Mets Move McCann, Bring In Narvaez In Upgrade Behind The Plate

The Mets welcomed Omar Narvaez to New York on Twitter. @Mets.

The Mets completed a major upgrade behind the plate, as they traded James McCann and cash considerations to the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be named later on Wednesday night, and then announced the signing of Omar Narvaez from the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday afternoon.

McCann had come to the Mets with great fanfare before the 2021 season after establishing himself as one of the best catchers in baseball with the Chicago White Sox. Even though he was known mostly for his defense, he had a career high 18 home runs and 60 RBI in his last 162-game season in Chicago in 2019 before he hit .289 in the shortened 2020 season, a bit higher than his .273 in '19.

That offensive spurt did not continue with his time with the Mets, as he hit .232 with 10 home runs and 46 RBI in 121 games in 2021. Then in an injury-riddled '22 campaign, in which he played in just 61 games, he hit .195 with three home runs and 18 RBI, and saw Tomas Nido establish himself as the starting catcher down the stretch.

Narvaez signed a one-year contract with a player option for 2024. He spent the past three seasons with Milwaukee, and he was an All-Star in 2021 when he hit .266 with 11 home runs and 49 RBI in 123 games. Last season, he was limited to just 84 games, and he hit .206 with four home runs and 23 RBI.

The 30-year-old Narvaez is a left-handed hitter and he has a slash line of .268/.345/.406 against right-handed pitchers. In his seven-year career, in which he also played for the Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners, he has hit .258/.343/.386 with 51 home runs, 191 RBI, 212 runs, 76 doubles, two triples, 223 walks, with a .728 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). Like McCann, his best season was in 2019, when he was a Mariner, and he hit a career-high 22 home runs and had an .813 OPS.

Mets General Manager Billy Eppler said in a statement, "We are excited to bring Omar to New York. Omar has contact ability and solid approach at the plate, and his left-handed bat fits our roster well. Additionally, the defensive skill and experience he brings behind the plate will be great additions for the Mets and our pitching staff."