The catchers market has come to a screeching halt. The Rockies and Giants made moves for Miguel Olivo and Bengie Molina, respectively, and almost every other team is set or content... for now.
The two top remaining free agent catchers Rod Barajas and Yorvit Torrealba. The only reason both remain on the market is because their demands were too high.
Barajas had the opportunity to sign in New York. Torrealba had the chance to re-sign in Colorado. The Rockies opted for Miguel Olivo, in large part because they expect Chris Iannetta to handle the job close to full-time.
The Mets are a different story. They have expressed a desire all offseason for a catcher, talking with Barajas and Molina, among others. One would think the Mets would settle for Torrealba at a reduced price, but there is some bad blood between the two from the 2007 offseason.
Torrealba was closing in on a three year extension with the Mets when he mysteriously backed out and returned to Colorado. The Mets have shuffled through different catchers since.
As of now, the Mets say they are contemplating platooning Omir Santos and Henry Blanco for the time being. That could mean one of two things. They are still trying to cut a deal for Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder or holding out for the market to come down to sign Barajas or Torrealba to a low-base salary type deal.
As for other teams entering the mix, the Padres and Mariners are possible. However, both teams don't have much spending flexibility, and seem content with giving young guys an opportunity.
There are a lot of young catchers trying to establish themselves around the league right now. The best catchers are getting older, and only a select few of are stepping up. Joe Mauer, Victor Martinez, Brian McCann, Mike Napoli, Russell Martin, to name a few.
Then you have guys working through the growing pains. Geovany Soto of the Cubs, Dioner Navarro, Matt Wieters, Jarrod Saltalamachhia, and so on.
The fact of the matter is that teams are not interested in spending big on an average 30-something year old catcher, especially when there are other needs to fill.
Teams like the Astros (J.R. Towles), Padres (Nick Hundley), Mariners (Rob Johnson) all could be in the market for a veteran catcher, but have made other moves and hope that there once top prospects can establish themselves as big leaguers.
Unfortunately, Barajas and Torrealba don't have much negotiating weight now, and may have to accept whatever they can get.