Minor Mets trade with the Yankees has already paid off, will it continue?

He throws out base runners. He hits home runs. Luis Torrens is someone we’re still getting to know and yet he has given the New York Mets every reason to keep him around much longer than originally intended.

Thought of as nothing more than a short term solution perhaps, everything seems to indicate the Mets favor him over Tomas Nido—the man whose job he is gunning for.

Fed up with Omar Narvaez, the Mets bought Torrens from the New York Yankees for cash considerations late last week. He has taken over the yeoman's share of the work behind the plate and has already offered them more than Narvaez ever did. The debate now is whether he is good enough to stick around or if the team turns back to Nido when Francisco Alvarez returns.

What should the Mets do at the catcher spot?

Nido managed to pass through waivers last year for a couple of reasons. He was playing badly but also had another $2.1 million commitment for the 2024 season. By this point, the prorated amount is close to half that. And with the longtime Mets catcher performing much better, he’d be an upgrade for a lot of teams.

Passing Nido through waivers wouldn’t be quite as easy this time around because of it. The Mets could risk it and then look to trade Nido either for a very low-level player or what they seem to have involved in every trade they do make, cash. Acquiring Torrens and then dismissing him abruptly after playing well would be a bit off-putting. While this is just a discussion of the backup catcher which is kind of like asking if you’d like to eat your meal at the mall food court with a spoon or a spork, the decision would end someone’s playing time with the Mets.

Nido has done a fine job filling in for Alvarez, even usurping the starting job away from Narvaez. A fan-favorite in some regards, he has had his clutch moments. However, we’ve also seen his floor plenty.

The final call could come down to how each performs in London. Both catchers should start one game. And unless Nido comes away with dry eyes from the London smog which conveniently lands him on the IL like it did last year, we shouldn’t be shocked to see the club move forward with Torrens.