desirable for New York. However, with seemingly no playoff contenders in the market for a pricey catcher having a disappointing season, the Mets may be stuck with Ramos until at least the winter.
I can drink all your beer and listen to FEAR anyone have interest in me?
How do you keep a catcher around that your two best starting pitchers do not want to pitch to? Gotta trade him and pick up most of the salary.
White Sox might take him, when McCann decides it’s wiser to take a hike after Reinsdorf low-balls him.
Not surprising…..
Wow. What a surprise. The Mets overpaid for a washed up veteran who isn’t performing well this season? That never happens. Especially not to the Mets and their genius front office.
Maybe you should rethink your post. His last 3 years averaged out…. slash line of .298/.343/.483 with an OPS+ of 119. Played in over 111 games in 2 of the 3 seasons (which for him is way over his career average). Rated as a plus defender. Yeah, washed up numbers.
Next you’ll tell us that you saw Cano coming in and hitting .240 with an OPS+ of 80 because he’s old this season, after posting the significantly higher numbers he did every single year prior to this.
There is blame to be put on the attitudes of both players and their performances. There were teams willing to pay Ramos last off-season.
Yes cano slipping was easy to see as he is older and off of PEDs
Except his PED suspension was the first half of last year and he had very good numbers the second half. So you must have a really good crystal ball to have determined that.
I said Cano was going to tank this year. Off PED’s at his age? No brainer.
Ramos has been a bad defender for years. Who thought he was going to improve?
It wasn’t that hard to see for a mid 30s guy to collapse as it happens all the time. The only era it didn’t happen often was the steroids era. So one would have to be pretty ignorant to not see this coming
Is this why they named it flushing because someone needs to pull the handle.
Guy hit over .300 last year, continued at an above average OPS+ in every single season prior to this. You wouldn’t call last year a mid-30s year? Or the year before, or before that? Guys don’t typically go hit .300 and then fall flat to .240 and drop 4 HR, 28 RBI, and 55 points on OPS+ in one season from the previous (similar amount of GP at this time to last season). Nobody could honestly say they saw this drop in production.
Ramos is 31
Let’s see Mr Bill, maybe there was a cumulative affect of PED’s in his system. So when you become an MD to refute me here go back to baseball number 101:
He was working out when he was suspended. So he come back in good shape. Then after the season he suspended that practice and came to camp fat and out of shape.
What did you think in your crystal ball when you were so ecstatic in the winter?
He’s too old to play 2B. He’s a lazy runner and too slow in many plays up the middle.
This contract is going to bury the Mets. There’s no place to hide him unless the Mets want to be really stupid and move him to 1B. You never know—look at your left fielder.
And Chip, that’s why the correct spelling of their stadium is
Chitifield
If Ramos rated as a plus defender than that is yet again proof of a failed analytic
He never was plus defender he was average at best but he was a plus bat
Hey Secs-they were just repeating past mistakes. Remember when they signed him, the Mets has another catcher who couldn’t catch on the roster (fairly expensive contract too)!
Agent GM thought both contracts were great. How was he to know that framing pitches and playing defense were important?
Haha. Yeah. You know the Mets motto: Why make one mistake when you can make 2? Why make 2 mistakes when you just destroy your entire franchise and then tell the New York Post you are the team to beat this year?
What a disaster Brodie has been
Bingo!
9 of 71 caught stealing? Ouch.
Mets should go for James McCann in the off season, then trade Ramos.
McCann is staying with the Sox for at least one more year. If they don’t sign him to a long term deal they will go through arbitration for the 2020 season.
That’s on the pitchers too. He’s been around for a while and this is way under his career avg
Texas should pick him up. Maybe DH a couple times a week
gotta think he makes some sense fora team with a lacking catching corps in the AL a la Texas. he’s still a pretty string hitter, and can be a solid pairing with a defensive-minded catcher. the ability to play him at DH should help for sure.
“Pretty string,” is that a softer version of a “frozen rope?”
You mean giving big money to an old catcher with an injury history is a bad thing? Who could have predicted that ?
No one ever changes catchers at the deadline. Best bet is waiting until December and offering him as basically a decent dude on a 1-year deal.
That’s simply not true. And it’s sunk cost fallacy to resign him. Move on.
He’s saying he’s under contract next year, and to offer him in trade as that
That is untrue as injuries have forced many teams to get catchers . Especially since catchers get hurt a lot as part of the job .
At the deadline? How many catchers just happen to get injured right on July 30th?
I’m not talking about all in-season acquisitions, just the ones actually at the deadline. When is the last time a team acquired an MLB catcher in the last week of July? My memory tells me Lucroy in 2015, but maybe I’m forgetting someone.
Usually teams get strong defensive catchers after the deadline as back up but you can’t do that anymore.
“no one ever changes catchers at the deadline”
Not true. Jonathan Lucroy was traded at the deadline in 2016 and 2017.
How is a team gonna offer him a one year deal when signed a two year contract in the offseason
reading comprehension is hard.
Why is this even a story
“Scarce” refers to something that is insufficient to meet the demand, so Mike Puma of the NY Post needs to take an English class or pick up a book every now and then. It’s pathetic that a sports “journalist” (and an editor, ostensibly) can get away with such stunningly poor diction.
The Mets are “demanding” interest in Ramos and there is “insufficient” interest to meet their demands. “Scarce” is fine here.
Wow, sign this Webster wannabe up mlbtr!
Ramos and LHP Szapucki to the Tigers for C John Hicks, RHP Zac Reininger
Tigers get a decent hitter and a left handed power pitcher that might work out down the road. Mets get salary relief, a usable catcher and a relief pitcher project.
Mets are too high on szapucki
The cubs really jumped the gun for Maldonado. they could have gotten wilson Ramos. For Montgomery and cash. Maldonado is horrible. If he’s known for defense then he’s not very well known he’s terrible behind the plate.
Ramos wouldn’t be happy being a back up which he would be with the cubs
Wilson Ramos D
Jed Lowrie F
Kelenic, Dunn, Bruce and Swarzak for Cano, Diaz. F
Famillia. F
Justin Wilson. C
J.D. Davis. B
Didn’t the Mets trade promising youth for veteran presence? Now they want to trade a 29 year old for youth. Clowns.