MLB Insider Names Mets' Biggest Hole Down the Stretch

The MLB trade deadline came and went earlier this week, allowing several teams to load up for a postseason run. The New York Mets made a few deals, including acquisitions of Darin Ruf, Tyler Naquin, Mychal Givens, Daniel Vogelbach and Colin Holderman.

This was a number of low-level splashes that will have an impact in the last two months of the season, but left some fans wanting more. Even with the new talent, MLB insider Bradford Doolittle still believes the Mets have a "gaping hole" in their current roster construction.

Doolittle highlights the Mets' issues with offensive production from the catcher position as an area they will continue to remain behind the rest of the National League through the postseason.

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New York, like many teams around baseball, prioritized defense fist when building up the catching depth on their roster. Doolittle notes the grouping of Tomas Nido, James McCann and Patrick Mazeika combined to rank fifth in FanGraphs' defensive ratings at catcher, eighth in pitch framing.

That's close to elite. The only issue? That same grouping ranks just 20th in catching WAR, and none have eclipsed the .550 mark in on-base plus slugging percentage.

The rumored Willson Contreras talks makes matters worse, a deal the front office ultimately could not pull off. Doolittle compares the Mets' offensive struggles at catcher to two teams also on top of the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves, saying neither has "any issues with having to pick offense or defense behind the plate."

Mets fans are holding out hope for their hyped catching prospect Francisco Alvarez. He's torn the cover off the ball between Double-A and Triple-A this season and is the No. 1 prospect across all of baseball, although GM Billy Eppler notes the young phenom is "not an option right now."

For now, the Mets hold +600 odds (4th) to win the 2022 World Series on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.