Philadelphia Phillies: Ranking possible J.T. Realmuto landing spots

Will one of these three teams be the lucky organization to land prized Philadelphia Phillies free agent J.T. Realmuto this winter?

Ask anyone who the top available MLB free agent this offseason is and many would point to National League Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer. That’s a great choice, but the true top talent available on the market is Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto.

The soon-to-be 30-year-old backstop has been the league’s top catcher half a decade now, and it isn’t even close.

More importantly, he’s one of the top overall talents baseball has to offer right now, possessing a bat every team wants in their lineup, premier defense behind the plate, and even a little speed on the basepaths.

Among MLB catchers, Realmuto’s abilities on the bases are unmatched. Ranking in the 84th percentile in sprint speed, according to Baseball Savant, it’s just another tool in his extensive toolbox that separates him from other catchers in the game. His 36 stolen bases since 2016 top the leaderboard for catchers, 14 ahead of Yadier Molina who sits in second place.

Looking at where J.T. Realmuto ranks among the greats since his breakout 2016 season with the Miami Marlins, Realmuto ranks 19th in the majors in fWAR (18.8) and has routinely put up the type of numbers you don’t expect from a catcher.

With a career slash line of .278/.328/.455, 95 home runs, and a 109 wRC+, the two-time Silver Slugger Award winner owns a career strikeout rate under 20% and he’s seen an uptick in his ability to draw a walk over the last few seasons, adding yet another benefit to his offensive game.

Defensively, Realmuto has thrown out 36% of would-be base stealers, about 10% above league-average and he’s one of the top framers in the game. We can go on and on, but you get the idea.

The big question now is, where will he suit up in 2021? With free agency now underway, let’s take a look at the three teams most likely to sign J.T. Realmuto in the coming weeks.

A return to the Philadelphia Phillies could be in the works for J.T. Realmuto.

The year was 2011. That was the last time the Philadelphia Phillies appeared in the MLB playoffs, an early Divisional Series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Phillies would finish with a .500 record the following year before entering a long, cold rebuild in Philadelphia that saw the organization post six-straight losing seasons. Spending “stupid money” was supposed to put the Phillies back in the playoffs, but a roster with Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and others failed to get the job done.

Now, Didi Gregorius, Jake Arrieta, Realmuto, and other key pieces are free agents and the front office is in free fall, leaving fans wondering what exactly the offseason will look like.

They didn’t listen to Bryce Harper who campaigned loudly for his friend, but the Phillies have an opportunity to lock in their backstop with a lucrative deal and give hope they can turn things around quickly in a division that is only getting more competitive.

Payroll concerns shouldn’t be an issue for Philadelphia, leaving them in a position to sign J.T. Realmuto and others in an aggressive offseason. But will they?

Letting Realmuto sign with another team won’t get the Philadelphia Phillies any closer to finally making the playoffs again and considering the fact that they traded away one of their top prospects in Sixto Sanchez to originally acquire Realmuto, the Phillies should be eager to see some sort of return on their investment.

It’s early in the offseason, but Philadelphia sits at the top of this power ranking, as long as they are finally willing to shell out the cash. They should have listened to Harper months ago. Sign him.

Will the New York Mets make a big splash by signing J.T. Realmuto?

This year’s crop of free agents isn’t very deep, so competition for the top talents will be intense. With every free agent and possible trade candidate, you have to include the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees because the unwritten rules say so. But it’s another New York team that may dominate the conversation this winter.

New York Mets fans are, rightfully, eager to see how this offseason unfolds with a new vibe and injection of cash flow in the front office known as Steve Cohen.

Marcus Stroman accepted New York’s qualifying offer, seemingly swayed by the promises of ownership to return the Mets to prominence, and there’s a good chance New York will be in heavy contention for acquiring the top pitching free agent in Trevor Bauer. But that may not be the only big ticket addition.

The Mets have a quality lineup ready to roll out again in 2021, but there is a massive hole behind the plate that needs to be filled. What better way to show one of the more…let’s say passionate…fanbases in baseball that you’re serious about winning than to take one of your rival’s star players and put him in your lineup?

It’s been pretty easy recently to have a good laugh at the expense of the Mets, but those tables could be turned pretty quickly if they roll out a duo of Jacob deGrom and J.T. Realmuto every five days.