David Rodriguez/Tailyr Irvine (Tampa Bay Times)

The New York Mets have signed C David Rodriguez to a minor league deal. The 23 year old Venezuelan catcher has spent the past seven years in the Tampa Bay Rays organization reaching Double-A.

As noted by Baseball America in 2016, Rodriguez “is an athletic, quick-twitch receiver who blocks well and has excellent hands to go with plus arm strength. Last year, he caught 61 games, and he threw out 31% of attempted base stealers. Overall, Rodriguez has a strong reputation as a strong defensive catcher.

Last year, Rodriguez hit .225/.303/.366 with 10 doubles, three triples, seven homers, and 36 RBI. His 95 wRC+ was an improvement over the 76 wRC+ he posted in Double-A during the 2018 season.

Rodriguez presents improved catching depth for the Mets organization who may lose Patrick Mazeika in Thursday’s Rule 5 Draft. In the event Mazeika is not drafted, the Mets will have to figure out how to allocate playing time at the top two levels of their farm system with Ali Sanchez, Rodriguez, Mazeika, and Austin Bossart all having played in Double-A for at least part of the 2019 season.