As potential suitors for JT Realmuto continues to decline, Robert Murray of Fansided tweets that the Braves are “circulating” in the free-agent catcher, adding that some clubs on the west coast are also still interested in the ex-All-Star.
It is a surprise to see the Braves connected to Realmuto for a number of reasons. Atlanta already has veteran Travis d’Arnaud signed for $ 8MM in 2021, and he’s coming out of a .273 / .336 / .465 exhibition for the past two seasons. In addition, Realmuto has been looking for the exact type of long-term contract that Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos has avoided since taking over in Atlanta.
The Braves waited Dallas Keuchelthe market to get a one-year contract and chose not to come close to the twins’ four-year Josh Donaldson. They painted Cole Hamels in a one-year deal last winter, instead of seeking a multi-year pact with Zack Wheeler or Madison Bumgarner. ESPN Buster Olney recently wrote that Marcell Ozuna it is “highly unlikely” to return to Atlanta. Ozuna, of course, is looking for a profitable business for several years.
This type of contract was simply not part of the Braves manual under the current front-office regime. Okay, it only takes one exception to change the narrative, but with recent reports that the Phillies have offered about $ 110 million in five years, a Realmuto-to-Braves deal would need to break the Braves’ short-term mold in a pretty way dramatic. It is also possible that the Braves are “circulating” – a decidedly nebulous term – to see if Realmuto chooses to follow Yasmani Grandalsteps from and make a one-year pact due to your dissatisfaction with the multi-year offers. An expensive business of one or even two years would be absolutely in the wheelhouse of the Braves, based on recent history. This is also hard to imagine when the Phillies present a nine-digit offer, however.
Realmuto spoke in the past about his desire to advance in the future collectors market. It’s a big part of why he went to an arbitration hearing with the Phillies last year, arguing for a $ 12.4 million salary against the team’s $ 10 million lawsuit. The Phillies won the audience, but Realmuto later said he was “fighting for a cause and fighting for the rest of the Seekers”, adding that he “is proud” to fight for future generations of players in his position. These comments don’t make you sound like a seeker looking to get discounts in any environment.
All of this means that, if Realmuto made a short-term pact, the deal would probably represent a new decisive record for the annual value of the Seeker. This sum currently belongs to Joe Mauer, who averaged $ 23 million a year during his eight-year contract with the twins. However, the Phillies are already offering close to that amount within five years, making it difficult to see Realmuto backing out of a shorter-term deal. This is especially true when Phils’ current offering would set a Seeker record by itself – the first nine-digit contract for a free agent Seeker. (Mauer and Buster Posey signed their nine-digit deals as extensions, while they were still under the club’s control.)
It should also be noted that the Braves ‘word of interest only serves to benefit Realmuto’s camp if they are still trying to push the Phillies’ offer further north. A $ 110 million five-year contract would be just an AAV record for catchers, and surpassing the $ 23 million annual mark is certainly something that is still important to Realmuto.
The vague nature of the report in this case does not indicate that Atlanta is comfortable distributing an atypical nine-digit pact, and there would be a seismic difference between waiting for Realmuto to fall into your lap in a short-term Grandal-style contract and making a real price run. top market. Perhaps Anthopoulos and his team believe that Realmuto is a factor that makes the difference, that it is worth changing from your typical hardline stance against such contracts, but there is no real evidence to support this thinking at this point.
If the Braves finally break their character and hire Realmuto at a premium, taking d’Arnaud to a $ 8 million backup or an exchange candidate in the process, they will be a better team for that. But the story does not support them in an aggressive move for several years, and it seems a very opportune scenario to be approached, as the division rival Phillies seems to be in an increasingly favorable position to resume his star backstop.