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The big news for Friday is that the Yankees have reportedly agreed to agree with infielder DJ LeMahieu on a six-year, $ 90 million contract that will bring him back to the Bronx. It’s a major name on the board, but that doesn’t stop the constant stream of hot cooker rumors. Speaking of which, here’s what’s buzzing around the MLB for Friday.
The Phillies make a new offer to Realmuto
The Philadelphia Phillies have made a new offer to top free agent receiver JT Realmuto. According to Athletic’s Jayson Stark, the offer is for five years and slightly above the $ 100 million mark. The offer is believed to be roughly the same as the Phillies’ offer last March, Stark adds. These negotiations between the two sides were abruptly interrupted due to the freezing of the league’s transactions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Realmuto, represented by Jeff Berry of the CAA, is said to have taken the position of Realmuto considered one of baseball’s best players, not just as a catcher, Stark reports. There have been several reports of the asking price of Realmuto and his camp, but Stark notes that they have ranged as high as $ 200 million.
According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, there is some optimism that the Phillies could actually close the deal and keep their starting receiver. Stark also echoed the same sentiment, citing the Phillies as starting to position themselves as the favorite to sign Realmuto.
CBS Sports has ranked Realmuto, who turns 30 in March, as the second best free agent available this offseason. Here is our rating on the top receiver:
Realmuto has just completed the second best attacking season of his career, hitting .266 / .349 / .491 with 11 home runs in 47 games. Perhaps the best way to sum up Realmuto is to acknowledge that he hit the ball 95 km / h or more as often in 2020 as Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Pete Alonso did … and that he did. accomplished this feat by playing above average defense. behind the plate. Realmuto is more athletic than the standard backstop, and he’s averaged seven interceptions per pop since his first full season. If you’re looking for nits to choose from, you may bemoan its single-digit walk rate or propensity to sway and miss. Otherwise, the best a fear sower can do is show the risky history of Seekers in their thirties. Realmuto, who is approaching his 30-year season, has enough for him to get paid – and he’s probably going to be worth it.
The Phillies are said to be one of the MLB clubs to cut payroll this offseason after the abridged 2020 season, but it looks like the front office has taken a change since Dave Dombrowski was hired as the new president of operations. baseball last month. Dombrowski has been known to be aggressive when it comes to signing win-now deals, so bring him in and decide to make a payroll cut (as the rest of the NL East continues to improve) would in itself be an oxymoron. As for the to-do list in the 2020-21 Phillies offseason, the club have an important free agent to re-sign at Realmuto and an enclosure in desperate need of improvement.
Veteran right-hander / two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber recently pitched for the teams and obviously has helped the market for his services with his performance. Given that Kluber will likely end up signing a one-year ‘pillow’ contract that will give him a chance to prove he can stay healthy and move closer to his former level of performance, several teams are likely to be interested. . Among these teams are the Yankees:
The Yankees definitely need a turning aid behind ace Gerrit Cole. Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and JA Happ are all free agents, and there is of course no guarantee that they will return for next season. Additionally, the Yankees prioritize staying below or in the range of the luxury tax cutoff, and Kluber’s likely modest salary will help to that end.
Kluber, 34, has barely pitched at all in his one and possibly only season with the Rangers due to shoulder issues. The previous season, a broken forearm limited Kluber to just 35 2/3 innings largely ineffective with Cleveland. That said, Kluber isn’t far from pitching at an ace level, and as recently as 2018 he was among the best starting pitchers in baseball.
Blue Jays look to make a splash after DJ LeMahieu returns to Yankees
The Blue Jays have reportedly gone to great lengths to sign LeMahieu, but as noted above he is returning to the Bronx on a six-year contract. However, that doesn’t mean they are giving up on adding a real needle motor this offseason. Here’s this from Jon Morosi:
Right-hander and defending NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer, receiver JT Realmuto and outfielder George Springer are the biggest free agents out there, and the Blue Jays have legitimate designs on one of them. Each of them is almost certainly going to order a nine-figure contract, but that apparently isn’t scary in Toronto.
The Jays are wisely in buy mode following a return to competition in 2020. In that abridged season they won with a clip of .533 and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. They feature a young core. impressive and forehead The office seems poised to continue adding useful veterans to the roster through free agency. Considering the number of teams refusing to make it through this winter, it’s a good time for such an approach.
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