Report: JT Realmuto “Not Particularly Keen on Playing in New York”

One of the hottest free agents this offseason is going to be stud catcher J.T. Realmuto. Not only is he clearly the best catcher on the market, he’s arguably the best position player in free agency and the best catcher in baseball.

The Mets have a clear need at catcher with them likely declining the $10 million option ($1.5M buyout) for Wilson Ramos. They also have a $6.5 million ($1.0 million buyout) for veteran catcher Robinson Chirinos.

Enter Realmuto and Steve Cohen.

Realmuto, 29, has hit .282/.336/.466 over the last five seasons and had an .840 OPS for the Phillies in 2020. Cohen is expected to have his bid to buy the Mets approved soon, he has a net worth of $14 billion, meaning the team in Flushing should see an uptick in free agent spending.

However, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports is reporting that Realmuto wants to stay in Philadelphia and “is not particularly keen on playing in New York”.

Salisbury does go on to note that the same source believes Realmuto might be persuaded to follow the money, “However, if that’s where the record-setting money is, Realmuto will eat heroes instead of hoagies”.