On March 9, it was announced that the New York Mets will be without Francisco Álvarez for the next six to eight weeks with a left hand injury. He will need surgery on his hand, and Luis Torrens will be the Mets’ starting catcher in his absence.
Álvarez being out for New York is a big blow because he was expected to have a big season. It remains to be seen who the Mets’ backup catcher will be behind Torrens with Álvarez sidelined — will New York look internally or externally for another catcher on the roster before the 2025 season begins?
MLB Insider Suggests Mets Make a Trade for Tomás Nido Ahead of 2025 Season
Andy Martino of SNY said that the Mets should explore Álvarez’s replacement externally before the start of the 2025 season. He thinks that they should trade for catcher Tomás Nido.
Nido signed with the Detroit Tigers on a minor league contract in the offseason. He is currently with the Tigers in spring training. Nido has played for New York before and is no stranger to being in the clubhouse.
Martino said on his X page, “My speculation: What about a trade for Tomás Nido to New York? Currently in Tigers camp. It takes time to learn a staff and Nido has relationships here. Torrens/Nido would be a fine stopgap combo until Álvarez returns.”
Nido spent 2024 with New York before being traded to the Chicago Cubs. In 49 games last season, he had a .192 batting average with four home runs and 12 RBIs along with a .219 on-base percentage. However, there could be some other options for the Mets to explore if they do not want to trade for him.
Torrens and Álvarez are the only catchers currently on New York’s roster. James McCann and Yasmani Grandal are two catchers who are free agents. They could choose to sign one of them as free agents and get them into spring training before the start of the 2025 season.
The catcher position will be something to watch for as Mets executive David Stearns will need to make a move. Hopefully the injury to Álvarez will not be as long as initially listed. Dillon Dingler and Jake Rogers are the current catchers on the Tigers’ system. There might be no room for Nido on Detroit’s roster, and bringing him back to the Mets would make sense for now.
