Wilson Ramos Ready To Win Now With The Mets

After years with the contending Washington Nationals, and a few other pitstops here and there, Wilson Ramos is ready to conquer the National League East once again this year.

Signing a two-year deal with the Mets, Ramos was introduced during a press conference at Citi Field on Tuesday, December 18th. The 31-year-old expressed his thanks to GM Brodie Van Wagenen for the opportunity and stated he is working as hard as ever to play over 100 games for the team.

Unlike most players, Ramos met with teams during the Winter Meetings in order to get a feel for what they wanted. Meeting with Brodie and his team helped ease Ramos’ mind in order to sign with the club.

“I felt really comfortable in the room with them,” Ramos went on to say. “They gave me confidence and I felt that, and that was one of the reasons I chose to be with this team.”

In seven seasons with Washington, Ramos slashed .268/.313/.430 with 83 home runs. He tore his ACL in 2016, ending a productive season in which he hit .307/.354/.496. Ramos signed with the Rays for two years after that, before being traded to the Phillies in the middle of last season. Between the Rays and the Phillies in 2018, Ramos hit a combined .306/.358/.487 with 15 home runs, 80 RBIs and 148 hits in 131 games.

Ramos’ availability and easiness to choose New York was one of the main reasons the Mets picked him over trading for J.T. Realmuto. The Marlins, asking for a haul for the catcher, set unrealistic standards for Brodie, allowing him to strike while the iron was hot.

One of the other key reasons Ramos was signed was his experience with elite pitchers such as Max Scherzer. With a Cy Young winner in Jacob deGrom and a healthy Noah Syndergaard, Ramos has the opportunity to work with a new staff filled with potential stars. Ramos’ strategy to gain a good rapport with the pitchers is simpler than some may think. That is especially true with established pitchers.

“It’s really good to be behind the plate when those pitchers are on the mound, they know what they want to do,” Ramos stated. “They concentrate and have good meetings before the game… All these guys have good arms, and I wanted to put my experience behind the plate with them and try to help these guys win 100 games.”

Ramos will look to be a huge asset to a Mets team who have already added other major All-Star’s this offseason, including the returning Jeruys Familia and the combination of Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz.