As the Mets continue to work out their catching situation, most of the attention has centered around the competition between Travis d'Arnaud and Devin Mesoraco to back up Wilson Ramos -- but Tomas Nido remains in camp as well.
The Mets have long seen Nido as a potential long-term solution as a backup catcher. No one is deluded about his offensive potential, but Nido is an excellent defender in a role that requires it.
D'Arnaud has also made himself more central to the team's plans this year. He is making progress in his return from Tommy John surgery, and the Mets like what they are seeing from his on-field performance.
Still, he has only had 16 Grapefruit League at-bats, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that he will require a bit of extra time in extended spring in order to get fully healthy and game-ready. If d'Arnaud begins the year on the injured list, he likely wouldn't have to stay there for long.
Meanwhile, the Mets face a possible decision this week on Mesoraco. The veteran's contract contains an "upward mobility" clause, which works like this: If the Mets do not inform Mesoraco by Wednesday that he is making the 25-man roster, he has a 72-hour window to find a roster spot with another team.
If a team offers him a roster spot, the Mets have a window to counter -- meaning that they have two shots this week at adding Mesoraco.
If no other teams want Mesoraco, the Mets can preserve that aspect of their depth by sending him to Triple-A.