Last night Ronny Paulino left his rehab assignment Triple-A with a strained oblique. He was rehabbing when a physical revealed he was suffering from anemia. He was suppose to return next week, but that his highly unlikely now. His status is now unclear and his return will most certainly be delayed. Good news for Mike Nickeas at least.

Name:  Kai Achim Gronauer

Age/Birthdate:  26 years old / 11/28/1986

Home:  Solingen, Germany

Height/Weight:  6'1'' / 200 lbs.

Bats/Throws:  Right / Right

Drafted:  International Free Agent signing from the Solingen Alligators in 2008.

Scouting Report:

Although the Mets have been knocked by many regarding their inability to pay over slot in the June amateur drafts, they have been able to develop an extensive system via International Free Agency.  Normally their target resides in the Latin American region, although in the case of Kai, they reached across the Atlantic to snag away what some scouts believe as the organization's top catching prospect now that Thole is in NY.  Offensively he is an average hitter, although his 2010 numbers don't necessarily agree.  His stance is a slight crouch that feeds into his ability to hit line drives.  He is very aggressive early on in the count, but he consistently is able to put the ball into play, cutting down on his Ks and walks.  He prides himself on his defense, which he has continuously improved upon since coming to the US.  His quick catch and release mechanics and powerful arm make him a stud at defending the running game.  His main focus now lies in understanding each batter's mentality as they step into the box and trying to control the game precisely with his pitch calling.  If he is able to combine these attributes along with his arm and great plate blocking ability, the Mets may have found a gem from beyond the sea.

2010 Season:

2010 was a coming out party for Kai.  He began and spent the first 2/3rds of the season in the Sally league with the Sand Gnats.  There he anchored a pitching staff that finished #2 in the league with a team ERA of 3.08.  Defensively he threw out 23 of 51 would-be-base-stealers (45%) and only allowed 7 passed balls in 49 games.  His offensive numbers were modest at .267 BA with 23 runs driven in.  In late July, Kai was promoted to High A in St. Lucie where he finished out the season.  Florida was where his bat began to shine.  Kai produced almost identical total #'s as he did in Savannah in just over half the amount of games he played in Florida.  He raised him average to .324 in his time there, boosting his total avg to .291 for the year.  He mimicked his RBI and HR #s and proved he could get the job done at the higher levels.  His caught stealing numbers declined a tad, catching 15 of 40 runners (38%), but still finished the year with a 41% ratio.

Career STATS:

After spending five years in the German Bundesliga League, the 23 year old faced a daunting task when he was drafted by the Mets.  In Germany, Gronauer was considered a premiere player, but the competition was nothing compared to the US, even in the lowest of levels.  Kai began his career in the Rookie League with the Gulf Coast Mets.  He started 16 games as catcher that year and batted .356 with 10 RBIs.  Although his opportunities were limited, he threw out 6 of 10 base runners and solidified his position behind the plate.  In 2009, Kai completed his first full season with the organization as a member of the Savannah Sand Gnats.  The fiercer competition seemed to have taken a toll on his offensive numbers, but he continued to mature and develop behind the plate.   He posted a .984 fielding percentage in 515 chances and threw out 37% of the 79 potential runners.  He claims the season was a learning process and vowed to take it to the next level in 2010, a promise he would keep.

Click here to see a complete list of his career statistics (thanks to baseballreference.com)

2011 should be a good year for Kai.  With the catcher position being so thin within the organization, Kai could have a very prominent role.  Although he has only spent a few months in High A ball, I see Gronauer starting as the catcher in Binghamton, with Mike Nickeas starting the year in Buffalo.  Nickeas will most likely get the first opportunity to join the bigs as he is already a member of the Met's 40-man squad, with his 2010 call-up, but Kai certainly has much more potential.  If visa problems still hinder Paulino for any reason and Nickeas is called up, Kai could even find himself in Buffalo at some point in the season.  He still needs to work on his hitting and continue to learn the art of calling a game, but my guess is we see him in New York in 2013 as the backup catcher to Josh Thole.  He could have the opportunity in 2012, but my guess is that with Thole being a young catcher himself, the Mets will look to fill the back-up position with a veteran who can help Josh adjust.

Thanks to scout.com for some of the information provided

Henry Blanco and the Arizona Diamondbacks are close to reaching an agreement according to the team site of the Margarita Braves. Nothing is finalized yet, but the deal could be done by the end of the week.

The Mets pretty much assured Blanco wouldn't be returning after the sign of Ronny Paulino. I really enjoyed watching Blanco play for the brief time he was here. Handled the pitching staff extremely well and have a great defensive catcher.

According to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes, the Mets have signed catcher Ronny Paulino to a one-year $1.3M deal. Paulino will most likely serve as the back-up catcher to Josh Thole, and start in games when left-handers are starting.

Paulino hit .259 with a .311 OBP, four home runs and 37 RBI in 91 games last season for the Florida Marlins. The two time All-Star handles left-handers extremely well, hitting .358 with a .380 OBP last season against them.

Paulino's defense isn't as good as Henry Blanco's, but it looks like the Mets will get more offensive production out of Paulino than they did Blanco.

Paulino was suspended 50 games last season for using performance-enhancing drugs, and will miss nine games at the start of the 2011 season because of this.

I like Paulino as a back-up and he'll do a good job against the lefties. I think the Mets might have overpaid a little for him though. $1.3M for a back-up catcher who is currently serving a suspension due to performance-enhancing drug usage, seems a bit high. I'm not saying they went Jayson Werth for him, but they probably could have shaved a few hundred thousand off this deal.

Paulino said he took the drugs for weight management and didn't know they were illegal.

Buster Onley reports that free agent catcher Russell Martin wants to play on the East Coast. Six teams, including the New York Yankees are interested in Martin, according to Ken Rosenthal. MLBTradeRumors.com writes that it wouldn't be surprising to see the Mets interested in Martin, who might look for an upgrade behind the plate.

Right now I'm fine with Josh Thole as the starting catcher, but it's up to the front office if they want to give him another year to develop. For the Mets it's all about cost. If Martin can be had at the right price, they will go for him. However, they are very limited in terms of spending this offseason.

Martin hit .248/.347/.332  with five home runs, 26 RBI, and six stolen bases in 387 at-bats last season. His best year came in 2007 when he hit .293/.374/.469 with 19 home runs, 87 RBI, 21 stolen bases and won the Gold Glove.

I think a change of teams is just what Martin needs. He doesn't seem happy in Los Angeles, so maybe a move to the other coast will help him.

In other Dodger/Met related news, Rod Barajas is close to re-signing with Los Angeles for one year, according to Dylan Hernandez. Despite this, the Dodgers still have interest in bring back Martin.