The New York Mets have dealt with a significant amount of injuries in the early part of Spring Training, including losing catcher Francisco Alvarez for 6-to-8 weeks with a fractured hand.
Mets could target Tucker Barnhart in the wake of Francisco Alvarez’s injury
Losing Alvarez is a major blow to the team, as he was tabbed to be their starting catcher and the Mets were only planning on carrying two catchers. Therefore, they may need to head back to the drawing board and potentially make a move for a catcher before Opening Day.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggested that New York should pursue two-time Gold Glove Award winner Tucker Barnhart to fill in the catcher position in Alvarez’s absence.
Barnhart, 34, is entering his 12th big league season. He signed a minor league the Texas Rangers during the offseason, but Texas already has the catcher position filled up with Jonah Heim and Kyle Higashioka. He spent his first eight seasons with the Cincinnati Reds where he won a Gold Glove in 2017 and 2020.
Barnhart could be useful for the pitching staff
Barnhart is not a good offensive catcher, but he is elite defensively and could work well with the pitching staff to put opposing hitters away. The Mets have the guys in the lineup to make up for the lack of offense, so they can deal with Barnhart’s offensive struggles as long as he provides a strong impact defensively.
It is unclear who exactly the Mets may target as they look for a replacement for Alvarez. However, Barnhart could be a good option to pursue and it would come at a low price.