Catching Update

From Ken Rosenthal:

The Mets are expected to re-sign Castro on Wednesday, probably to a two-year deal. They also are pursuing Torrealba, another free agent, but not to be a 120-game starter.

Castro, 31, would play more frequently under the new arrangement, perhaps starting 80 to 90 games, according to sources. Torrealba, 29, would play the rest, saving wear-and-tear on his right shoulder.

That sounds familiar. Where did we see this before? Oh, right:

It would be mistake for the organization not to bring back Castro, since he's the second-best free agent catcher available. But it would also be folly not to have a backup plan. This does not mean, however, that Castro shouldn't be the starter. As we saw last year, we cannot rely on Ramón to be a backup. When Lo Duca went down, Castro wasn't long to follow. The Mets then had to rely on Mike DiFelice. It would make more sense to give Castro about 65% of the starts and have a younger, healthier backstop behind him.

Of course, our suggestion did not consider the possibility of making that backup Yorvit Torrealba and paying him beyond... two years at about $7 million (Rubin, Daily News), or giving him a multiyear deal worth as much as $5 million annually (Shpigel, NY Times). But maybe that's the best option, all things considered.

Barrett is out because he is a Type A free agent and the Mets have a first round draft pick after #15. Lo Duca is out because, well, this is regime change and the team needs new blood. The price for Ramon Hernandez is probably too high, because the Orioles don't realize they should be dealing away all their large contracts for whatever they can get. Jason Kendall and Jose Molina are both old and thus do not match the age requirement for the team's super-backup role. The Mets have probably inquired about guys like Montero and Clement, and found them either expensive or unavailable. And we all know that there is a severe dearth of catching talent in the organization's upper minor leagues.

Torrealba would not be just a backup catcher on the Mets; he would be called upon to catch up to 40% or more of the team's games. It makes sense to bring in a younger, more durable guy for this role instead of a Mike Difelice or Gary Bennett. Considering the options, and reserving the right to criticize the length and size of the contracts, we like this plan. Bravo! A Blastings! Thrilledge thumbs up.

Edit: Of course, if the Mets can find someone cheaper than Torrealba, like a backup from another organization or a minor league free agent, they should go for him instead. We don't want to be ridiculed for the wrong reasons. We know Joejessica sucks.