The Mets have bought out catcher Tomas Nido's final two years of arbitration.
According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the Mets have agreed to a two-year, $3.7 million deal with Nido. The deal pays $1.6 million in 2023 and $2.1 million in 2024.
Nido, who is one of the game's best defensive catchers, is expected to split time behind the plate this season with newcomer Omar Narvaez.
Last season, Nido split time with James McCann, who was traded to the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the offseason.
In 2022, Nido played in 98 games, slashing .239/.276/.324 with a .600 OPS, three home runs and 28 RBIs.
Nido is best known for his defensive skills, in which he was eighth in all of baseball with five catcher framing runs. Narvaez was seventh with six catcher framing runs.
So while the Mets are certainly prioritizing defense behind the dish, they do have top prospect Francisco Alvarez knocking on the door of the big-leagues.
That said, Andy Martino of SNY reported that Alvarez is unlikely to start the season in the majors, as the Mets want him to continue to refine his defensive skills in Triple-A, as opposed to throwing him into the catching or DH mix in Queens.
For the time being, it'll be Nido and Narvaez as the Mets' catching duo until Alvarez is ready.
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