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As potential suitors for JT Realmuto keep declining, Robert Murray from Fansided tweets as the Braves “turn” on the free agent receiver, adding that some West Coast clubs also remain interested in the former All-Star.
It’s a surprise to see the Braves linked to Realmuto for a number of reasons. Atlanta already has a veteran Travis d’Arnaud signed for $ 8 million in 2021, and he’s just released a .273 / .336 / .465 in the past two seasons. Beyond that, Realmuto is looking for the exact type of long-term contract that Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos has avoided since taking the reins in Atlanta.
The Braves waited Dallas keuchelmarket to secure a one-year contract and chose not to come close to the Twins’ four-year offer when trying to keep Josh donaldson. They inked Cole hamels on a one-year deal last winter rather than pursuing a multi-year pact with Zack Wheeler or Madison Bumgarner. ESPN’s Buster Olney recently wrote that Marcell Ozuna returning to Atlanta is “highly unlikely”. Ozuna, of course, is looking for a lucrative multi-year contract himself.
This type of contract was simply not in the Braves’ playbook under the current front office regime. Granted, all it takes is one exception to change the narrative, but with recent reports that the Phillies have offered around $ 110 million over five years, a Realmuto-to-Braves deal should break the Braves’ short-term mold. rather dramatic fashion. It’s also possible that the Braves will “turn” – a decidedly nebulous term – to see if Realmuto chooses to follow. Yasmani GrandalIt’s stepping in and taking a one-year pact because of his dissatisfaction with multi-year deals. A high-priced one-year or even two-year contract would absolutely be in the wheelhouse of the Braves, according to recent history. It’s also hard to imagine when the Phillies came up with a nine-figure offer.
Realmuto has expressed a desire in the past to advance the market for aspiring catchers. This is largely the reason he went to an arbitration hearing with the Phillies last year, arguing for a salary of $ 12.4 million against the $ 10 million case number. of the team. The Phillies won that audition, but Realmuto later said he was “fighting for a cause and fighting for the rest of the catchers,” adding that he “was proud” to fight for future generations of players. at his post. These comments do not make him sound like a receiver who intends to take a big cut in any setting.
All of this to say that if Realmuto were to make a short-term pact, the deal would likely be a decisive new record for a receiver’s annual worth. This sum currently belongs to Joe mauer, who was paid an average of $ 23 million a year during his eight-year contract with the Twins. However, the Phillies would already offer close to that amount over a five-year span, making it hard to see Realmuto back off on a shorter-term deal. That’s especially true when the Phils’ current offer would set a catcher’s record in itself – the very first nine-figure contract for a free agent receiver. (Mauer and Buster posey signed their nine-figure deals as extensions while remaining under club control.)
It’s also worth noting that the Braves ‘word of interest only benefits Realmuto’s camp if they are still looking to push the Phillies’ offer a little further north. A five-year, $ 110 million contract would be a little less than an AAV record for catchers, and surpassing that annual $ 23 million bar is certainly something that remains important to Realmuto.
The vague nature of the reporting in this case does not indicate that Atlanta is comfortable handing out an unusual nine-figure pact, and there would be a seismic difference between the hope that Realmuto would fall into their knees on a contract at short term, Grandal-esque and have a real run at premium prices. Anthopoulos and his team might think Realmuto is a differentiator worth moving from their typical hard stance against such contracts, but there is no real evidence to support this thinking at this time.
If the Braves do end up breaking the character and signing Realmuto at a premium price, pushing Arnaud to an $ 8 million save or a business candidate in the process, they’ll be a better team for it. But history doesn’t help them make an aggressive play over several years, and it looks like a rather opportune scenario is being tackled as the division rivals Phillies seem to be in an increasingly favorable position to re-sign. their safety net.
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