Cleveland Indians add catching depth with Kevin Plawecki

The Cleveland Indians have brought in some help behind the plate, adding Kevin Plawecki in a deal with the New York Mets.

It was seemingly a matter of time before the Cleveland Indians and New York Mets got together for a trade. The Indians were in desperate need of help behind the plate after trading Yan Gomes, with the only catchers on the 40 man roster being the offensively challenged Roberto Perez and minor league veteran Eric Haase. Meanwhile, after signing Wilson Ramos, the Mets had a logjam behind the plate, making a trade a likely solution.

That awaited move finally happened on Sunday. The Mets sent former top prospect Kevin Plawecki to the Indians in exchange for minor leaguers Walter Lockett and Sam Haggerty.

The Indians are obviously hoping to tap into the promise that Plawecki once displayed. A former consensus top 100 prospect prior to the 2015 season, he has not been able to establish himself at the major league level, never receiving more than 277 plate appearances in his four years with the Mets. He has not exactly deserved more playing time based on his performance, having produced a combined .218/.308/.330 batting line, hitting 14 homers and 33 doubles in 804 plate appearances.

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Nonetheless, he would appear to have an inside track at significant playing time in Cleveland. Plawecki has been far more useful with the bat over the past two seasons, producing a combined .225/.330/.379 batting line with 10 homers. That batting line may not seem impressive, but it was worth an OPS+ of 97. Perez, while superior defensively, has merely produced a .189/.275/.323 batting line, or an OPS+ of 58, since the start of 2017.

In exchange, the Mets pick up some depth in the minors. Lockett had made his major league debut with the Padres in 2018, and was traded to the Indians on November 20th. His stay in The Forest City proved to be short lived.

In that brief major league stint, Lockett did not fare particularly well. In his four appearances, including three starts, he posted a 0-3 record with a 9.60 ERA and a 2.133 WHiP. Over 15 innings, Lockett issued ten walks and four homers, while striking out 12 batters. Chances are, he will serve as a depth piece at AAA, ready in the event that the Mets need him due to injury or ineffectiveness.

Haggerty is an interesting piece that could be ready in another year or so. A 24th round draft pick in 2015 by the Indians, he has already reached AAA, making seven appearances with Columbus. He has already displayed the ability to be a super utility player, having made over 20 appearances at second, third, short, and left. Over his four years in the minors, Haggerty has posted a .244/.349/.373 batting line, hitting 67 doubles and stealing 90 bases. He could, as soon as next season, be a solid reserve option around the diamond in New York.

Kevin Plawecki’s time with the New York Mets had run its course. Now, he will get a fresh start with the Cleveland Indians, presumably as their starting catcher in 2019.