Catching was the closest thing the Mets had to a positional black hole in 2022. James McCann provided another below-average campaign in his second year of a four-year, $40 million deal, essentially thrusting career backup Tomás Nido into the starting role. And while Nido played well enough to earn a two-year contract in the offseason, he put out the type of season you would expect from a player whose noteworthy skills are pitch-framing and bunting. It quickly became clear the Mets didn’t have a starting-caliber catcher anywhere in the organization.
But that’s all in the past thanks to super-prospect Francisco Álvarez, right?