The 10 worst contracts for players in the National League East right now

7) Worst Contract in the NL East: Omar Narvaez

If you aren’t up-to-date with your Mets contracts, this one might surprise you. The team brought Omar Narvaez in this offseason to catch for the ball club until top prospect Francisco Alvarez was MLB-ready. The young slugger was summoned early on this year due to an injury to Narvaez. There has been little question ever since who should get the majority of starts. It’s Alvarez, not Narvaez.

The Mets now have a pricy backup catcher who’s earning $8 million this season and very likely to accept the player option for next year at $7 million. The Mets can survive this for more than Steve Cohen’s deep pockets. Alvarez is making the league minimum and giving them a performance at least worth what Narvaez is getting paid.

Bringing in a veteran catcher this offseason from Alvarez’s home country of Venezuela wasn’t a bad idea. Unfortunately, the left-handed-hitting backstop has blended into the mess this team became. It’s a bad yet not immovable contract. It won’t deter the team from spending in the future. Circumstances have just turned this mostly innocuous deal into a bust this season and a pointless addition for next.

The Mets are already paying James McCann who was shipped to the Baltimore Orioles in the offseason. Add in what Narvaez is getting paid and there are a lot of checks going toward catchers who either don’t play much or not at all for the team.