After Rene Rivera signed with the Angels this off-season, the Mets needed to find a veteran catcher to back up both Plaweck and d’Arnaud who are about as reliable health wise as the G train. This is the first season in the while the Mets do not have Xorge Carrillo as a far down the depth chart option and don’t want to call up Nido again unless they can provide an extended amount / consistent of playing time, so here comes Jose Lobaton.
The long time National, Jose Lobaton slashed .170/.248/.277 over 158 PAs last year and is a .218/.295/.324 career hitter over 8 years spanning from 2009 on. He has bounced around the last couple of seasons in terms of being a boost defensively. In 2011 he posted a 3 DRS, then the next two years he was negative and 2014 he posted a 6, by far his best season. Last year he was a -5. For the Mets, he’s a good veteran to bring in for a just in case situation that reliably seems to occur for the Mets throughout the season.
Jose Lobaton was a smart signing for the Mets. He’s not going to have a knock out season, if he stays with the Mets after Spring Training, he will probably find his way to Queens before the end of the season. The Mets don’t need him to be a surprise, they just need Lobaton to be himself.
