Omar Narváez picked up his 2024 player option in November, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be a Met.
The paper's Mike Puma indicated Thursday that the Mets are open to trading Narváez, giving the veteran catcher at least a chance to play more often than he did in Queens behind Francisco Alvarez. It was reported that this will be obtained.
Narváez, who turns 32 next month, will play next season on a $7 million contract.
The Mets have Tomas Nido in the minor leagues who will make $2.1 million in 2024, but he is not currently on the 40-man roster.
Also last month, the Blue Jays claimed catcher Tyler Heineman off waivers, giving him a spot on the 40-man roster.
The Mets signed Narváez last offseason to serve as their opening day catcher, but he was placed on the disabled list with a calf strain a week into the season and sidelined until June.
This opened the door for Alvarez to move up from Triple-A and take over the full-time job, earning him 100 starts compared to 40 for Narváez and 18 for Nido.
Narváez indicated in July that he would be open to a trade if it meant more playing time.
“I think every player wants to play every day,” Narvaez said. “I'm sad to be leaving the team, but if it's good for my career, I'll definitely accept it. Everyone at this club wants to play every day.”
Narvaez appeared in 49 games last season, hitting .211 with a .580 OPS.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns previously traded for Narváez in 2019 while in the same role with the Brewers.
