Mets catcher Rene Rivera claimed off waivers by Chicago Cubs

Another Mets veteran is heading to a contender, except this time it was a straight up waiver claim.

The Chicago Cubs will take Rene Rivera from the Mets after they claimed the backup catcher off waivers on Saturday morning.

There were rumors on Friday night that Rivera could get moved in a package deal with Curtis Granderson, but by midnight, Grandy had been traded to the Dodgers, while the backstop remained on the roster.

Rivera has only been around for the last two seasons, but he quickly became a fan favorite over Kevin Plawecki when the time came to decide who would be the backup catcher to Travis d’Arnaud.

The 34-year-old catcher played in 119 games for the Mets and while he didn’t produce as much as you’d hope offensively, hitting for just .650 OPS, his defensive presence was a real plus side for the team.

To take both Granderson and Rivera’s place in the 25-man roster, the Mets are recalling catcher Kevin Plawecki and are activating pitcher Tommy Milone off the disabled list.

Plawecki has been hitting quite well in Las Vegas since being last sent down. With Rivera being shipped to Chicago, the Mets will now have an extended opportunity to give Plawecki some at bats in meaningless games.

Catcher will be one of the needs the Mets should look to build on for 2018 as both Plawecki and Travis d’Arnaud have failed to bring offensive consistency to the position.

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Also coming up to Queens is left-hander Tommy Milone. The Mets claimed the veteran pitcher off waivers in early May, and in typical Mets fashion, he was on the disabled list before the month was over. Now that Milone is back, don’t be surprised if he takes over Steven Matz‘s place in the rotation as the young Long Islander has continued to struggle on the mound this season.