Inside The Mets

Insider suggests Gold Glove winning catcher for Mets' Francisco Alvarez replacement

Could the New York Mets acquire this veteran backstop while Francisco Alvarez is sidelined?

Grant Young

Sep 16, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (4) throws to first on a sacrifice bunt by Washington Nationals second baseman Ildemaro Vargas (not pictured) during the tenth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Sep 16, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (4) throws to first on a sacrifice bunt by Washington Nationals second baseman Ildemaro Vargas (not pictured) during the tenth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The New York Mets' front office has an unfortunate predicament on their hands.

This predicament stems from starting catcher Francisco Alvarez suffering a fractured hamate bone in his left hand, which will require surgery and keep him sidelined for approximately 6-8 weeks.

This is of course a brutal blow for New York, as Alvarez is not only a great defensive catcher and capable hitter but also does a fantastic job of managing the pitching staff. While his loss will be keenly felt regardless of the Mets' next move, acquiring a catcher in his stead could help mitigate this issue.

Read more: New York Mets reveal Kodai Senga's next step in pitching progression

When speaking about a potential replacement plan for Alvarez on Sunday, David Stearns said, "We'll see. I think we feel good about the guys we have in camp. Anytime you have an injury to a regular player, you're going to see what's out there. But we don't anticipate this being an extremely lengthy injury," per SNY.

In other words, Stearns will be looking for a replacement. And in a March 9 article, Joel Scherman of the New York Post suggested that veteran catcher Tucker Barnhart would be someone Steans looks to acquire.

Barnhart is a two-time MLB Gold Glove Award winning catcher who signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Texas Rangers earlier this offseason.

While he has struggled mightily as a hitter over the past few seasons (he hit .173 with a .497 OPS for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024), Barnhart is still a skilled defender that could help fold down the fort until Alvarez returns — which will hopefully be sooner rather than later.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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