Buzz: Henry Blanco traveling to NYC for Physical
According to the Daily News, El Nacional is reporting free-agent C Henry Blanco has left the Venezuelan Winter League to take a physical in New York City.
…from what i can gather, the two sides may have already agreed in principal to a one-year deal, he just needs to take the physical, and so the Mets may soon have two back-up catchers in blanco, who will most certainly be on the major-league roster, and Chris Coste, who, at minimum, can go to Triple-A and work with Josh Thole…
Earlier this week, Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com said the Mets were in talks Blanco, while Jon Heyman of SI.com wrote, “the Mets are likely to sign Blanco,” in addition to Coste.
…earlier that day, i wrote that i expect the Mets to sign a veteran catcher before the Winter Meetings, someone like blanco, i.e., a very good, steady, defensive catcher, who is not a great hitter, but who can start if need be… blanco is one of the best defensive catchers in baseball, he has a strong arm, frames pitches well, he is steady behind the plate, and so, he certainly fits the mold of a veteran, defensive catcher… however, he is not a very good hitter… sure, he can have a hot streak or two, he even hit .292 in 58 games for the Cubs back in 2008, but, for the most part, he’s known for his defense…
…nevertheless, the buzz in new york continues to link the Mets to free-agent C Benjie Molina, among others, since, it seems, blanco and coste will be just back-up catchers, or a fall-back position, as the team still looks to sign or trade for someone to get the bulk of the starts…
