Mets Sign Veteran Catcher to Contract Extension

The New York Mets took care of business with one of their pending free agents early on Saturday. The Athletic's Will Sammon was the first to report that the Mets have inked backup catcher Luis Torrens to a two-year contract extension.

Catcher Luis Torrens and the New York Mets are in agreement on a two-year extension, league source tells The Athletic. He is set to make $11.5 million for 2027 and 2028.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) May 2, 2026

Torrens, who turned 30 on Saturday, was set to become a free agent after the season. Sammon reported that his new contract is worth $11.5 million, which will give him a nice raise to roughly $5.75 million per season through 2028. The deal includes $2 million in incentives, $1 million in each year.

"And Luis pokes one the other way... BASE HIT!"

Gary and @Todd_Zeile on the call for Luis Torrens' go-ahead two-run single in the 8th inning of today's Mets win! 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/De1DlXHYhm
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2026

Offense will never be Torrens' strong suit as he is hitting .200 with four RBI and a .467 OPS in 30 at-bats this season. The Mets value Torrens for his defense, which has been on display throughout the year as he has mowed down potential base stealers at a 57.1 percent clip while making plenty of strong plays in the field.

An athletic double play turned by Nolan McLean and Luis Torrens limits the damage pic.twitter.com/vE6S8yi5qP
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 26, 2026

Could The Mets Use Torrens More Going Forward?

New York Mets, Luis Torrens — Apr 12, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets catcher Luis Torrens (13) hits a single in the sixth inning against the Athletics at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The salary bump for Torrens is interesting since it puts him in line with the salaries for some starting catchers in the league. The Mets have had Francisco Alvarez as their starter behind the plate since he came up in 2023 (when healthy) but he appears to have regressed as a defender this season.

Torrens has already generated 0.4 Defensive Wins Above Replacement for the Mets in 2026. Alvarez, on the other hand, has generated -0.3 DWAR and has caught only one potential base stealer in ten attempts.

Catcher ERA has also been unkind to Alvarez, who has seen pitchers work to a 4.78 ERA when he is behind the plate this season. Torrens, albeit in a smaller sample size, has helped his pitchers to a 2.17 ERA.

There was a thought when the Mets were carrying three catchers in mid-April that it might make sense for the Mets to use Alvarez as a DH while catching Torrens more often. Alvarez's value is in his bat as he has been one of the team's most productive hitters this season while Torrens fits more with the team's emphasis on run prevention, especially up the middle.

The risk of using one of your catchers as a DH is that you lose the DH slot if he needs to replace the starter behind the plate. Carrying a third catcher would mitigate that risk, and if the Mets want to go that direction its hard to argue that having Hayden Senger around as an emergency catcher is more valuable than recent waiver claim Andy Ibanez.

The fly in that ointment, however, would appear to be Juan Soto's slow return to regular defensive duty. Soto got back into left field last night for the first time in a week after dealing with a forearm issue and manager Carlos Mendoza has indicated that they will give him regular DH work to maintain his health.

If things progress to the point that Soto can start in left field regularly, it could help the Mets to try DHing Alvarez more frequently to get Torrens' defense into the game. The Mets clearly value Torrens by ensuring he didn't make it to free agency, so we will see if they start utilizing him more this season.

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