When the New York Mets signed James McCann to a four-year, $40.6 million deal back in December, most fans were thrilled with the signing. Yet there was a segment of the fan base that was still left to wonder, what’s J.T. Realmuto going to get?
Now we finally have an answer to that question, as Realmuto agreed to terms with the Philadelphia Phillies on a five-year, $115.5 million deal yesterday.
So who ended up with the better deal, the Mets or the Phillies?
Player Comparison
After the 2018 season, comparing J.T. Realmuto to James McCann would have seemed like a laughable conversation. Realmuto was coming off an All-Star season in which he won the NL Silver Slugger. McCann was non-tendered by the Tigers after five mediocre seasons in Detroit.
But over the last two years McCann turned his career around with the Chicago White Sox, to the point where the Mets were comfortable passing on an opportunity to sign the consensus best catcher in baseball.
Across his time in Chicago, McCann hit .276/.334/.474, with 25 home runs, 29 doubles, 75 RBI and an .808 OPS across 149 games played. On the other hand, Realmuto hit .273/.333/.492, with 36 home runs, 42 doubles, 115 RBI and an .825 OPS across 192 games played during that span.
Realmuto clearly has the better track record offensively, as his career 111 OPS+ is far better than McCann’s career mark of 86 OPS+. Yet over the last two years, McCann actually compares favorably with a 114 OPS+ juxtaposed to Realmuto’s 112 OPS+.
When it comes to the defensive side of the ball, Realmuto is the superior catcher, as he often tops the leaderboard for pop time and ranked in 95th percentile for pitch framing in 2020. However McCann’s pitch framing improved drastically this season, as he finished in 88th percentile.
All told, Realmuto is the better all-around catcher. But if McCann’s improvements over the last two years hold true, he is certainly going to have a great impact as the Mets starting backstop.
Contracts
Now that we have examined how these catchers stack up on the field, let’s take a deeper look at their contracts.
Realmuto: five-year, $115.5 million
2021: $10 million ($10 million deferred)
2022: $23.875 million
2023: $23.875 million
2024: $23.875 million
2025: $23.875 million
2026: $5 million (half of the deferred payment)
2027: $5 million (half of the deferred payment)
Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
McCann: four-year, $40 million with $600,000 signing bonus
2021: $8 million
2022: $8 million
2023: $12 million
2024: $12 million
To give credit where it’s due, the Phillies were very patient in their pursuit of their All-Star catcher and it paid off. Realmuto originally had hopes of signing a record-breaking $200 million contract to change the market for catchers, while MLB Trade Rumors predicted that Realmuto would sign a five-year, $125 million contract.
By waiting out the market, the Phillies landed him for less than anyone would have projected and also got him to agree to a deal on their terms.
Phillies owner John Middleton has been very vocal about their financial woes since the end of last season and now they have signed a top free agent at a very reasonable cost in 2021. Half of Realmuto’s $20 million salary this season has been deferred to be paid out in 2026 and 2027. He also did not receive a signing bonus.
Considering what his market was supposed to be, this contract is of great value for the Phillies. Yet when it comes to Mets offseason plans, an argument can certainly be made McCann’s contract is of greater value because it gives them the opportunity to make additional moves.
Philadelphia was comfortable having a quiet winter if the right deal didn’t present itself. The win-now Mets did not have the same luxury.
McCann’s agent had a great strategy in negotiating his client’s new contract, as they forced the Mets hand. Sign McCann now, or risk missing out on both catchers if you can’t land the big fish.
New York could not go into next season with just Tomas Nido and Ali Sanchez manning the backstop, which made signing one of those two catchers a necessity. Even if the Mets preferred to sign McCann to a shorter deal, they landed their guy at a cost that was fair based on his recent production.
Verdict
When looking at these respective contracts, both teams can be very happy with deals they signed. The Phillies were able to appease a frustrated fan base by retaining their All-Star catcher, without breaking the bank in the short-term.
The Mets addressed one of their biggest concerns early on in the offseason, giving them the flexibility to make other moves like acquiring over $30 million in salary in a trade that netted them Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco.
Only time will truly tell which team nets a better return on their investment, but as of now, it’s fair to say the Mets signed the better deal for them and that’s all that really matters.
