Read: Grading The Estrada deal
Christopher Reina of RealGM Baseball, grades the Mets Johnny Estrada-for-Guillermo Mota swap with the Brewers.
Reina notes the Mets will be Estrada’s fourth team in four years, but believes the he may be a good fit for the Mets, writing…
“Estrada is four years younger than Paul Lo Duca, the catcher he will replace, has better pop, but is still a below average offensive player. His .715 OPS over the past three seasons ranks him 22nd amongst catchers, just below Lo Duca’s .731. Torrealba, the Mets’ intended target, is even worse with a .692 OPS during the time span. “
…estrada’s low ops is mostly due to the fact his on-base percentage is one of the lowest in the nl, but he had the sixth highest slugging percentage (.403) among nl catchers last season…
Overall, Reina grades the deal as “B-” for the Mets.
…this was a terrific deal by Omar Minaya…the Mets acquired a decent switch-hitting catcher, who, as reina noted is a better hitter from the left side, for mota, who seemingly became a less desirable option from the bullpen for Willie Randolph as the days wore on in late september…
…if the Mets end up offering estrada arbitration, i’d be much more comfortable with an estrada/castro platoon in 2008 than any catching platoon that included Yorvit Torrealba…
