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Wilson Ramos is a Better Fit for the Mets than J.T. Realmuto

By Josh Ejnes

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 15: Wilson Ramos #40 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action against the Miami Marlins during a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 15, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 15: Wilson Ramos #40 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action against the Miami Marlins during a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 15, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 25, 2011: Catcher Wilson Ramos #3 of the Washington Nationals looks towards the Atlanta Braves’ dugout between batters during the top of the seventh inning of a game on September 25, 2011 at Nationals Park in Washington, DC.11-10745802011 Diamond Images /

Wilson Ramos is the newest member of the New York Mets, and his addition to the team is a satisfying ending to the J.T. Realmuto trade saga.

For the past few weeks it looked like the Mets were just about ready to sell the farm if in pursuit of J.T. Realmuto, news that incited anxiety in fans and Noah Syndergaard alike. Now, according to Daniel Álvarez Montes of El Extrabase, it appears they’re going another direction behind the plate:

It’s not a total surprise that Realmuto to the Mets didn’t come to fruition. Brodie Van Wagenen’s desire to add to the team without creating new holes didn’t really mesh with the Marlins’ desire to receive Amed Rosario and/or Michael Conforto in a Realmuto trade.

Ramos, who was an all star last season, will be an upgrade for the Mets behind the plate. Last year he spent time with both the Rays and Phillies, and ended the season with a slashline of .306/.358/.487 in 111 games. The Mets hopes to find some consistency at catcher with Ramos, after rotating sporadically through Kevin Plawecki, Tomas Nido, Jose Lobaton and Devin Mesoraco for most of 2019.

Right now it sounds like Ramos will get a 2-year $19 million contract. This is much more than the Mets would have had to pay Realmuto, who is due $2.9 million next year and under team control through 2020. The main thing to take away from this is how valuable Rosario, Conforto and Brandon Nimmo, all members of the Marlins wish list, are to the Mets, who would rather pay a premium for Ramos than shed them for Realmuto.

There’s no real losers in this situation; the Mets got their catcher while keeping their young core and the Marlins still have many suitors for Realmuto. Still, even if nobody got the raw end of the stick it’s still fun to think about what could have been.

The Mets were set on Realmuto for so long despite the fact that Ramos and Yasmani Grandal were both available on the free agent market; it’s obvious they saw an immense amount of potential in him, and considered him a great fit for the roster (his relatively low salary probably didn’t hurt either). Knowing now that Ramos is the Mets catcher for at least the near future let’s let our eyes wander, and see how he and Realmuto stack up against each other.

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