NY Mets fan terrifies us all with A.J. Minter free agent comparison

Not everyone was thrilled to see the New York Mets sign A.J. Minter. Red flags were quickly pointed out. One Mets fan took things to an extreme.

While we were all sitting here in the post-Pete Alonso era, or so we believe, the immediate pivot many were hoping to see was a deal with Tanner Scott. Easily the best free agent reliever out there, the Mets decided to go with Minter who you can probably make a case was the second-best lefty available.

Is it really signing James McCann over J.T. Realmuto? After having a good laugh, it’s worth discussing.

Did the Mets really repeat history with their free agent signing of A.J. Minter?

On the level of cringe, this tweet from SNY is right up there alongside seeing Dellin Betances under a Christmas tree.

Mets fans were fooled into thinking McCann was a viable solution behind the plate in comparison to the much better, more proven, and expensive J.T. Realmuto. The comparison between the two was laughable at the time and has only grown into being a part of the dark lore of the Mets on social media.

We know how this story ended. McCann was bad in 2021 and had his starting job taken away in 2022. The Mets dumped him to the Baltimore Orioles for the final two years of his contract while eating a large portion of his salary.

The situation is far different with Minter vs. Scott. Minter has a much stronger track record than McCann ever did. McCann was a defensive-minded catcher who happened to find his swing for a brief time period. What’s more, the contract Minter signed will only keep him in New York for two years at the most. It’s not burdensome like a four year deal with an average catcher can easily become.

A dip in velocity and strikeouts has caused some panic among Mets fans who believe the team should have ponied up the cash to sign Scott who appears to be more on the upswing rather than the down. It’s not as if Minter came to the Mets on a bargain. Two years and $22 million is market rate for the best relievers in the game whose duty isn’t to close games.

Doubters can become more receptive to the signing if the choice was between Scott and no one else or Minter and another arm costing around $10 million or so in 2025. The best arm or two really good ones? As long as it’s more than Minter, we can hold our breath and have some faith this isn’t history repeated.