Willson Contreras makes more sense with James McCann injured

The New York Mets have been a fit to add Willson Contreras all year long due to the poor production they’ve gotten at the plate from James McCann and the cast of characters behind him. McCann has been injured for a good chunk of the season and is back on the IL again. Just in time for the trade deadline, new Mets trade rumors have surfaced with speculation about them dipping back into the Chicago Cubs well.

According to Ken Rosenthal, it’s Contreras and a lefty reliever that the Mets could be prioritizing.

It’s a little bit of history repeated. The Mets went out and added both offense and a pitcher at least year’s trade deadline by making a deal with the Cubs. Do they do the same in 2022?

Mets trade rumors: Willson Contreras remains a risk to take because of his position

The incredible bat Contreras brings to the lineup is sure to get Mets fans excited. Seeing his name headline any Mets trade rumors is sure to fire us all up for how complete of a lineup they could potentially have.

The risk with adding Contreras still remains. How does he work with a pitching staff he is unfamiliar with?

Maybe it’s a little overly cautious to worry about this. But having seen Mets pitchers like Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom openly express their dissatisfaction with Wilson Ramos in the recent past may only lead to some trouble from the mound.

It’s not just that incident either. We already saw this spring and early on in the year as Max Scherzer had an obvious preference for pitching to Tomas Nido. Other teams, like the New York Yankees with Gary Sanchez and just about anyone on the mound but specifically Gerrit Cole, have had the same problem, too.

Contreras isn’t a horrific defensive catcher but he also isn’t a Gold Glover. And even if he did have a better reputation behind the plate, he has no relationship with the pitching staff other than Williams who spend only a limited time with him in Chicago.

If these Mets trade rumors do come to fruition, one option could be to use Contreras as a DH regularly. It’s no exactly ideal but could allow them to forego carrying a guy like Patrick Mazeika on the roster while McCann is out.

McCann’s timetable for a return will be a major factor into whether or not the Mets make Contreras a part of their run this year. Is he worth it? It’s an all-in type of move to make but only if the Mets add another bat to go with him. What’s Ian Happ up to?