Francisco Alvarez: Class A trade bait for New York Mets
This is the value of prospects in the modern game: Francisco Alvarez hasn’t played a big league inning and isn’t expected to for two more years. Yet he is the focal point of discussions regarding All-Star caliber talent from two different teams.
Blake Harris, TrueBlueLA, revealed in a tweet Wednesday that both the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds are in exploratory talks with the New York Mets on a deal that could send either Kris Bryant or Eugenio Suarez – both former All Stars – to Citi Field.
New York Mets have hot property in Francisco Alvarez
Alvarez, a 19-year-old Venezuelan native and a catcher for the Mets’ high A Columbia Fireflies, is the apparent bait.
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“So it looks like both the Reds and Cubs have asked for the Mets’ top catching prospect in a trade for Eugenio Suarez or Kris Bryant,” Harris reported. Harris did not identify Alvarez by name, but he left little to the imagination. Alvarez is New York’s second rated prospect and the only catcher among the franchise’s top 20 farmhands.
A 2018 international signee as a 17-year-old, Alvarez displayed strong offensive skills in both the Rookie League and Appalachian League in 2019.
He’s built, packing 220 pounds on his 5-11 frame.
But he is not projected to be major league ready until 2023.
Whether Alvarez would be the only return on a deal for Bryant or Suarez, or merely the most coveted piece of a larger deal, Is not clear. The Mets presently project J.D. Davis as their starting third baseman, but they might view either Bryant or Suarez as an upgrade.
Bryant was the 2014 Rookie of the Year and 2015 Most Valuable Player. But his production declined in 2020, a season in which he batted just .206 with four home runs and 11 RBIs.
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Suarez, a 2018 All Star, also saw a big dropoff in productivity in 2020. He batted just .202, although he did manage 15 home runs. The problem was that he only produced 25 hits all season that were not homers. He also struck out 67 times…that’s about one whiff every three official at bats.