Mets Notebook: Buck Showalter made sure to DFA Tomas Nido ‘as humanely as possible’

ATLANTA — The Mets made a tough decision to cut catcher Tomas Nido on Monday, and they wanted to make sure that they did it right.

With the team departing New York for Atlanta following a series against Toronto Blue Jays, they had to act swiftly to avoid bringing a player to a city only to give him the hard news and send him home. So they contacted the traveling secretary to make sure his wife and kids weren’t on the way or even worse, already in Georgia. They had his equipment taken off the plane.

Buck Showalter had a tough conversation with a well-respected, homegrown catcher before the team departed. The following day, the club reinstated catcher Omar Narvaez from the 60-day injured list and designated Nido for assignment, making the decision to move forward this season with a catching tandem of Narvaez and rookie Francisco Alvarez.

“I’ve known him for almost two seasons and he’s been in the organization for a long time,” Showalter said Tuesday at Truist Park before the Mets opened a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves with a 6-4 loss. “It was emotional for both of us. The timing is never good, especially after a tough loss. We wanted to make sure his wife wasn’t coming here and didn’t want to wait to do it here. We try to treat it as humanely as possible knowing it’s going to be tough any way you do it.

“But on the flip side, we’re happy to get Omar back.”

There is still some hope that the club can keep Nido in the organization. He’s been with the organization since they drafted him in 2012 and developed into a strong defensive catcher. However, they’re keeping the player’s best interest in mind and trying to work out a trade. The club had looked into trading him in the past and it made sense given his affordability. But the Mets think Narvaez, who was once regarded as a bat-first catcher, and Alvarez will give them the best chance moving forward.

“He’s either going to be traded, he’s either going to be claimed on waivers, or he’s going to be in [Triple-A] Syracuse,” Showalter said. “We’re hoping for our sake, he’s in Syracuse. We would still like to have him around. He’s a Major League catcher.”

Narvaez hit ninth and went 1-for-2 with a run scored Wednesday. He gives the Mets another left-handed option off the bench on days when Alvarez gets the nod and the team has considered utilizing their catchers in the DH spot. Showalter didn’t detail his plan for playing time between Narvaez and Alvarez, only saying Alvarez will be back in the lineup Wednesday. Alvarez has become much more familiar with the Mets’ pitching staff with Narvaez and Nido both on the IL in May, but the manager expects Narvaez to catch up quickly.

“I’m not going to let either one of them sit around and I’m going to make use of both of their skills,” Showalter said.

Narvaez was sidelined April 5 in Milwaukee, straining his calf while running out of the batter’s box. The Mets have $15 million guaranteed to him with a two-year contract (player option for 2024).

“He’s a smart guy, knows how to call a game and he’s a good receiver,” Showalter said. “Guys like throwing to him and he’s a threat with the bat.”

WBC HANGOVER

The Mets sent a large contingent of core players to the WBC and the debate over whether or not it was good for them is still going on, and not because the club is without closer Edwin Diaz.

Francisco Lindor and Eduardo Escobar are having uncharacteristically down seasons. Jeff McNeil, the 2022 NL batting title winner, is more than 100 points behind NL batting leader Luis Arraez.

“It’s good for baseball, and I’m glad they did it,” Showalter said. “But I think it’s got some residual [effects] too.”

The only player who hasn’t been affected is Pete Alonso, who entered Tuesday leading the league with 21 home runs. Alonso, the manager said, is a different breed.

“I think it’s kind of worked out well for him,” Showalter said. “Pete starts his motor around November 2. He’s a guy that’s got all of the cylinders moving 24 hours a day.”

DELAYED

The Mets and Braves started in a delay due to thunderstorms in the area. However, no rain actually fell during the 1:40 timespan. The game started at 9 p.m. ET.

“I’ve been confused a few times here,” Showalter said. “I don’t hear much. Thank goodness the clubby tells us.”

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