Mets Rumors: One-dimensional Martin Maldonado not a solution

The latest New York Mets rumors state that the team is looking at catcher Martin Maldonado as a solution behind the plate. I’m underwhelmed.

There are New York Mets rumors that will excite the fans and those which disappoint. According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, catcher Martin Maldonado is one of those offseason targets which I believe will have many feeling the latter.

Maldonado is a Gold Glove winner and someone who could give the Mets stability behind the plate. However, without the big offensive addition, he’s not going to help out this team all that much.

A lifetime .220 hitter with an OBP at a pitiful .289, this is a one-dimensional backstop the Mets should probably skip over. Maldonado has played in 100 games only twice in his career. This may mean he is less beat up this his peers. I wouldn’t look too much into this other than the fact that even in limited sample-sizes he has only ever hit over .250 once.

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Previous to 2017, he was essentially a backup with the Milwaukee Brewers. For the past two seasons, though, the Los Angeles Angels used him as the primary catcher. When he was traded to the Houston Astros in 2018, they used him plenty as a defensive upgrade.

The Mets would surely get a boost on defense if they were to sign Maldonado. I wonder if it’s enough to essentially guarantee poor offensive numbers.

Maldonado led the league with a 49% caught stealing rate. This could payoff big if he joined the Mets, perhaps as a personal catcher for Noah Syndergaard. Although, Syndergaard’s struggles with holding runners on base may prove too much for Maldonado. I would guess they’d meet somewhere in the middle.

It’s also hard to believe Maldonado would settle with a backup role. The catching position is weak around the league. Many teams would get better just by adding him.

On a team with MVP candidates in the lineup, Maldonado is a great fit. This is why he works on the Angels or Astros. They have big sticks around him.

For the Mets, they are punting one spot in the lineup each time he’s there. As far as Mets rumors go, this is one I hope isn’t true.

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Maldonado is a good baseball player on the right team. On this particular roster, he’s doing something good without adding to the area where they struggled the most: at the plate.