There are hardly enough big-time catchers to go around in Major League Baseball, especially ones that are free agents this offseason.
By now, every baseball aficionado is aware that Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto is among the top three marquee free agents in 2020-21’s class. Realmuto’s future with the Phillies is in serious doubt after his one-year, $10 million contract is set to expire following the final game of the World Series. The 29-year-old backstop, who’s expected to land a contract worth more than $23 million per year, should have his pick of landing spots this offseason.
To make the competition even more intriguing, it’s possible the Yankees will join Steve Cohen’s Mets in pursuit of a starting catcher this winter. Will both New York baseball teams bid on Realmuto?
The Mets hold a team option on Wilson Ramos for an additional $10 million, which includes a $1.5 million buyout, that the club is not expected to exercise. Ramos completed the second season of his two-year, $19 million Mets’ deal with a .684 OPS and 0.2 WAR. He lost playing time to Robinson Chirinos after the Mets acquired him from the Rangers at the trade deadline. Chirinos also has a team option for $6.5 million with a $1.5 million buyout.
The Yankees made it clear, multiple times throughout their playoff run that ended in a brutal 2-1 loss to the Rays in Game 5 of the ALDS on Friday, that they no longer trust Gary Sanchez. He was in the starting lineup for just two of their seven postseason games against the Indians and Rays. Sanchez went 1-for-8 — his lone hit being a home run in Game 1 of the Wild Card series — and struck out four times.
But perhaps the most obvious display of Aaron Boone’s distrust in Sanchez, on both sides of the ball, came in the eighth inning Friday night. Boone went to Mike Ford to pinch-hit for catcher Kyle Higashioka with the game tied at 1. Ford, who batted .135 with a .496 OPS in 29 regular-season games for the Yankees and had not recorded a hit since August, worked a full count against Diego Castillo before freezing on strike three.
After the loss, a melancholy Boone said pinch-hitting with the lefty-hitting Ford over Sanchez was “definitely a tough call,” but one he thought he had to make. Sanchez caught the bottom of the eighth inning for Aroldis Chapman, when Mike Brosseau jumped on a 100 mph fastball from the Yankees closer and sent it into oblivion for the series-winning run.
Sanchez finished an underwhelming 2020 regular season, his sixth year with the Yankees, with a league-worst .147 average among catchers with at least 170 plate appearances. His .618 OPS and 69 OPS+ were among the worst across MLB and easily the lowest numbers in his career. His strikeout rates have steadily increased from 23% in 2017 to 36% in 2020. Unless Sanchez suddenly stops degrading, his future with the Yankees is bleak.
While Realmuto is the obvious choice behind the plate for both the Yankees and Mets, other free-agent options include White Sox backstop James McCann, Rays catcher Mike Zunino, the 38-year-old Yadier Molina and Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki. All of the catchers in this free-agent class will be 30 years of age or older entering the 2021 season.
In the race for Realmuto, hedge-fund billionaire Cohen could outbid the Yankees if both Big Apple teams decide to go for it. Cohen signed an agreement to purchase the Mets and the majority ownership approval to officially authorize the transfer of power is expected to come soon. Given the crosstown rivals’ status at the catcher position, it’s very possible we may see a true competition between the Yankees and Mets, with Cohen’s deep pockets, for Realmuto this offseason.
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