Mets, Indians have discussed Yan Gomes trade

The Mets and Indians have discussed a trade that would bring 31-year-old catcher Yan Gomes to Queens, according to a report from Andy Martino of SNY. That report also includes speculation about other pieces, but Martino specifies that the teams have actually discussed a Gomes trade.

It’s been fairly widely known that the Mets are looking for help behind the plate coming off a season that saw Travis d’Arnaud suffer yet another injury—this time requiring Tommy John surgery—and Kevin Plawecki putting up a solid but unspectacular season. The combined results from that duo make it clear that the team could make upgrades at the position regardless of whether or not d’Arnaud is tendered a contract for the 2019 season.

At the plate, Gomes isn’t all that exciting. He hit .266/.313/.449 with 16 home runs and a 101 wRC+ in 435 plate appearances in 2018, all of which is perfectly acceptable for a catcher but isn’t extraordinary. The 2018 season was also his best—by far—at the plate over the past four years, as hit well below league average in 2015 and 2017 and was abysmal at the plate in 2016.

As a right-handed hitter, Gomes has been far better against left-handed pitchers than right-handed pitchers. Combine that with the fact that Plawecki has been better against right-handed pitchers than left-handed hitters in his own career—despite hitting from the same side as Gomes—and there could be some appeal to pairing the two. But right-handed pitchers are far more common, and both catchers have been roughly the same by wRC+ against them—and both well below league average.

Gomes is set to earn $7 million in 2019, and he has team options for $9 million in 2020 and $11 million in 2021, and in each instance, the option would have a $1 million buyout.