Blue Jays reporter Jordan Bastian of MLB.com doesn’t think free-agent C Rod Barajas will return to Toronto, who is likely to offer him arbitration.
Bastian believes Barajas might have a multi-year offer to play elsewhere.
Barajas hit just .226 last season, but with 19 HR and 71 RBI, in 125 games for the Blue Jays, while hitting .267 against left-handed pitching.
Earlier this month, Joel Sherman of the New York Post quoted two Mets officials who said they are looking for a catcher who can catch at least 100 games.
In a follow up report, Sherman said the Mets prefer free-agent C Bengie Molina, and are also interested Barajas and D’Backs C Chris Snyder.
…i am not yet convinced of what the Mets should do, or will do, at catcher… i do know i am not a big fan of molina, which you can read more about here… i mean, molina is fine, but i just don’t trust in the direction of his career at this point, especially at 36 years old… i am not too excited about barajas either, but i do think he is capable of cracking 15 or so home runs, and he’ll play significantly better defense than molina… but, i am not sure i would give him a multi-year deal either…
…from what i can gather, there will be a collection of catchers who will be non-tendered, plus, some are available on the trade market, so i still believe the Mets will hold off on catcher for a bit, and wait to see how all markets take shape, before going all-in for a guy like barajas or molina…
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You’re dead on about Molina… We’re a little skeptical about Barajas hitting homers at CitiField. Would he be another Brian Schneider?
I have no interest in Barajas. Unless the guy is a phenom defensively (and going on 34, can he be?) I’ll pass on a guy who has never posted higher than a .740 OPS and his best power seasons came in the Toronto homer dome and the Ballpark at Arlington.
Give me Thole and Santos and the savings any day. Bring a few cheap defensive catchers in at the AAA level just in case, and move on to other positions where we actually have the ability to upgrade the roster.
Adding a guy like Barajas that might hit .220 with 12 HR isn’t going to help all that much and will cost money (maybe even multi-year money). He’s also a catcher going on 34 … so if you are going to go old, Molina is the better option and only 1 year older. At least Molina has the ability to hit .280 and hit in the clutch.
Old Backstops never stop thinking… We like what you say.
I hope multi year deal means a 2 year deal. We do have Thole who will probably be the Mets starting catcher in 2012.
Old Backstop – Thole needs time to learn the position in the minors! He has only played 190 games there in his whole life, 164 of them in the past two years.
Cerrone – I thought Molina was supposed to be a good defensive backstop who handles pitchers well? How does one determine a catchers value defensively anyway? Steals aren’t big in this game, but he is good at that. And looking at baseball-reference.com it appears that Molina put up some of his best defensive stats last year. Please explain. All I want from catcher is good defense and either some pop like Molina or some average like Thole.
Thole very well may need time to learn in the minors, but I would rather have him prove that he can’t get it done before he has to prove that he can.
We’re not exactly in a situation where we can let him marinate in the fridge until we feel he is ready beyond doubt. If there’s a chance he could make the jump, we could use him right now.
The other option is to add some cheap (i.e. neither Barajas nor Molina) AAAA catcher that is sound defensively and start out with him and Santos, letting Thole start and play 5 days a week at AAA to prime for the role and take over as soon as possible.
If a guy like Molina is open to a one year deal, I would consider that for sure, but if these .220 and .250 hitters want multi-year deals … I would pass
So, in your opinion, Thole’s opportunity in September didn’t convince you he could use more time learning in the minors?
I agree with you, I just want a short-term defensive first catcher for next year who could mentor Thole when he is around.
You would rather risk having Thole not be ready and then us not having a catcher or sign someone else for a year and push them to backup if Thole is ready.
im all for a platoon situation this year. santos and someone cheap….im not a fan of molina, especially because we would have to give up a draft pick to sign him, or barajas.
doumit and snyder are interesting but is santos/thole platoon out of the question? should thole stay in the minors and play everyday or would some parttime big league experience help in the long run?
Would you be more willing to sign Molina if we don’t have to give up a draft pick? It is possible they don’t since they want to move on to Buster Posey.
As for Thole, he just needs a lot of experience, period, and would get a lot more down in AAA.
the draft pick isnt the biggest issue but it is a big deal…im not in love with molina period; hes very very slow, old, i dont think his power will show as much in citi field (yes i know he hit in sf), nothing special defensively and probably the priciest
i agree with you, idealy thole can get more time in AAA and then come up when he’s ready….but i just do not see molina as the best option for this team
Mets fans have been spoiled with catchers, and as a result we have unrealistic expectations. Grote, Carter, Piazza… Most catchers are not offensive powerhouses. They´re OK, but have so much to manage on the field that their offense usually suffers.
Grote was no offensive powerhouse but i love the guy…i know i must be old….its too bad we are lacking so much in other areas…but thank god schneider is not coming back…i feel lied to regarding the guys defense…
Rod Barajas, Benji Molina or Migel Oliva… What all three have in common is not just being free agent but the power they will lack in citi field. Start with Rod Barajas a 200 batting average tolerable because his 19 hr production for a catcher. Take away the 19 Hr’s. We got Schneider back. Migel Oliva & Benji Molina’s power numbers will be down also but I do believe Molina will benefit the Mets more in the clutch and the HR’s lost in citi will still be extra base hits and provide a higher batting avg among the 3 catchers. Benji Molina is my pick.
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