The Rays have acquired right-hander Neraldo Catalina from the Mets as the player to be named later in last week’s trade that sent righty Wilmer Font from Tampa Bay to New York.
Catalina, 18, has yet to pitch in a professional game and hasn’t even been in the Mets organization for one calendar year. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic last July 2 and received a $150K signing bonus at the time, as Baseball America’s Ben Badler recently noted in reviewing the team’s 2018-19 international free-agent class. Badler notes that Catalina is already a massive 6’6″ and 205 pounds with a fastball that reaches 95 mph and a power slider. Obviously, he’s years away from being any kind of factor in the Majors, but he seemingly makes a nice lottery-ticket arm to add to the minor league ranks in Tampa.
Font, 28, has made just one appearance for the Mets since the time of the trade. He tossed four innings in a spot start and allowed a pair of runs on three hits with no walks allowed and one strikeout. He had a tough start to the season with the Rays — nine runs on 15 hits and five walks in 14 innings — but he’s a fairly hard-throwing righty who has seen a substantial uptick in swinging-strike and strikeout rate so far in 2019. Font is out of minor league options, so he’ll have to stick on the Mets’ roster moving forward or else be passed through waivers before he can be sent to the minor leagues.
Font has a great fastball but has 0 control over where it lands. This must be the 5th team that thought they could work out his control problems.
Everything’s always the same. Nothing ever changes.
Rays are still a shrewd organization that plays winning baseball even though they LITERALLY can’t afford to keep the lights on. Mets are still sitting in the world’s biggest sports market, wasting prospects to put together a losing team.
Nope, this is not connected at all. Literally every team makes trades like this across the entire league. How you possibly think this is a Mets “problem” or this is a reason to slander them is not relevant. Ok, maybe this is the 1 percent guy who turns into the next Tatis. But you better say the same thing every time a deal happens, no matter who is making it.
exactly
I will say the same thing every time a team that obviously has no shot at winning trades away prospects.
“Obviously”
Stop being so biased. By your standards Tampa wouldn’t have Wendle right now, but when they do these trades they’re “shrewd”? I get not liking opposing teams, but going out your way like this to trash them is kind of ridiculous. Especially since you generally seem pretty reasonable.
JD, they traded an 18 year old kid with a 95 mile an hour fastball for a dude with a career ERA at almost 7. While it’s true most prospects do not pan out, you’d have to go with youth and raw talent over a a dude who’s 30 and has never stayed in the majors for a full season. 19 games in 2018 is his career high. I’d put more money on the 18 year old making it before I’d put money on a 30 year old who has a 7 ERA that can’t stick on the MLB level
Ok. But again, literally every MLB team makes trades like this. You can’t tell me one who hasn’t.
I understand that if you bring a candle to the next Rays home game, you get a replica Elijah Dukes prison jersey.
Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a few years
Font has talent. Mets have the opportunity to help him make the needed adjustments to maximize it. This was a good trade for the Mets who didn’t adequately stockpile starting pitching depth in the offseason.
Wish they’d compete for Dallas after the draft. Would have been nice if they snagged Gio.
Vargas and Gio are similar. Wait for Dallas even though there will be plenty competition for his services.
Obtaining Gio would lock us into another ho hum lefty who might not make it out of the 5th or 6th, and can’t be trusted a third time through the lineup.
Keuchel want’s to be paid for his past production, not his likely future production, will he get it? He was at 3 years 50 mill, now at what, one year at “more than the 17.9 mill qualifying offer” he turned down. He’s delusional, here’s him-“”When people tweet at me, saying, ‘Hey, quit being the Le’Veon Bell of baseball,’ it is a funny line,” Keuchel said. “But he stood up for himself. He stood up for his well-being. And I’m standing up for my well-being as well. It’s about principle in both situations.” Le’Veon Bell is arguably the best rb in the game at the peak of his career. Smh, of course the Yankees will give him 20 mill so who’s the dummy?
They picked up an 18 year old with a 95 MPH fastball. You can’t predict development but 95 at 18 is pretty good. You got a young kid with raw tools for a dude who is 29 and had a career ERA just under a touchdown. I think the Rays did a pretty good job. They turned a bum into a lotto ticket
Font’s career history is flashes of mediocrity mixed in with a lot of not even that good, and it isn’t like he hasn’t had opportunities to figure something out. Would be surprised if the Mets don’t quickly DFA and try to get him through waivers..
I don’t see that happening. Not if he pitches the way he did in his first Mets appearance. I think he could turn out to be keeper. It’s not what happened in the past – it’s current tools, plus potential and what adjustments he can be taught to stick and pitch well.
Not sure what you found so encouraging about a single appearance, but either way, Font is 29 years old now, so unless he turns out to be a rare late-bloomer, then the past is going to be your best guide to the future. We will see but I will place my bet on DFA.
Brady Van Whatever, GM of the year…
Rays acquire Font for an asset that has an 18.00 ERA in a pitchers league, and is well on the way to Rule 5-eligibility.
Rays trade Font for a big dude in the DSL who’s not even played in a game yet.
Rays push back the Rule 5-eligibility clock, and surrender a guy they were likely about done with. Small move, but a bit wise..