According to Marty Noble, the Mets will go with Omir Santos and Henry Blanco at catcher and use the money they would have spent on Bengie Molina elsewhere. But according to Mike Francesa on WFAN today, the Mets could be targeting Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder in a trade.
I don’t necessarily believe either of them, following my standard procedure of not really believing anybody. But I kind of hope Francesa’s right in this case, because Snyder would be an intriguing pickup.
Snyder, you may recall, was rumored to be dealt to the Blue Jays earlier this offseason, but ultimately sent back to Arizona when the Jays vetoed the deal over concerns about Snyder’s surgically repaired back. So that’s bad. Put that down under “bad.”
And Snyder — possibly due to the bulging disc in his back that ultimately required surgery — struggled in 2009 and lost his starting job to Miguel Montero. He hit .200 with a .333 on-base percentage and .352 slugging. More for the “bad” column.
But before that, Snyder appeared to be one of the better young catchers in baseball. As the Diamondbacks’ regular backstop in 2007 and 2008, Snyder posted OPSes of .775 and .800, well above average for a catcher, and by all accounts played competent defense.
Snyder will be 29 on Opening Day, so if he’s healthy it’s not unreasonable to expect him to return to form. Of course, it does seem a bit risky to go out and acquire a catcher coming off back surgery, especially one another team has already vetoed the same offseason.
I have no clue how well Snyder handles staffs, but Brandon Webb did not appear to have any trouble dominating National League hitters under Snyder’s guidance in 2007 and 2008.
Clearly, Snyder would be worth taking a flyer on if it were just that. But of course, it’s not just that.
I have no idea what it would take to land Snyder. The deal with the Blue Jays that fell through was for Lyle Overbay, but since it fell through, I have to assume Snyder would cost the Mets something less valuable than Lyle Overbay.
The Diamondbacks were said then to be looking to part with Snyder’s contract — he is owed about $10.5 million over the next two seasons — to free up payroll to sign other players.
I can’t speak to whether they have any more budget flexibility, but it does appear they could still use some depth in the starting rotation behind Webb, Dan Haren and Edwin Jackson (a mighty trio, no doubt), so I wonder if Arizona will be tempted to move Snyder to be able to lock down a familiar innings eater like Jon Garland.
Still, even under those circumstances, teams don’t give away 29-year-old catchers one season removed from two productive years for free, and I have no idea what the Diamondbacks would want from the Mets for Snyder. A prospect? A relief arm? (Fingers and toes crossed) Luis Castillo??
Snyder is definitely someone the Mets should be targeting, but obviously it’s impossible to just say “go get him” without considering the cost. He’s probably a safer bet than Santos to be an effective starting Major League catcher in 2010, though, so it can’t hurt the Mets to inquire.
Tedquarters 
I’ve been harping on the Mets and Snyder since July. I’m not sure what it would take to get him, but I’m sure swallowing a lot of the contract would present the Mets with a pretty good chance to acquire him. His back is a huge red flag, so taking on this contract doesn’t come without some risk, but he represents one of the better “buy low” opportunities out there.
Bad backs are something I wouldn’t mess with when dealing with a position like catcher. If a team like the DBacks want rid of him that should be enough for us to steer clear.
If we’re going to deal for a catcher I think Dionner Navarro would be a wiser choice. Otherwise spend that money on Sheets.
I’m in for Navarro, but the idea of Omar dealing with the Rays scares the crap out of me, worse even than him dealing with the D-Backs.
AZ wants to get rid of him because Montero emerged as one of the best catchers in the league last year and they can’t afford to pay Snyder $4.5 million to be a back-up.
But that is a nice price for a starter if his back is healthy.
The only way I would take a chance on Snyder (17.25m/3 yrs) is if ARZ takes Castillo (12mm/2 yrs). I’d even be willing to do the trade straight up contract for contract. But that’s the only way.
Pedro the flaw in that logic is that Snyder’s 2012 year of that contract is a team option for $6.75 million or a buyout of $750,000, so Snyder’s guaranteed money of $11.25 mil is actually less than the $12 mil coming to Castillo.
On top of that, the biggest difference I see is that if Snyder’s healthy, his contract is a bargain, and if Castillo’s healthy, he’s still overpaid.
Castillo and some salary relief could make the difference, right?
29 years old,bad back, and bad contract! That sounds like Omar’s kind of guy!
OLIVER PEREZ! OLIVER PEREZ! GIVE THEM OLIVER PEREZ!
No thanks. Stick with the guys they have. Catcher isn’t turning them into a contender. I’d rather leave the door open for Tholes to show us what he’s got once he’s called up.
Ted, Absolutely take a chance on a 29 year old catcher. I like Santos as much as the next guy, but Snyder and his bad back is an upgrade over anyone the Mets have acquired or talked to in the last 4 seasons. Next, go after Ben Sheets, Garland, and wait for …………. Bronson Arroyo, or Harrang through trade, I believe something could be worked out with the Reds if they are trying to dump salary and want to get younger. I want Brandon Phillips back too. We have no choice but to wait for Cliff Lee to come back. Ted they have options and Smoltz should never be one of them.
Tampa has two good catchers: Navarro and Shoppach, both at reasonable deals. I, too, worry about Omar getting fleeced by Friedman, but come on, we can’t just shoot down every possibility with a team that has a better GM than us.
That would result in never trading with anyone other than KC.
Don’t forget the Giants. But yeah, good point.
Just to Recap.
YES to Snyder
YES to Garland
YES to Sheets
YES to Arroyo or Harrang
YES to getting the second best second baseman in the league back into the Mets system. That’s Brandon Phillips by the way.
That’s right, that just happened. “I had to”