$2.4 Million Catcher May Be Playing Himself Out Of Mets Uniform

The New York Mets weren’t expecting to be bona fide sellers at this year’s trade deadline, but with less than two weeks to go, the team is set to have a full-on fire sale.

With the exception of five young players with a bright future and years of club control, the Mets are open for business and are expected to move on from a lot of veterans and players on expiring contracts, but even some players that have several years of control could be moved for the right price.

The obvious players that should be dealt are right-handed starters Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes as well as any bullpen arms that have performed well this season, but outfielders Luis Robert Jr. and Tyrone Taylor could go for cheap as they aren’t part of New York’s long-term plans.

But the Mets could also part ways with one of their catchers, Luis Torrens or Francisco Alvarez, if one of the catcher-needy teams like the New York Yankees comes calling.

Torrens was extended to a two-year deal that keeps him under contract through 2028 while Alvarez has three more years of arbitration and is a free agent in 2030, but it seems like the Mets are willing to listen to offers on Alvarez who is just 24-years-old.

According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, Alvarez is one of 10 players that’s on a tear right now and raising his trade value ahead of Aug. 3.

“With a number of high-profile teams in need of catching help -- the [New York] Yankees, [Boston] Red Sox and [Los Angeles] Dodgers, for example -- the lack of quality backstops should put teams with available catchers in a strong position to sell,” Feinsand wrote Tuesday.

“The Mets are reportedly open to moving nearly everyone on their roster…he’s one of the few players New York seems willing to move that could net a strong return.”

Alvarez has a ton of power from the right side of the plate and is having a solid offensive season, hitting 11 home runs and seven doubles while driving in 24 runs and slashing .257/.326/.440 (.767 OPS) through 67 games.

Over his last 30 games, Alvarez has seven homers and 14 RBI while slashing .274/.336/.491 (.827 OPS), making him one of the hottest catchers in the game that could be up for grabs.

If the Mets aren’t committed to keeping Alvarez behind the dish, a team like the Yankees may be aggressive if they can’t acquire Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman or Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers.