New York Mets most underrated transactions of the winter

A minor league deal with Rene Rivera

One of multiple minor league signings the Mets made this offseason included the reunion with Rene Rivera. Bringing him back for 2020 seemed even more important than ever. Unlike last year when the Mets were able to begin the year with two veterans behind the plate—Wilson Ramos and Travis d’Arnaud—this year’s depth chart included only The Buffalo and Tomas Nido.

Nido’s big league performance thus far has left a lot to be desired. His catching game is okay, but his bat doesn’t seem major league level just yet.

Rivera, on the other hand, has proven that he can hit at the big league level. Although he’ll turn 37 in late July, I think he’s a solid backup option for at least a part of the season. At the very least, he gives the Mets an insurance policy in case Nido struggles.

The catching situation for this club is quite interesting heading into 2020. Ramos has an option for 2021 so there’s a good chance we see him stick around for another year after this coming campaign.

Beyond 2021, there are multiple minor leagues who could be vying for regular playing time. I don’t see Nido as a realistic option for anything more than a backup role. This year, however, we could see one of the possible catchers of the future take over.

Ali Sanchez is nearing his MLB debut and coming off a productive year on the farm in 2019. While he’s not the top catching prospect for the organization—a title belonging to Francisco Alvarez—I think he could at least get regular playing time in the interim.

Rivera’s familiarity with Noah Syndergaard and even Jacob deGrom makes him a valuable piece to the Mets. We already know the pair prefer not to pitch to Ramos. If they haven’t gotten on the same page and Nido doesn’t look like the best choice, Rivera is a good option to have. The fact that he’s on a minor league deal makes it even more important because there’s no rush for a change.

Avoiding arbitration with everyone

This final entry is a little different. Because the Mets didn’t do much adding that I felt was underrated, I’m going to look at a different aspect of the team.

For the second straight year, Van Wagenen avoided arbitration with all eligible players. Let’s not underrated this relationship-building endeavor. It may seem minor on the surface. However, because it saves the organization from having to debase their player right to his face in the meeting, it’s preferable that arbitration is avoided altogether.

There are two key players the Mets avoided arbitration with: Noah Syndergaard and Michael Conforto. Each is arbitration-eligible for one more year after this latest offseason. With both salaries coming in under $10 million, the team is getting them at a bargain rate.

You’ll likely see me write a lot about the future of these two in Flushing. I believe the franchise will have to make a choice between them. In a worst-case scenario, each is dealt in a trade deadline transaction in the summer of 2021 when the Mets are out of the playoff hunt.

We’ll worry about that dark future when it approaches. In the meantime, I tip my hat to the organization for coming to terms with each of their players. It’s never a given.

This helps the front office build up a reputation as a player-friendly one. We can all see the value in this. When a free agent has to decide about where he lands, one of the big factors is who they will work under.

Ultimately, the amount of money wins out. Fortunately, this can trickle down to younger players currently on the roster if they ever were offered an extension.

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Which moves do you think were the most underrated by the Mets this winter?