Following news last week that the Phillies offered free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto a nine-figure contract, a new report from Robert Murray says the Atlanta Braves are now “circling on” Realmuto. Murray said other teams on the west coast are interested in the catcher, too.
It’s generally believed that Realmuto will end up back with the Phillies, but as we saw this week with George Springer, a team that’s the favorite for a player may not always end up with him.
In recent years, the Braves have been fans of giving players large one-year deals (Josh Donaldson, Marcell Ozuna, Cole Hamels) to prove their worth, and at least on offense, they’ve worked out most of the time. Perhaps the Braves could look into giving Realmuto a massive one-year deal, allowing him to test free agency in a market with more potential suitors next offseason.
The team already has Travis d’Arnaud, though, so unless there is a designated hitter in the National League next year, this signing wouldn’t make too much sense. D’Arnaud is signed for $8 million dollars through the end of the 2021 season, so he could be a trade candidate if the Braves were able to sign Realmuto.
The Braves also used their first round pick in 2019 on catcher Shea Langeliers and prospect William Contreras made his big league debut in 2020.
It could also be that the Braves’ interest–as well as the interest from these other West Coast teams–is being used to get Realmuto some extra dollars or years on a deal for the best catcher in baseball. Realmuto is a top free agent, and after seeing the total dollars on Springer’s contract this week ($150 million), Realmuto’s price went up a bit.
