The Mets were interested in prized free agent catcher J.T. Realmuto‘s services this winter, but they couldn’t wait around forever, president Sandy Alderson said. So the team pivoted to James McCann, whose new four-year contract with the team became official this week.
However, Realmuto may not be a stranger to the Mets going forward, as MLB Insiders Jon Heyman and Britt Ghiroli report that the Washington Nationals are interested in Realmuto’s services.
Realmuto, 30 in March, is slated to secure a big pay day this winter, so Heyman adds that should Washington pursue the backstop, ownership would have to give the greenlight on a deal.
The Oklahoma native is arguably the best catcher in the game today, with a robust bat combined with a strong defensive prowess behind the dish.
In his seven year big league career between the Marlins and Phillies, Realmuto has been worth 18.9 fWAR, and has been worth 4+ fWAR in his last three full seasons (2017-19).
During the shortened 2020 season, Realmuto clubbed 11 homers, had a triple slash of .266/.349/.491, a .361 wOBA and 125 wRC+. For his career, he owns a slash line of .278/.328/.455, a .333 wOBA and 109 wRC+.
On the other side of the ball in his last full season in 2019, Realmuto was ranked No. 4 by Baseball Prospectus out of 123 qualifying catchers with a 20.4 catcher defensive adjustment (CDA) and 19.5 fielding runs above average (FRAA). Statcast also has Realmuto in the 95th percentile in framing.
The last two seasons, the Nationals have mostly had Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki calling the shots behind the plate, but Suzuki is now a free agent and Gomes has just one year left on his contract.
Washington’s current payroll is sitting at just over $142 million plus $21 million in deferred salaries, according to Spotrac.
Should Realmuto decide to take his talents to Washington, it would be his third team played for in the National League East.
