Why New York Mets Should Consider Trading for Willson Contreras

New York Mets’ catcher James McCann landed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday after straining his left oblique the day prior.

While he’s on the 10-day for now, oblique injuries are tricky and usually lead to a more lengthy stay on the shelf.

McCann, who missed nearly a month and a half after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured hamate bone in his hand in May, returned to play just over two weeks with the big club before enduring another injury.

Just like that, Tomás Nido, who has caught 52 games for the Mets this year, has been thrust back into an every day role.

Between McCann, Nido and Patrick Mazeika, (who was recalled Sunday to replace McCann), Mets catchers have been worth just 0.3 fWAR total this season. That’s the more generous total, with Baseball Reference clocking them in at -0.1 WAR. Regardless, the production hasn’t been there for a backstop that has worn blue and orange this year.

The Mets have several needs to address at the trade deadline in a few weeks. They realistically need to bolster their bullpen with an arm or two, they need a big bat and with Eduardo Escobar struggling at third base, might even have to explore a replacement down that avenue. With McCann hurt and the Mets rocking with a Nido/Mazeika tandem for the foreseeable future, they might have to explore upgrading there as well.

Now, there are a few options here for the Mets: they can A.) address the other needs mentioned, ignore the catcher position and hope McCann comes back sooner rather than later B.) they can call up top prospect Francisco Álvarez who has ripped through the minors this year, or C.) they can call the Chicago Cubs about Willson Contreras.

Let’s start with A.

This would obviously be the lesser option, for obvious reasons: Mets catchers have been, well, not particularly good this year at the plate. McCann returning likely won’t change that, but also there is currently no timeline for when and if he returns. So let’s go ahead and crumple up that piece of paper and throw it in the waste bin.

Moving on to plan B, this is the one I’m sure most fans are clamoring for, as Álvarez has become one of, if not the most, exciting player in the minor leagues, and is now knocking on the big league doorstep as he was recently promoted to Triple-A Syracuse.

While the idea of Álvarez coming up is enticing, he is still just 20-years-old and would be coming up to a team that, while good, has a lot of holes, injuries and is losing ground in the National League East, fast.

Should he come up and underperform, it might affect him in a negative way. There would also be a lot of unnecessary pressure for him to be the “savior” of this team, which is a tall task for anyone, let alone someone who can’t even legally buy or consume alcohol yet.

Six months ago, Álvarez playing in the majors seemed incomprehensible. Now, it’s become more of a possibility, but one that still shouldn’t come to fruition. Let him continue to develop for next year, or even later this season when the trade deadline dust has settled. But right now wouldn’t be the right or fair time to promote him.

That leaves us with option C: Willson Contreras.

Contreras, 30, has become an appealing option to the Mets as they’ve gotten little to no production from their own catchers, but more so because he’s with the struggling Cubs who will look to flip him at the trade deadline.

The seven-year veteran is enjoying a strong walk-year with Chicago, putting up a new career high 2.8 fWAR with half the season left to play. Next week, he will be a starter in Los Angeles for the 2022 All-Star Game as well.

Contreras would immediately provide a massive boost to the Mets lineup. In 72 games for the Cubbies, the Venezuela native has a triple slash of .270/.387/.490 with a .384 wOBA and 148 wRC+.

Defensively, Contreras’s frame rate ranks in just the 36th percentile according to Baseball Savant and lands in the middle of the pack at No. 48 of 103 qualified catchers by Baseball Prospectus for Fielding Runs Above Average (FRAA) and Catcher Defensive Adjustment (CDA) at -1.8 and -2.1, respectively.

The Mets and Cubs struck a deal at the trade deadline in a trade that saw New York acquire infielder Javier Báez and right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams in exchange for outfield prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong.

This year, it would make sense for the two teams to line up as trade partners again.

Last season, this trade came to fruition after Francisco Lindor suffered an oblique strain. By acquiring Báez, the Mets filled their hole at shortstop in the interim, before moving him to second base when Lindor returned from the IL. This year, McCann hits the IL with an oblique strain, so there could be a similar approach if the Mets decide to land Contreras. McCann, and Nido, are better options defensively, which would make room for Contreras to DH and serve as a middle of the order bat, while being more rested since he wouldn't be catching every day.

The concern, of course, is giving up prospect capital for a guy who may very well walk at the end of the season.

While the Mets’ farm system is improving, it’s not flooded with talent just yet. However, the Mets are seeking to return to the playoffs for the first time in six years, and have a very good chance of doing so with the new expanded playoff format.

If bringing in Contreras as a rental helps give them an edge, it’s something the team should consider. He will likely be one of the top names available and fits what the Mets need perfectly.

The Mets have also scouted potential trade deadline target David Robertson, a high-leverage relief pitcher, as Pat Ragazzo of Inside the Mets reported last week. So by sending a prospect or two to Chicago, the front office could essentially address two needs by killing two birds with one stone.

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Follow Rob Piersall on Twitter (@RTPiersall), be sure to bookmark Inside The Mets and check back daily for news, analysis and more.

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