The New York Mets were among the more active clubs in completing moves ahead of this season’s MLB trade deadline. Mets general manager Billy Eppler orchestrated a total of five trades before the Aug. 2 deadline.

In the weeks leading up to the MLB trade deadline, the Mets reportedly had an eye on bolstering their depth at the catcher position. For one, they were heavily linked with Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, who ended up staying put with the NL Central club. In the end, the Mets settled for catcher Michael Perez, as they hauled him in from the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash.

According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, the Mets did make a push to trade for now-former Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez. Heyman noted that Vazquez, who was sent to the Houston Astros in a multiplayer trade, “wanted to be a Met.” The Astros ultimately won the sweepstakes for him, as they “obviously offered more.” They sent Boston two hitting prospects to acquire him.

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Ahead of the trade deadline, the Mets did not have an urgent need for a high-priced catcher, although there were several factors behind their call to add a fourth catcher to the roster. For one, they have not received much quality production from James McCann, Tomas Nido, and Patrick Mazeika at the plate, as they each currently boast an OPS+ under 60. More so, McCann was sidelined earlier in the campaign due to a wrist injury, but he wound up making his return to action in early August.

On the other hand, Vazquez has been a quality hitter in the Astros’ high-octane lineup since joining the club, recording a .361 batting average to go along with an OPS+ of 119. Still, he sits at a mere eight starts made at catcher for the current AL West leaders, as manager Dusty Baker continues to call upon Martin Maldonado to catch a vast majority of games. This comes as Maldonado is a personal catcher for multiple starting pitchers on the roster, including Justin Verlander.

The Mets are in the midst of a three-game home series against the Colorado Rockies. They still hold the top spot in the NL East with an 81-46 record.