Mets Rumors: Travis D’Arnaud To Be Starting Catcher
New York Mets Rumors: The Mets will reportedly give incumbent starter Travis D’Arnaud every chance to succeed in 2017 despite his career struggles.
New York Mets rumors are picking up as the MLB Hot Stove really begins to heat up. The Mets made a surprise run to the World Series in 2015, but took a step back in 2016 as they were crushed by injuries. They still managed to host the Wild Card game, but were shut down by Madison Bumgarner.
The Mets will look to reload and get healthy to make another run in 2017. Their hopes hinge greatly on the free agent pursuit of free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. The team is much better when he is on the field compared to off, so you can be sure the Mets will remain in the race for Cespedes right up until he puts his signature on a contract.
But, there are other areas of concern for the Mets this offseason. One of those spots is at catcher. The Mets have relied on Travis D’Arnaud as their starting catcher since 2014. D’Arnaud was a top prospect and a part of two major trades in his career. He was traded from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Roy Halladay trade, and then acquired by the Mets along with Noah Syndergaard from the Toronto Blue Jays in the R.A. Dickey trade.
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But, D’Arnaud has fallen woefully short of expectations. He is unable to stay healthy, and even when he does he hasn’t provided the type of production the Mets had hoped for. He owns a career slash line of .245/.311/.393 with 30 home runs and 112 RBI in 281 games and 974 at-bats.
The Mets were hoping that he would be a difference maker at the plate at a position many teams sacrifice offense for defense. Unfortunately, the Mets were getting little of each. D’Arnaud has improved in recent seasons, but he is not a highly regarded defensive catcher.
As a result, the Mets have looked at ways to upgrade the position. They dangled D’Arnaud in trade discussions for Jonathan Lucroy last offseason but nothing materialized as Lucroy was traded to the Texas Rangers.
That was a sign to many people that the Mets would look to upgrade the position this offseason. But, that does not look to be the case. According to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, the Mets are intent on giving D’Arnaud every chance to be their starting catcher in 2017. The Mets have gone as far to tell representatives of free agents that they are going to give D’Arnaud every opportunity to succeed next season as the starter.
Ackert does say that the Mets could look for a more reliable backup option for D’Arnaud. Kevin Plawecki has shown time and time again that he cannot hit consistently enough at the major league level, and Rene Rivera has also struggled at times at the plate.
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Bringing in an upgrade would put more pressure on D’Arnaud. Despite his struggles, he is by far the best offensive option the Mets currently have behind the plate. It wouldn’t hurt the Mets to upgrade the catching position, as they cannot count on D’Arnaud being there for a whole season.