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Tomas Nido

Mets Select Michael Pérez

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The Mets announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Michael Pérez. He will take the roster spot of fellow backstop Tomás Nido who has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 7, due to dry eye syndrome. Right-hander Elieser Hernández was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot for Pérez. Tim Healey of Newsday previously reported that Pérez was with the club in Cincinnati while Mike Puma of the New York Post first reported on Nido’s IL placement.

The Mets will now be without both of their Opening Day catchers, as Omar Narváez landed on the IL after just five games due to a significant calf strain and Nido now joins him on the shelf. The injury to Narváez opened playing time for prospect Francisco Álvarez but now Nido’s absence will require the club to reach into its depth yet again.

Pérez, 30, was acquired from the Pirates in a trade last July but was outrighted by the club in October. He became a free agent in the winter but rejoined the Mets on a minor league deal and has been playing in Triple-A so far this year. In 19 games for Syracuse, he’s hit just .153/.261/.254, but with encouraging peripherals. He’s walked at a strong 13% clip and struck out in just 17.4% of his plate appearances, with that paltry batting line being weighed down by a .152 batting average on balls in play.

He’s seen part-time action in the big leagues in each of the five previous seasons, suiting up for the Rays, Pirates and Mets. He owns a career batting line of .174/.244/.301 over 591 plate appearances in the big leagues. On the defensive side of things, his framing is considered subpar but he’s been worth four Defensive Runs Saved in his career and grades out well on Statcast’s new caught stealing above average metric. He’ll figures to serve as the backup to Álvarez at least until one of Narváez or Nido get back. He still has an option year remaining and could potentially be sent back to Syracuse easily when that time comes.

As for Nido, he’s out to a terrible start this year, hitting just .118/.148/.118. Perhaps this vision issue provides some explanation for why he’s so far off his career line of .213/.250/.309. It doesn’t seem to be especially serious, as manager Buck Showalter expects him to be fine in three or four days, per Healey.

As for Hernández, he’s been on the injured list all year so far due to a right shoulder strain. He doesn’t seem especially close to a return, given that he hasn’t even begun a rehab assignment. The 60-day count begins from his initial IL placement, meaning he’ll be eligible to return in a few weeks if he’s healthy.

Mets, Tomas Nido Agree To Two-Year Deal

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The Mets have agreed to a two-year, $3.7MM contract with catcher Tomas Nido, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). The contract buys out his final two seasons of arbitration eligibility and will pay the ACES client $1.6MM in 2023 and $2.1MM in 2024.

Nido had been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $1.6MM in 2023. He’d originally reached a one-year agreement worth $1.575MM, but he’ll instead get a bump for the upcoming season and lock in his final two years of club control at fixed price points. The deal grants the Mets a bit of additional cost certainty beyond the current season and ensures that they’ll retain control over a strong defensive backup at an affordable rate.

The 28-year-old Nido has posted a .236/.275/.338 batting line in exactly 500 Major League plate appearances over the past three seasons. It’s tepid offense at best, and while he’s been slightly below-average in terms of preventing stolen bases (22% caught-stealing rate), Nido has thrived in other defensive aspects of the game. He’s drawn standout framing marks from each of Statcast, FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus, the latter of which also grades him as well above-average in terms of blocking pitches in the dirt. Nido has tallied just 1132 innings hind the plate since Opening Day 2021 but nonetheless racked up a whopping 18 Defensive Runs Saved.

Nido, at one point, was one of four catchers on the Mets’ roster before they lined up with the Orioles on a trade sending James McCann to Baltimore. He’s now likely to open the season behind Omar Narvaez, but the Mets will have top prospect Francisco Alvarez looming in the minors as an heir-apparent who could quickly reach the Majors in the event of an injury to Narvaez. Alvarez, 21, reached the Majors briefly in 2022 and went 2-for-12 with a home run and a double.

There’s been some speculation about him potentially serving as a DH option for the Mets early in the year, but as SNY’s Andy Martino wrote this morning in the wake of the Mets’ one-year deal with Tommy Pham, Alvarez won’t be a DH at the Major League level. He’s instead expected to get everyday reps behind the plate in Triple-A Syracuse. Narvaez is playing under a two-year, $15MM contract, but the second season of that deal is a player option valued at $7MM. If he has even a decent season with the Mets, he’ll likely decline that option and return to the market, setting the stage for Alvarez and Nido to take over as the primary catching tandem.

Nido’s deal is a low-cost move for the Mets, but it still slightly elevates their luxury-tax bill on the season. Had Nido remained on the $1.575MM deal to which he’d previously agreed, the Mets would’ve only owed him that salary and paid a 90% tax on that sum (a combined $2.9925MM expenditure). Instead, Nido’s luxury hit will be based on the $1.85MM average annual value of his new contract. The new contract will tack on an additional $272,500 to the team’s luxury bill. Nido will be a free agent following the 2024 season.

Mets Sign Omar Narvaez

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December 22: The Mets have officially announced the deal.

December 15: The Mets have dipped into free agency yet again, agreeing to terms with backstop Omar Narváez. It’s reportedly a two-year, $15MM guarantee that allows him to opt out at the end of next season. Narváez, a client of ISE Baseball, will make $8MM in 2023, leaving him to decide on a $7MM option for the following season.

Narváez, who turns 31 in February, heads to Queens after three seasons in Milwaukee. The Brewers acquired the lefty-hitting backstop from the Mariners during the 2019-20 offseason. Narváez had developed a reputation as a bat-first catcher in the Pacific Northwest. He’d hit .278/.353/.460 during his lone season with Seattle. That’s excellent production for a catcher, but his pitch framing metrics were well below-average.

The Brewers landed the #1 catcher they’d been seeking in that deal, although they likely didn’t foresee the scope of his production changing the way it did. Narváez seemed to make a concerted effort to improving his pitch framing numbers. He posted strong marks in that regard in all three seasons in Wisconsin, with Statcast cumulatively crediting him as 21 runs above average over the three-year stretch. That defensive uptick coincided with a drop in production at the plate, though, as he hasn’t managed to repeat his early-career offensive numbers.

Over his time as a Brewer, Narváez hit .233/.318/.350. He was average or worse in each season, including a lackluster .206/.292/.305 mark in 296 plate appearances during his platform year. The Venezuela native had a pair of injured list stints this year, missing time with COVID-19 and then a left hamstring strain. Even when healthy, Milwaukee deployed a more even split in playing time with Víctor Caratini, who marginally outperformed Narváez at the plate.

Narváez has solid contact skills, but a 22-homer season of 2019 now looks like the product of the very lively ball used that season. He’s only topped 10 homers in another year once, hitting 11 in Milwaukee’s hitter-friendly home environment in 2021. While he rarely hits the ball hard, he’s worked walks at a strong clip in each season of his career and strikes out less often than the average batter (aside from an anomalous spike in the abbreviated 2020 campaign).

It’s a bit surprising to see Narváez secure a $15MM commitment, particularly one that affords him a chance to retest the market a year from now. With Willson Contreras and Christian Vázquez off the board, he was the top remaining free agent backstop. Narváez has showed glimpses of offensive and defensive potential, although he’s never quite put the two together over a full season.

New York has been incredibly aggressive this winter, but they’d sat out the catching market. The Mets could’ve rolled things back with veteran James McCann as the starter, particularly since they have the glove-first Tomás Nido as a depth option and top prospect Francisco Álvarez in the wings. McCann has only a .220/.282/.328 line in 603 plate appearances since signing a four-year free agent deal over the 2020-21 offseason. Nido has never hit enough to be a regular, and the 21-year-old Álvarez still faces questions about his ability to handle the rigors of the position. The presence of Narváez doesn’t figure to stand in Álvarez’s way once the organization deems the youngster ready for a full look, though it’ll afford them some extra veteran security if he needs more time to hone his receiving and game-calling skills.

The Mets would presumably be happy to find a trade partner for McCann. With $24MM still due over the final two years of his contract, the Mets would surely have to pay down some of the money to offload the veteran backstop. They could keep the righty-hitting McCann to partner with Nárvaez in a loose platoon arrangement. Doing so might require parting with Nido, however, since he’s out of minor league option years. All three backstops would have to stay on the MLB roster or be cut loose, and that’s before considering the possibility of an Álvarez promotion. At some point next year, one of McCann or Nido seems likely to have changed uniforms.

Tacking on another $8MM brings the Mets projected 2023 payroll north of $343MM, per Roster Resource. The deal counts for $7.5MM against the luxury tax, since the player option is treated as guaranteed money when calculating its average annual value.

New York has already shattered the fourth and final tier of CBT penalization, subjecting them to a 90% tax on every additional dollar spent. The Narváez deal will cost them an extra $6.75MM in taxes, meaning the Mets are committing $14.75MM to secure his services for next year alone (in addition to the 2024 option). That’s likely a far higher price than any other club would’ve paid, but it’s the latest example owner Steve Cohen is unconcerned about spending when the front office presents him an opportunity to improve the roster.

Robert Murray of FanSided was first to report Narváez and the Mets were nearing agreement on a contract. Joel Sherman of the New York Post  first reported it was a two-year guarantee with an opt-out after 2023. Jon Heyman of the New York Post was first to report the $15MM guarantee and financial breakdown.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Mets Designate Rob Zastryzny, Nate Fisher; Select Connor Grey

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The Mets have announced a series of roster moves, including selecting the contract of right-hander Connor Grey. Additionally, catcher Tomas Nido has been cleared to return from the COVID-19 IL, retaking his place on the roster. To make room on the active roster, left-hander Nate Fisher has been designated for assignment and right-hander Jose Butto has been optioned down to Triple-A Syracuse. Left-hander Rob Zastryzny was designated for assignment to open up another spot on the 40-man.

Grey, 28, was selected by the Diamondbacks in the 20th round of the 2016 draft. He got as high as Triple-A in Arizona’s system but was released in May of 2020. After reaching free agency, he signed a minor league deal with the Mets. This year, he’s made 12 appearances for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets, 11 of those being starts. In 93 innings, he has a 5.52 ERA, 17.9% strikeout rate, 9.5% walk rate and 49.3% ground ball rate.

Fisher, 26, was just selected to the club’s roster yesterday with the feel-good story of having been out of baseball and working at a bank just over a year ago. He threw three shutout innings for the Mets, helping them secure a 10-9 victory in a seesaw battle. Unfortunately, he will have to relinquish his roster spot after that Cinderella story. He’s logged 72 innings in the minors this year between Double-A and Triple-A, registering a 3.37 ERA with a 23.2% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate.

It’s a somewhat similar trajectory for Zastryzny, 30, who was just selected to the Mets’ roster two days ago. He pitched one inning for the club on Saturday before being optioned yesterday and designated today. He’s thrown 47 1/3 innings for Syracuse this season with a 3.61 ERA, 28.4% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate.

With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, the Mets will have no choice but to put Fisher and Zastryzny on waivers, either the outright variety or the release variety. Zastryzny has been previously outrighted in his career, meaning he would have the ability to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency if he clears waivers. Fisher, on the other hand, would not have that right.

Tim Healey of Newsday first relayed that Grey had a locker in the Mets clubhouse. Mike Puma of the New York Post tweeted the news of Butto’s optioning and Fisher’s DFA (Twitter links).

Mets Select Deven Marrero

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The Mets announced they’ve selected infielder Deven Marrero onto the major league roster. He replaces Luis Guillorme, who has landed on the 10-day injured list with a left groin strain (as reported earlier). New York also recalled catcher Michael Pérez from Triple-A Syracuse, placing fellow backstop Tomás Nido on the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move. Nido doesn’t count against the team’s 40-man roster while on the virus list, so no additional move was necessary to accommodate Marrero’s promotion.

Marrero, 32 next week, is headed to the big leagues for the second straight year. He appeared in 10 games with the division-rival Marlins last season, frequently bouncing on and off the roster depending on Miami’s need for additional infield insurance. He didn’t reach the majors in the shortened 2020 campaign, but he’d also gotten to the big leagues each year from 2015-19.

A former first-round draftee of the Red Sox, Marrero has settled in as a journeyman utility type. He’s never made much of an offensive impact, compiling a career .194/.250/.284 line with six home runs over 367 career big league plate appearances. Marrero owns a .230/.292/.335 line in parts of eight seasons at the Triple-A level, including a .236/.325/.358 showing in 32 games with Syracuse since signing a minor league contract with the Mets last month.

Marrero has the ability to cover anywhere on the infield, with the vast majority of his professional innings coming at shortstop. He can play second and third base as needed, and that defensive flexibility is of value to a New York team dealing with a couple injuries on the infield. None is more notable than the groin strain that’s likely to cost Guillorme more than a month of action, but New York also saw Eduardo Escobar sit out two games over the weekend due to some soreness in his left side. Escobar is in tonight’s staring lineup at third base and shouldn’t require an injured list stint, but Marrero adds some additional cover if manager Buck Showalter wants to mix in a few more rest days for the veteran Escobar.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com first reported Marrero was being promoted.

Mets Place Luis Guillorme On Injured List

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The Mets are placing infielder Luis Guillorme on the 10-day injured list due to a groin strain, the team announced. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reported the diagnosis and the potential 3-4 week recovery period that Guillorme will need shortly before the team made it official (Twitter link). Once Guillorme recovers from the injury, he’ll need some time to build back up and go out on a rehab assignment, so he could be on the shelf as long as six weeks, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets.

There’d already been some speculation about top prospect Brett Baty joining the Mets to make his big league debut in place of Guillorme, but manager Buck Showalter quashed those rumors in meeting with reporters today. Neither Baty nor Mark Vientos are viewed as options to take Guillorme’s spot on the roster at this time, DiComo tweets.

The loss of Guillorme is tough for the Mets, whose infield mix has thinned out a bit recently. Eduardo Escobar isn’t on the injured list but has been battling oblique discomfort. He’s in the lineup tonight, but the veteran switch-hitter is limited to batting left-handed for the time being. J.D. Davis, meanwhile, was traded to the Giants prior to the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

Guillorme has been solid on both sides of the ball in 2022, batting .283/.355/.357 while taking a career-high 289 plate appearances. He’s offered next to no power but has also shown strong bat-to-ball and plate discipline skills, evidenced by a career-low 13.5% strikeout rate and a sharp 10% walk rate.

It’s not yet clear how the Mets will handle filling Guillorme’s spot on the roster, though Showalter indicated that someone is on the way to take that spot, specifically mentioning a need to add a player who can cover some middle infield work as needed, as well. (Guillorme is the team’s lone backup to shortstop Francisco Lindor.) Speculatively, the Mets have both JT Riddle and Deven Marrero as veteran options in Triple-A Syracuse, though there’s been no indication from the team that either is being selected to the MLB roster.

Guillorme isn’t the only player the Mets will be without for the time being, either. Showalter indicated that catcher Tomas Nido is away from the club due to illness, which has prompted the Mets to recall catcher Michael Perez from Triple-A. Perez, acquired from the Pirates in late July, will make his team debut if he gets into a game while Nido is unavailable.

The Mets Have A Decision To Make Behind The Plate

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The Mets entered the 2020-21 offseason in need of an answer behind the plate. After two seasons as the primary backstop in Queens, Wilson Ramos hit the open market. Entering his age-33 season with defensive question marks, Ramos didn’t profile as a long-term solution anyhow.

There was plenty of speculation heading into the winter about the possibility of New York making a run at J.T. Realmuto. The two-time Silver Slugger Award winner lingered longer in free agency than the Mets appeared to want to wait, though. Instead, they pivoted to free agency’s second-best backstop. In December 2020, they inked James McCann to a four-year, $40.6MM deal.

It was an eyebrow-raising investment. Heading into the offseason, MLBTR projected McCann for a two-year, $20MM guarantee. The Mets offered more than double that amount, betting that he’d broken out later in his career after signing with the White Sox before the 2019 campaign. Over two seasons in Chicago, McCann had hit .276/.334/.474 (114 wRC+). During the 2020 shortened season, his pitch framing — which had been below-average throughout his career — was graded positively as well.

The Mets clearly felt McCann had turned a corner, believing he’d developed into at least a capable #1 catcher. Unfortunately for the organization, his production dropped substantially during his first season in Flushing. The University of Arkansas product hit .232/.294/.349 (80 wRC+) with ten home runs across 412 plate appearances, less productive than the .229/.305/.391 mark (89 wRC+) compiled by backstops leaguewide. Statcast pegged him as a below-average framer, albeit only slightly. McCann’s 27% caught stealing rate was solid, but he didn’t match his 2019-20 production either at the plate or in the eyes of the public defensive metrics.

McCann’s 2021 dip could leave the Mets with an interesting decision. There are certainly reasons New York could opt to stick with him as the primary backstop. He’s due another $32.45MM through 2024, for starters. One could argue that investment has already been made and the Mets shouldn’t let it impact their decision whether to stick with McCann going forward, but they wouldn’t be the first team to give a longer leash to a veteran playing on a fairly notable contract. Even independent of finances, New York might simply believe McCann’s primed to bounce back. The Mets valued him enough last winter to sign him for a deal above expectations. He’s generally highly-regarded as a leader and for his ability to work with pitching staffs. That’s not an easily quantifiable trait, but it’s one organizations no doubt value immensely.

Yet there are also reasons to think the Mets may not be so patient. They’ve been one of baseball’s most aggressive teams this winter, signing Max Scherzer, Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha. It’s an absolute win-now situation, and owner Steve Cohen hasn’t shown many qualms about spending. The Mets already have a projected player payroll in the $263MM range (via Jason Martinez of Roster Resource), and they’re reportedly willing to push near the $300MM mark if the situation presents itself. New general manager Billy Eppler wasn’t part of the organization when McCann was signed. Nor was manager Buck Showalter (although team president Sandy Alderson is still around). It’s possible Eppler and Showalter aren’t especially bullish on the 31-year-old backstop’s chances of a rebound year.

Bolstering the starting rotation is likely to be the priority for the Mets coming out of the lockout, but making a move at catcher wouldn’t seem all that far-fetched. It presently appears to be the weakest position player group on the depth chart. The Mets are hellbent on winning in 2022 after missing the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. The other options on the 40-man roster — Tomás Nido and Patrick Mazeika — would probably be miscast as regulars. If Mets brass isn’t confident in McCann regaining his 2019-20 form, they could look into alternatives.

There’s probably no one available in free agency who’d be better than McCann. There could be an opportunity to explore a deal that brings in a new backstop via trade. Willson Contreras, for instance, is one of the likeliest players around the league to be moved before the start of the season. He’s only controllable through next season, but that kind of short-term add might be preferable for the Mets anyhow. Baseball America recently ranked catching prospect Francisco Álvarez the top talent in the New York farm system, among the top 15 farmhands in the sport. The Mets presumably view Álvarez as the catcher of the future, but he’s yet to reach Double-A and just turned 20 years old, so expecting him to make a big league impact this year would be optimistic.

Contreras, to be clear, is only a speculative possibility. There’s no indication the Mets and Cubs have discussed a deal. Yet a trade for a catcher could be a way for the Mets to make another bold strike after the transactions freeze, a chance to upgrade perhaps their weakest position on the diamond. Whether they explore trade scenarios seems likely to come down to how the organization feels about McCann after an underwhelming first season in Queens.

Mets Activate Brandon Nimmo, Place David Peterson On Injured List

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The Mets announced a host of roster moves this afternoon. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo is back from the injured list, as are reliever Jeurys Familia and catcher Tomás Nido. Righty Marcus Stroman has been activated from the bereavement list. To clear four active roster spots, New York placed lefty David Peterson on the 10-day IL, retroactive to July 1, and optioned infielder Travis Blankenhorn, catcher Patrick Mazeika and southpaw Thomas Szapucki to Triple-A Syracuse.

Nimmo’s reinstatement is the most welcome of today’s developments for the Mets. The center fielder went on the IL on May 5 with a left index finger injury. It was initially termed a contusion, but further evaluation first suggested it was a nerve problem and eventually revealed a small ligament tear. Ultimately, the bothersome issue kept Nimmo out for nearly two full months.

The Mets are surely thrilled to have the 28-year-old back. Nimmo got off to a stellar .318/.430/.439 start through 80 plate appearances this season, a continuation of the fantastic production he’s put up over the past few years. He joins Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto as recent returnees from the IL for New York, who leads the National League East by two games.

Peterson’s IL placement isn’t wholly unexpected. He’s been dealing with discomfort in his right side in recent days and was already expected to miss his next start. With the All-Star Break just ten days away, it makes sense for New York to at least shut him down through then. It’s been a bit of a confounding season for Peterson, whose ERA has jumped from 3.44 to 5.54 since 2020 despite improvements in his strikeout and walk rates (from 19.5% to 24% and 11.7% to 10.1%, respectively).

Mets Activate Michael Conforto, Select Corey Oswalt

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The Mets announced a series of roster moves before this evening’s game against the Braves. As expected, outfielder Michael Conforto has been activated from the injured list. He is in tonight’s lineup, hitting third while playing right field. Right-handers Tylor Megill (previously reported) and Corey Oswalt have been officially selected to the roster. (Andy Martino of SNY reported that Oswalt would be promoted before the official announcement).

Righties Yennsy Díaz and Sean Reid-Foley were optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, while catcher Tomás Nido has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 22, due to a right wrist contusion. To clear 40-man roster space for Megill and Oswalt, pitchers Joey Lucchesi and Robert Gsellman were transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.

Conforto has been out since May 17 with a hamstring strain. He’ll return to the lineup for the first time in more than a month, looking to improve upon his early-season output. Conforto, who hit .261/.365/.478 between 2018-20, started this season a bit slowly by his standards. Across 135 plate appearances, the left-handed hitter managed a .230/.356/.336 line that’s been only slightly better than league average, a drop-off from his high-end production in prior years. The next few months will be pivotal for Conforto, who is scheduled to reach free agency at the end of the season.

Oswalt becomes the latest addition to a pitching staff that has been hit hard by injuries. The 27-year-old appeared for the Mets in each season from 2018-20, working to a composite 6.19 ERA/4.83 SIERA across 84 1/3 innings. He served as something of a flexible swing option, starting 13 of his 23 MLB appearances.

New York passed Oswalt through outright waivers in February, and he’s spent the 2021 season with Syracuse. He’s made six appearances, none of which has eclipsed 3 1/3 innings, working mostly as a multi-inning reliever. Given that he hasn’t really been stretched out this year, Oswalt seems more likely to serve as long relief depth than as a true starter, although it’s possible he could work as an opener or tandem starter of some sort. Megill, on the other hand, has worked as a more traditional starter in the minors and is ticketed to start tonight’s game against Atlanta.

Gsellman went on the IL with a lat strain earlier this week, and he never seemed especially likely to return anytime soon. General manager Zack Scott told reporters (including Tim Britton of the Athletic) that Gsellman won’t even begin a throwing program for at least six weeks. That likely ruled him out until late August at the earliest, so there’s little reason for the Mets not to transfer the righty to the 60-day IL with the need for 40-man roster space. Lucchesi, meanwhile, will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow and miss the rest of the year (and most or all of 2022).

Nido has tallied 91 plate appearances this season, hitting at a passable .238/.297/.393 clip. A recent MRI on his injured wrist didn’t reveal any structural damage, manager Luis Rojas told reporters (including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com) this afternoon. Nevertheless, it seems he’ll need a few days to recuperate. Patrick Mazeika is on hand to back up starter James McCann in the interim.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Doolittle, Mets, Nido, Betances

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Sean Doolittle is entering a winter with more contractual uncertainty than he’s ever faced in his career. Unlike most ballplayers who’ve been in the majors as long as he has, he’s never been a free agent before, and because of an early extension he signed with the A’s, he never even went through arbitration. Still, the 33-year-old southpaw is primarily focused on returning to Washington, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. Doolittle and his wife are entrenched in the D.C. community, and she wants to stay in Washington. Of course, Doolittle knows nothing is guaranteed in free agency, especially coming off the season he just had. Inconsistency and injury kept Doolittle from ever really looking like the guy that has been the rock of the Nats’ bullpen for years. He finished the season with a 5.87 ERA over just 11 contests, but a strong final few outings provided some hope that this season might be a blip on Doolittle’s return to health – and dominance. As a two-pitch pitcher without elite velocity, there’s not a lot of room for error in Doolittle’s arsenal. But when he’s on, he’s a guy a team can lean on in a postseason run. The Nationals know that. Whether or not GM Mike Rizzo is able to re-sign Doolittle will probably come down to price point. Everything else points to Doolittle staying in the city that’s become his home over the last 3 1/2 seasons.

  • Tomas Nido confirmed that complications from COVID-19 ended his season, tweets Newsday’s Tim Healey. Said Nido via instagram: “Unfortunately, my season was cut short after getting Covid and other related complications while trying to come back. Time to turn the page and prepare for a strong 2021.” Nido appeared in just 7 games for the Mets this season, his fourth straight of seeing time in the bigs. For his career, the 26-year-old backstop holds a .197/.234/.319 triple slash across 270 plate appearances. Veterans Wilson Ramos and Robinson Chirinos handled most of the catching responsibilities for the Mets this season, but both could be free agents. The Mets hold $10MM team option for the 33-year-old Ramos and $6.25MM team option for the 36-year-old Chirinos. Ramos has a $1.25M buyout, while Chirinos’ buyout is for $1MM. Nido remains under team control – and he’s out of options – so he’ll either need to be a part of the catching picture for the Mets in 2021 or risk exposure to waivers.
  • Dellin Betances holds a $6MM player option for 2021 to remain with the Mets, and it’s unclear what direction he’s leaning as of now, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (via Twitter). As DiComo notes, the option comes with a $3MM buyout, so Betances’ decision really comes down to a $3MM question. Even after a season in which he made just 14 appearances for a 5.56 ERA/4.34 FIP across 11 1/3 innings with 7.9 K/9 to 7.1 BB/9, it’s reasonable to expect someone to bid that much for a reliever with high-end upside like Betances. Still, it’s now been two seasons since Betances was a dominant arm out of the pen, and as a New York native who’s spent his entire major-league career in New York, he may look for a way to remain with the Mets. Betances averaged 93.4 mph on his four-seamer this season, a far cry from his days as a 96-97 mph high-leverage arm with the Yankees.

 

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