White Sox steal former first-round pick the NY Mets added to their roster in December

There wasn’t much of a need to carry four catchers on the 40-man roster, but don’t tell that to David Stearns. He routinely adds players to their 40-man roster every offseason with little intention of keeping them around. Back in mid-December, the New York Mets selected catcher Drew Romo off of waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. He’s already gone with the Chicago White Sox taking him away.

Who knew Romo was even on waivers? The Mets hadn’t made a move that would push anyone out. But this was always inevitable. Between Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens on the major league roster and the defensive abilities of Hayden Senger, they were pretty well-covered. Unless there was going to be some sort of a competition between Romo and Senger, Drew “I’m not Tony” Romo was always going to end up back on waivers. It just happened sooner than expected for the 35th overall pick in 2020.

Drew Romo is off the Mets before ever picking a spring training jersey number

The catching situation for the Mets has been an important one in terms of depth mostly because of the injuries suffered by Alvarez in recent years. A good third-string option is necessary. They actively signed Jakson Reetz and Chris Williams last offseason. Both no longer with the organization, their next option on the depth chart would appear to include Kevin Parada. A strong finish in Double-A last year with a trip to Triple-A by season’s end, he has an outside chance at crawling onto the major league roster if injuries pile up.

The Mets should still be active on the waiver wire as well as free agency for some additional depth. They don’t want to get stuck in a spot where they have to rely on Senger for a prolonged period. In a worst-case scenario for any team, shared duties behind the plate rather than a third-string guy carrying you for 6 out of every 7 games just seems to be the preferred choice.

There’ll be a MLB veteran out there for the Mets to sign to a minor league deal as well as players who’ve spent the entirety of their careers in the minors. Hardly a priority at the moment, the Mets have shown a mix of preference from guys who can just call a good game to players who might not be a complete black hole at the plate.