Another NY Mets roster deletion that would and wouldn't be a shock at this point

Two of the Fab Four are gone, leaving us with more of a duo. Are Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto The White Stripes, Simon and Garfunkel, or Milli Vanilli? The core has been shaken to its…uhh…core. Pete Alonso, gone. Brandon Nimmo, trade. Edwin Diaz, bolts. The New York Mets have surprised us with the overhaul of the roster and there’s one more way they can really change things up in a massive way.

Back in the early stages of the offseason, when Tarik Skubal trade rumors were at an early zenith, there was thought one of the players they might want from the Mets in exchange for him was Francisco Alvarez. The young Mets catcher has been a bit trapped since getting regular playing time in 2023. Injuries have set him back at times. In other years, he just hasn’t performed well.

If there’s one more major landscape shift the Mets could realistically make, it would be to swap Alvarez for another need, even if it’s not Skubal.

Do the Mets have the guts to trade Francisco Alvarez?

The catcher spot is a unique one. Many teams don’t mind having a .212 hitter with limited power. If he can call a good game and steal some strikes, they’re fine batting him ninth. Alvarez has had far greater expectations. Briefly the league’s number one prospect, he was supposed to evolve into an incredible all-around player.

Through 1,056 big league trips to the plate, Alvarez is slashing .230/.306/.429. He’s averaging 26 home runs and 76 RBI per 162 games. Understanding he’d never play that full load because of the position he plays, we can probably expect something more of a 20 home run, 60 RBI campaign. His first full season saw him swat 25 and drive in 63.

Alvarez made some strides last year, increasing his slash line across the board but with fewer plate appearances than he had in each of the last two years. His midseason demotion seemed to help him. His .921 OPS in the second-half helped keep the Mets alive at times.

Trading him, a 24-year-old with several more years of control, could be the key to adding at a bigger place of need. Packaging alongside some others for Skubal is one thing. What about solving another positional need?

A young, controllable pitcher doesn’t seem so necessary with the Mets already having Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat among others. A first baseman wouldn’t be necessary as they could plug in a number of different players there. Center field? It would have to be someone really good with the same kind of upside as Alvarez.

There hasn’t been any indication that the Mets will actually trade Alvarez. As beloved as Luis Torrens is as the backup, he has shown that’s exactly what his role should be. Give him the heavy load of starts and your offense suffers.

It wouldn’t be the most outrageous turn of events for the Mets this offseason to use Alvarez as a chip in a trade. Preferring someone with elite defensive abilities at the catcher spot isn’t out of the ordinary. It would fit the theme of extreme changes.