Francisco Alvarez Could Be Another Potential Mets Trade Candidate Ahead of Deadline

The catcher position in baseball perfectly compares to the tight end position in football. Both positions serve a heavy importance, as it's a luxury to have top-tier talent manning them. For the Mets, Francisco Álvarez is their catcher of the present and future — unless teams can make an overwhelming offer for the 24-year-old.

On Sunday night, Will Sammon of The Athletic reported that many evaluators around the majors believe the Mets could receive major league-ready pitching or hitting help from a position of need if they were to part ways with Álvarez.

While the Mets likely have a strategy in place for the August 3 deadline, Álvarez serves as yet another potential name who could hit the market. However, the question remains: Would it make sense to part ways with the former top prospect?

The verdict on Francisco Álvarez

Álvarez burst onto the scene in 2023, the No. 3 overall prospect, praised for his elite pop and offensive production. That’s exactly what he provided in his rookie season, hitting 25 home runs and driving in 63 RBIs in 123 games. He became the ninth rookie catcher to hit 20 or more home runs, also falling one home run behind Johnny Bench for the most home runs hit in a season by a catcher in their age-21 season or younger.

However, since his impressive rookie season, Álvarez has yet to find consistent power at the major league level while facing constant injuries that have sidelined the Mets' starting catcher.

After missing time in 2025, the injury bug would follow him into a pivotal 2026 season, as he suffered a torn meniscus, which shelved the starting catcher for 6-8 weeks.

Fans were ready to move on from Alvarez, writing him off as a "bust" and calling for his trade and future replacement. While Luis Torrens served as a serviceable backup with elite defense, his bat most definitely isn't game-changing.

Despite being grouped into the same conversations with Brett Baty and Mark Vientos in terms of "prospect failures," Álvarez has served as an above-average bat, holding a .246 BA through 59 games with nine HRs and 19 RBIs, along with a .734 OPS.

Looking around the league, Álvarez has produced the 13th-most home runs among catchers with at least 190 plate appearances, the 16th-best batting average, the 14th-best OPS, and the 16th-best OBP. The numbers are in the middle of the pack for baseball, so why does Alvarez receive so much hate from the Mets' fanbase?

The main reason is that the 24-year-old was viewed as a generational prospect. He was the No. 3 prospect in baseball in 2023 behind Gunnar Henderson and Corbin Carroll. While he hasn’t been the elite catcher as promised, Álvarez has still been above average at the plate and has more than enough time to continue developing.

However, for a Mets team looking to retool its farm system, Álvarez could be the best name at the catcher position for contenders in August.

Could the Mets seriously consider trading Álvarez?

Many teams will be calling around the league for catching help at the deadline. One team in particular will likely be the Yankees, who remain tied down by the underperformance of Austin Wells, who holds a .151 BA with four home runs and 10 RBIs.

Originally, they were interested in Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers, who is the best option on the market. But the 29-year-old has been sidelined since mid-May with a hamate bone fracture and hopes to return before the deadline.

The #Yankees “are making it no secret” that they’re interested in acquiring #MNTwins C Ryan Jeffers ahead of the trade deadline, per @BNightengale pic.twitter.com/CMa845DIf4
— MLB Deadline News (@MLBDeadlineNews) June 21, 2026

However, the Yankees won’t be the only team looking for catcher help. Álvarez is a game-changing upgrade for contenders, serving as a better option at the position for 6 of the 13 playoff teams currently holding spots. For the Mets, moving Álvarez shouldn’t be a surefire option; instead, they should be heavily reluctant to move their young star.

Álvarez is under team control until 2030, making him a free agent after he turns 29, giving the Mets a starting catcher for the next several seasons.

As mentioned before, finding a game-changing catcher is rare and a luxury, meaning the Mets shouldn’t part ways with Álvarez unless they’re receiving a blockbuster-like haul in return. This should include several high-end prospects or young major-league-level players in return, ones that will make a direct impact in Queens right away.

Torrens has also been discussed as a potential trade option, but even then, the Mets should hold off. Torrens currently serves as the Mets' backup but is one of the best defensive catchers in baseball — ranking fourth in baseball with a +7 fielding run value.

Álvarez sits in 28th with a -2 value, giving the Mets a high-end defensive option. He could even serve as a DH option. The Mets committed to Torrens as their backup, signing a two-year $11.5 million extension in April to remain with the organization.

Defensive Runs Saved Leaders - Catcher pic.twitter.com/Vnqaf4iCxk
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) July 3, 2026

For the Mets, many major league players will be moved, but Álvarez and Torrens should be off limits, locking down the catcher position for the next few seasons.

Add us as a preferred source on Google