Report: Devin Mesoraco Would Be “Super Excited” To Get Traded

Even though he has enjoyed his time in Queens, New York Mets’ catcher Devin Mesoraco would like the chance to play some meaningful baseball. Mesoraco told Howie Kussoy of the New York Post that he would be “super excited” to get traded into a playoff race. There has been a bit of trade buzz surrounding Mesoraco, who has hit .229 with seven home runs and 24 RBI’s since coming to the Mets in a trade back in early May. Mesoraco did indicate that this was nothing against the Mets, who he is thankful to for giving him an opportunity to revive his career.

There have been reports that teams have been checking in on Mesoraco, who has drawn praise for his ability to handle the Mets’ pitching staff. Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz, and Zack Wheeler have all done especially well since Mesoraco arrived, which should only boost his appeal to a contender in need of catching help. The Cincinnati Reds, Mesoraco’s former team, are paying the remainder of his 2018 salary so the Mets wouldn’t require a team to absorb any money to complete a trade. The fact that Mesoraco hasn’t been moved yet, however, with the deadline just a few hours away speaks to a bit of a slow moving market for backstops.

There are a few teams who could stand to benefit from Mesoraco’s services. The New York Yankees just lost Gary Sanchez for another month with an aggravation of his groin injury, but they may prefer to continue to ride with Austin Romine than part with a prospect for a month of Mesoraco. The Boston Red Sox have been getting abysmal production from their catchers, with Sandy Leon (.218/4/15) and Christian Vazquez (.213/3/14) giving them nothing, but they may not have a ton of urgency to upgrade the position given their incredible record. There are also teams that are platooning at the position, like Milwaukee and Philadelphia, but it would again depend on if they view Mesoraco as an upgrade over their current catching situation.

If the Mets don’t get an offer they like now, they could always try and get Mesoraco through waivers to trade him in August. A guy like Mesoraco, who has produced decent offensive numbers but nothing extraordinary, should easily clear and give the Mets another window to trade him. This would also allow the Mets to continue using Mesoraco to help mentor their young pitching staff for the time being, which is another added benefit.

The Mets may want to consider moving on from Mesoraco, however, in order to give Kevin Plawecki a few months as the clear starter. Plawecki will definitely be here next season and has started to hit well after coming back from his hadn’t injury, but the Mets need to find out if he can handle the every day job on a regular basis. If you project out Plawecki’s numbers over the course of a full season, he is on pace to be a 1.0 WAR player, or a slightly above average catcher in other words. If Plawecki shows he can handle the job, that could take a big need off the Mets’ lengthy shopping list this winter. The only way the Mets can find that out is if Mesoraco isn’t around to share the job with him.