Mets, Omar Narváez agree to 1 year contract

The Mets are reportedly in agreement with catcher Omar Narváez on a one-year, $8 million deal, with a player option for $7 million in 2024. Narváez is entering his age 31 season, and is a veteran of the Brewers, Mariners, and White Sox organizations.

Narváez split his playing time in Milwaukee with Victor Caratini this season, but still started 80 games behind the dish for the Brewers. He had two very good offensive years in 2018 with the Sox and 2019 with the Mariners, but has somewhat regressed since then. 2022 was an especially down power year, with just four home runs and 12 doubles.

Narváez bats left-handed, which provides an interesting counter-balance to the [checks notes] three other catchers the Mets currently have on their active roster. While Joel Sherman notes that the Mets feel that the defensive flexibility of players like Luis Guillorme and Jeff McNeil can facilitate carrying three catchers, this seems like a clear indication that either James McCann or Tomás Nido will not be with the team come Opening Day, or that Francisco Álvarez is starting the season at Triple-A Syracuse.