Mets Offseason Retrospective: Was Wilson Ramos the right move?

The New York Mets landed catcher Wilson Ramos this offseason after several rumors about them possibly heading in a different direction. Looking back at the options, was this the right decision?

One of the most underperforming positions for the New York Mets has been none other than the men behind the plate. The Mets decided to address one of the teams primary concerns in the offseason when they signed catcher Wilson Ramos to a two-year contract.

There were not too many frontline catchers for teams to choose from this offseason as many talented catchers are already locked into contracts with their respective teams. The best catcher available was J.T. Realmuto who would have to be acquired in trade from the Miami Marlins. Everyone would agree that the Mets got Ramos for a relatively cheap price, but the question is was it the right move?

Even with several other options being available, Ramos was the right choice for the Mets.

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Ramos is very well known for being a Mets killer. In 81 career games and over 300 at-bats against them, Ramos had a batting average of .302 and an OPS of .821. He was able to hit 12 home runs and have a total of 63 RBI against the Amazins.

Of course, Ramos was able to see a lot of the Mets from his days as a Washington National, he has pretty decent numbers against the rest of the NL East too. Although his best numbers are against the Mets his familiarity with the division is a plus over other free agent candidates.

Ramos does come with a reputation of being an above average defender behind the plate, but that is something the Mets could live with if Ramos brings the offensive production he’s known for.

One thing that both Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki struggled with was the running game. Ramos has a career 31.6 caught stealing percentage which is 11th best among active MLB catchers.

Another big reason Ramos was the right choice was also because of the price they signed him for. A two-year contract for a total of 19 million dollars is a great price for someone with offensive outputs like Ramos.

It was rumored that New York offered fellow free agent catcher Yasmani Grandal $60 million for four years, but Grandal turned it down because he thought it was not fair to be paid more than catchers who were better than him. He settled for a one-year deal from the Milwaukee Brewers for $18 million.

Many fans will complain that the Mets didn’t chase the best option available in Realmuto, but again the price for Ramos was better than the price for the former Marlins backstop. Numerous reports revealed that Miami was asking for key pieces such as Amed Rosario, Brandon Nimmo, and Michael Conforto just to start the trade. Two years and a price tag of $19 million dollars for Ramos sounds better than giving up one or two key pieces to the franchise for two years of Realmuto.

Does it sting to see the division rival Philadelphia Phillies land Realmuto instead?

Of course, but the Phillies paid a steep price in giving up top pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez for a catcher they may or may not be able to resign in two years when Realmuto becomes a free agent.

The Mets will have two years to decide what they want to do at catcher for the future which includes possibly picking up Ramos 2021 team option. Should they decide to chase Realmuto in two years at least it won’t cost them in players and prospects.

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For right now, Ramos was the right choice.