We might as well talk about JT Realmuto

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think he's going to be the one that gets away, but who knows?

[Frayed Knot]

The biggest drawback to me is that he'll turn 30 during ST and it may cost too much (in years) to make out-bidding everyone else a smart move. He's got unusual athleticism for a backstop

so maybe he'll be the one to defy the odds for longer ... but, still, everything has a sell-by date.



One of the 'fallback' options, James McCann, is already 30 (31 in June) but could likely be signed for a shorter term and therefore a better risk even if the lesser overall player right now.

Edited November 18, 2020 by Guest

[Centerfield]

I mean it is still Sandy right? I just can't see him thinking this is the best use of resources. Look what happened to Jonathan Lucroy.



Depending on the other upgrades, I'd be ok with McCann or a defense first guy until Alvarez is ready.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I agree. If Tomas Nido is the one weak spot in the lineup, we'll still be okay.



And I expect they'll find someone a bit better than Nido.

[Frayed Knot]

And, btw, McCann was actually the better offensive player during the truncated 2020 season [890 OPS to 840].

Now Realmuto still owns the much better track record over his career and more recently [2017-20: JTR = 783, 825, 820 vs McC at 733, 581, 789]

so the trick is to discern whether McCann has recently 'found it' offensively or is he merely riding a one-year bump built on a small sample size*.

Was his 890 OPS in 2020 his outlier season or was it the 581 he put up back in '18?





* not just the shortened season but he played in only 31 games in 2020. He didn't miss any time, the ChiSox just switched off between him and Yasmani Grandal.

He crushed LHPs [1242 OPS; 744 vs RHP] in 2020 and in general has fared much better against them in his career [834 vs 639]

[A Boy Named Seo]

I don't know how much defensive acumen drops off once the bat disappears, but Realmuto could still be very useful if he remains an elite defensive catcher even if the bat becomes average. I like this dude a lot.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I wonder if they could get him with more money (average annual value) and fewer years? Or if that would be a good idea. Something to think about anyway.

[Frayed Knot]

A Boy Named Seo wrote: I don't know how much defensive acumen drops off once the bat disappears, but Realmuto could still be very useful if he remains an elite defensive catcher even if the bat becomes average. I like this dude a lot.

McCann has a rep as a superior defensive catcher as well -- or at least he does in everything except pitch-framing which might become a thing of the past if/when Robo-Ump comes

to pass -- although all of this is based purely on things I've heard/read as I've barely seen the guy. And while I'm not trying to sell him over Realmuto, I just think he can likely be

had for a shorter term which might be the way to go when considering over-30 backstops. So I want them to pursue Realmuto, I would just like this to be the smart NYM front office

who remembers that there's always a price **In Anything** at which you need to be willing to walk away.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Even though you said James, this whole time I had Brian McCann in my head and none of what you were saying made any sense to me.



pound sign reading#

[Centerfield]

McCann supposedly worked on his pitch framing and drastically improved in 2020. Whether that's sustainable or not I don't know.

[G-Fafif]

Phillies re-sign their catcher: 5 years, $115.5 million.

[A Boy Named Seo]

So McCann was 4 years at ~$10M per and Realmuto at 5 years and ~$23M per?

[Centerfield]

Yup. Is Realmuto more than twice as good as McCann? I guess we wait and see.

[A Boy Named Seo]

=Centerfield post_id=54854 time=1611697326 user_id=65]
Yup. Is Realmuto more than twice as good as McCann? I guess we wait and see.

[Centerfield]

I'm with you on Realmuto. I'm having a hard time letting go on Springer. He's been so consistently good and fit a glaring need like a glove. Long term deals are tough, but this one would have ended in his age 36 season. Not terrible.