The Mets have signed a free agent catcher, and it’s not J.T. Realmuto. On December 12th, the club agreed to a four-year deal with 2019 All-Star James McCann. Prioritizing McCann over Realmuto may come as a shock to certain segments of the Flushing Faithful, but it makes sense from more than just a financial standpoint. Although a Realmuto acquisition would have benefited the team in the immediate future, there is already a catcher in the organization who has talent evaluators talking.
Assessing Alvarez
That backstop is 19-year-old Francisco Alvarez, whom the Mets signed for $2.7 million as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2018. Despite his inexperience at the professional level, Alvarez is already ranked as the second-best prospect in the Mets system on MLB.com. The site also listed him as the 63rd overall prospect in baseball in its pre-2020 rankings. It’s safe to assume that Alvarez won’t reach the majors for at least a few more seasons. Still, it’s not too early to envision him as a permanent backstop once he gets promoted to “the Show.”
Just what kind of player is Alvarez? Here’s the scouting report from MLB.com:
“More polished than the average teenager, the Venezuela native has already shown the ability to hit well in games. A compact swing and solid approach allow Alvarez to hit to all fields, and he has plenty of raw power to continue to tap into. He’s a below-average runner, but also isn’t a base-clogger. Alvarez’s defensive game is behind his bat, but club officials have zero doubt that he can stay behind the plate long term. He has a strong arm and some solid actions behind the plate, but he’ll have to improve his overall receiving.”
Alvarez made his professional debut in 2019, hitting a combined .312/.407/.510 with 7 home runs and 26 RBIs in 42 games between two rookie-level teams. His future is bright enough that prospect gurus like MLB.com’s Jim Callis have theorized how a potential Realmuto signing would affect him. Callis predicts that Alvarez will debut in the majors in late 2023. Alvarez’s potential ascent from prospect to Flushing fixture helps explain why the Mets signed McCann rather than Realmuto.
Battling Backstops
Realmuto is said to desire a contract of at least $200 million, which would be a record for a catcher. He is undoubtedly the game’s best catcher at the moment, but that doesn’t mean he was the ideal fit for the Mets. If the Mets had signed Realmuto long term, it could have had an adverse effect on Alvarez’s growth and development. Whereas Realmuto would almost surely block Alvarez from assuming starting catcher duties, McCann should slide more easily into the backup role. McCann served as a backstop for Yasmani Grandal in 2020, and while he’d prefer to be a starter, his contract isn’t so massive that it would preclude an eventual decrease in playing time.
Francisco Alvarez is still years away from coming to the Big Apple, but the Mets’ James McCann signing suggests that the team is already figuring him into their future plans.
