The stars seem to match the Phillies and JT Realmuto.
According to Phils, the Phils catcher made their first official offer: five years and just over $ 100 million NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark, confirms a report by The Athletic.
The news comes as landing sites for Realmuto continue to disappear. There are the Mets after the signing of James McCann, the Yankees after spending $ 90 million to keep DJ LeMahieu and probably the Angels, after agreeing with Kurt Suzuki on Friday.
Realmuto has long sought the highest annual average value ever for a catcher, currently $ 23 million from Joe Mauer’s eight-year $ 184 million contract with the Twins. If that is still the target, a five-year deal would have to exceed $ 115 million. However, it is unclear whether Realmuto’s target can still be reached, given the free agency.
Can another team offer a bigger contract for Realmuto at this stage? Who’s left? The subjects are considered unlikely, and so are the Astros because of the drafts they have already forfeited from their scandal-stealing scandal. Other top NL contenders like the Dodgers and Padres have catchers and have spent money elsewhere this offseason. The Cardinals may be a possibility if they lose Yadier Molina at his retirement, but it is unclear if they have the ability to make a deal like this.
Throughout the season, the Blue Jays are referred to as a potential destination for the best guys: Realmuto, George Springer, Trevor Bauer. Would Realmuto go there?
Philadelphia will almost certainly be its preferred spot over Toronto, given its convenience and familiarity here, plus the tax implications of half of your games in Canada. It is unclear whether the Blue Jays will play in Toronto in 2021, but the Canadian tax rate to which he is subject is about 16 percent higher than in the United States. If the Phillies and Blue Jays offer the same deal, Phillies’ offer will likely net Realmuto more, though Toronto could get creative with accounting alternatives to mitigate certain tax differences (similar to a sign-up bonus in the NFL).
The Phillies are committed to making this agreement happen. You are not offering a nine-digit contract unless you are serious. If the Phils can complete it, the tone of their off-season will change quickly. They would have addressed their top priority, while also adding a proven late-turn reliever in Archie Bradley and two hard-hitting bulls arms that could have helped. The door was not closed for Didi Gregorius either. Earlier this week, baseball industry president Dill Dombrowski said the team was interested in signing him.
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