The Phillies have made a five-year offer worth “slightly” more than $100MM to free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto, according to Jayson Stark of The Athletic. It’s the second such offer the team has made to Realmuto since last spring, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, who adds that there’s “a groundswell of optimism” that Philadelphia will re-sign the two-time All-Star.
The 29-year-old Realmuto spent the previous two seasons in Philadelphia, where the ex-Marlin continued his run as the majors’ premier catcher. Realmuto made it known during those two years that he wanted to remain a Phillie for the long haul, so it’s unsurprising that the team is putting forth a serious effort to keep him. The Phillies have “begun to position themselves as the favorite” in the Realmuto derby, Stark writes, in part because other potential suitors seem to be fading away.
The Mets, who looked like one of the front-runners to get Realmuto when the offseason started, signed James McCann instead. The Yankees probably aren’t in the mix after agreeing to re-sign second baseman DJ LeMahieu for $90MM and retaining catcher Gary Sanchez. The Angels may not be involved after agreeing to sign veteran backstop Kurt Suzuki on Friday, while Stark notes that the Rangers “seem unlikely” to dole out a nine-figure contract at this juncture. The Astros look like a fit for Realmuto, but as a qualifying offer recipient, signing Realmuto would require giving up draft picks, and they’re reportedly hesitant to do that. The Nationals have shown interest in Realmuto, though it’s unknown whether they’re willing to hand out $100MM-plus in this case.
The Realmuto sweepstakes may ultimately come down to the Phillies and the Blue Jays, who have been in on seemingly every star player this winter. However, per Stark and Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Toronto’s main focus appears to be free-agent outfielder George Springer. The Jays regard center field as a bigger need than catcher, which is why they’re making a greater push for Springer.
JT goes to Philly, Springer to TOR, Bauer to SF or LAA, and then the Mets will sign Paxton or Tanaka… now that I think about it… I want Tanaka to the Mets for the memes lol.
I don’t think Bauer goes to the Angels. Their pitching coach (Mickey Callaway) was the pitching coach in Cleveland that Bauer didn’t like.
Bauer was RIGHT NOT TOO….
WORST MANAGER EVER & DID NOTHING FOR THE METS PITCHING STAFF
Hmmmm, didn’t degrom win back to back cy young’s under Mickey?
Hey mets whatever your name is. The question on the floor is didn’t DeGrom win two CyYoung awards under Callaway?
Degrom won back to back Cy Young awards and Wheeler and Matz improved under Callaway.The Mets missed the playoffs in 2019 because their closer(Diaz) and their setup man(Familla) pitched to a 6 ERA all season. They were hot garbage. Callaway is widely considered to be one of the best pitching coaches in baseball. At the end of the day the manager can only lay a blueprint the players have to execute.
2019 Mets, one of the funniest bits I’ve seen in the past year was Jim Breuer rant “Why would you boo the Mets” from Sept 2019.
Yeah, but Mets1536 typed his opinion in ALL CAPS, so he wins.
Mickey wasn’t the Mets pitching coach.
This
Kluber won 2 CY Young under Callaway as well
Callaway was hands off his own pitching staff. Since deGrom has come up, I think he’s pretty much been his own ‘coach’. He always seems so in control and prepared, he obviously has a plan going on to each game. I rarely ever even see him shake off a pitch. He might just be that good, too.
I believe Kluber won a CY young with Callaway and Bauer began to become the pitcher he is today under Callaway. He may not have been a great manager, I think he needed more time, but he was a heck of a pitching coach in Cleveland.
Hmm… I’ll have to look into that. Callaway has long been considered a genius when it comes to pitching. I wonder what kind of beef he had with Bauer, and if that beef can be healed through millions of dollars.
If that’s the case though… I want to see some Bauer to SF! I would love that! Make it happen Zaidi!
I had Bauer going to the Giants in the contest. But I just hope it’s not for Cole money.
As I heard, basically Bauer just didn’t like being told how to pitch.
I can explain the beef. There is no 9ne smarter than Bauer 8n MLB. Just ask him and he’ll tell ya…
Let’s hope so cause even though I love the guy; he doesn’t deserve that kind of money and we all know it.
Ever since the Mets have dropped out of his bidding, I have wanted him to go to SF. That’d be a team I root for again if he went over there.
Callway is more old school and Bauer wanted to do things his own way.
Neither one of them was necessarily wrong.
JT should take the money. There are not a lot of landing spots for him.
Any team that signs Bauer is in for a huge disappointment. That’s all I’m saying
Correct. Bauer’s body of work does not suggest the kind of money he thinks hes worth. The Mets know better !!
Of you look at what Bauer has said he hasn’t predicted Cole money, it’s the pundits who have. He also has said he would take 1 year deals to bet on himself.
SF won’t sign him, he is t a waiver wire claim. Zaidi won’t sign players that aren’t or haven’t been waived.
He seems more prone than most to sink faster. I get concerned about a guys focus that’s so into branding. At some point that can become more important, especially as he eyes his post-career aspirations. Doesn’t mean he will end up sinking a deal.
For some reason he reminds me of a modern Eric Show.
Tanaka will probably end up in San Diego and Bauer will not go to Orange County angels. If anything, Bauer will go to Canada or somewhere else they will pay.
I can actually see Tanaka going back to Japan as crazy as that sounds.
Not crazy at all. He has said he might go back.
Depends on the offer. Likely his last big bucks deal. Given the pandemic and life presently I miss my family and friends. If the money isn’t amazing, I know I’d consider going home.
i was actually just thinking that when i saw the Kluber news
Bauer to SF? Wha? Why?
I don’t see Springer in Toronto. He’ll get a 4 or 5 year deal somewhere and no-one with that length of deal goes to Toronto. He doesn’t want to go there for 5 years, and he sure won’t want to go for 6. He won’t last long on the concrete and artificial turf. And I don’t see SF or even the Dodgers laying out the AAV for Bauer. So I think he ends up with the Mets too, along wth Springer. Toronto might get Paxton on a huge overpay. He’ll have trouble getting a deal longer than 3 years, so if Toronto guarantees him 4 or more, and a lot higher AAV than anywhere in the US, he might go to Toronto.
So here are some predictions.
Springer 4×23 Mets
JTR 4×19.5 Phils
Bauer 4×37.5 Mets
Paxton 4×20 Toronto
Tanaka 3×20 LAA
No way Paxton and Tanaka geting more AAV than JTR
JTR gets more guaranteed money. Paxton gets it because Toronto has to pay it along with more years.. Tanaka won’t be asked to take a huge cut for status reasons.
No way the Jays pay Paxton $20M a season. If they are ever to get a discount it’s going to be from Paxton and I think he’s closer to $10M on a one year deal.
Kluber go 11 million from the Yankees. There is no way that Paxton gets more than a two year deal with his injury history. I would give Paxton an incentive laden contract that can lead to a second year.
No way Bauer gets that much.
Martino just reported a great chance of Springer to Mets.
This is hilarious, Paxton 4 years at 20 million a season bahahahahabahahahababahahahabahahahahahahahaha, hold on breathing hahahahahahahahahahaahahaah
Paxton maybe gets a 1/10. He has to prove he’s healthy and his velocity is back.
I’d be shocked if the Mets get Springer and Bauer at this point at those figures.
The Mets don’t want to go over the Luxury tax this season. Plus, IMO it’s starting to feel like a little bit of a circus atmosphere with Bauer at this point. I’m feeling like it won’t work out here in NY with him anymore. I’d be fine with them going in another direction for a SP.
Sober up before comments
These numbers are way off. No chance Tanaka or Paxton get $20M per year (try half that AAV on shorter deals) and no way JTR or Springer settle for those numbers.
Like, just not even close.
Holy crap is that an overpay for Bauer (one which would blow the Mets way past the luxury threshold).
Bauer going to the Giants would complete their collection of Reds pitchers
Mets fans don’t want any of that Yankee trash. Springer, Bauer, Hand, backup C.
Sign all four and the payroll will approach $250 million. Doubt they’re doing that.
To me, it seems like Realmuto and Springer’s markets have reduced to just one team a piece. If the Phillies offer of 5 years 100+ million is real, he should be signing soon.
Springer on the other hand is kind of up $#its creek if the Jays decide they don’t need him. Maybe he can return back to the Astros… I honestly feel somewhat bad for him, he’s one of the best players to have reached free agency and is coming off a great year at the plate, a great year in CF and an excellent post season but he doesn’t have a market.
I almost want to say that he should bet on himself with a one year pact in Houston… Maybe try for another ring while he’s at it.
The only problem with him betting on himself is that he will be 32 next season. Market probably won’t get any better next season but maybe some teams will be a little more eager to spend?
A non Jay fan thinks Springer is coming to TOR! 70% of Jays fans don’t think Springer is coming to Toronto! Paxton should be in Toronto too. The big maple belongs in Canada!
I think you mean Buffalo
Bauer is not going to SF.
If JT has an offer in hand of 4×25 I’m confident that deal is getting done. Doesn’t fix their pitching issues but if the Phillies went there they have to be close. Personally that would be my top dollar
Yeah, JT will go to the Phils.
Come on Jays, just sign Springer already and ease my pain…
Get JT and Springer Shapiro and sign Big Maple as well!!
Bauer to the Jays, Springer to the Mets, Jt back to Phillies
Exactly.
Mets are not signing Springer. It makes no sense for them to blow that much money when A) they still need starting pitching depth and B) their outfield is already fine.
Nimmo is defensively horrendous.
@Dan Hunter plenty of cheaper options for defensive help. Plus, Springer is not long for CF. He’s eventually expected to move to a corner outfield spot. The Mets would need a defensive CF all over again. With all the expensive extensions the Mets need to make for 2022, I think it makes more sense for the Mets to roll with Nimmo and support him with some defensive depth on the bench. Remember the Mets are setting themselves up for consistent success, not just a run in 2021.
@VonPurpleHaye….you must have the patience of a saint.
D. Hunter = Troll
OF is NOT fine. The defense as it’s presently constructed is unplayable.
I think I would agree with this
Are the Jays really prepared to put Vlad at 3B? Sounds like the hard push for Springer is to move Grichuk to RF, Teoscar DH, Tellez 1B, Vladdycircus at the hot corner.
If that’s the case, fire the scout(s) who convinced Atkins that Vlad can handle 3B.
Vlad asked to play third before Atkins was with the club. He said it was his favourite position. They thought at the time the best way to get him to work hard was to let him play the position he was passionate about.
Instacrows if he was mildly passable as a 3B defender we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Nobody cares how much he loves the position if he can’t handle it.
To be fair, Vlad has been working on his physique this offseason. He has lost a bunch of weight and should be much better defensively. I don’t know if he will be able to improve enough to stick at third, but he shouldn’t be as bad as he’s been the past two years.
Sadly Vladdy made 4 errors in only a 8 games at 3B in Winter league. He has also put back on 20 lbs of the 30 he reportedly lost.
Vladdy’s problem believe it or not is his granny who raised him and her cooking. Every time he gets fit and heads back to the Dominican he puts it back on eating Granny’s grub.
Where did you see he added back on 20 LBS?
When he turns around.
The photo they’re showing talking about him on reddit yesterday he looks very good.
Dan55, Vladdie isn’t playing 3rd in the big leagues on a good team ever. He cannot handle it. He is a 1B or DH. Period.
If the Jays think he is going to play 3rd it is time to start firing Jays mgmt for incompetence.
Moustakas is coming to the Jays as part of the Casilla trade.
Santiago?
Hahahahaha, well played. As much as I would love a Castillo/Moustakas trade I don’t think it happens. Might be able to Get Gray/Moustakas
They might try it for spring training. Disposing of one of the outfielders is no problem when it doesn’t work out — either get something decent for Teo or dump Grich on a team whose center fielder gets hurt in spring training.
Smuz…disposing an OF means you do it now. You don’t wait for spring to see if Vlad can play without a fail safe option. They do not have it. I watched Vlad in winter ball. He might be worse than he was in 2019.
It’s perfectly safe to wait for spring to play out. Even if you don’t try Vlad at 3B, it’s still probably smart to wait until the end of spring to trade an OF — because otherwise one of your OFs gets hurt in the spring and suddenly you’ve got Fisher playing every day all year. Depth is not something that must be urgently eliminated before you find out if you need it.
Of course they need another infielder too either way, but there’s slightly more depth there, and more flexibility.
It’s perfectly safe for a team that is not contending. However, Blue Jays intend to compete and Vlad at 3B without a backup plan is not an option.
How do I know? Because you just admitted it with the Fisher comment. And once again you dig yourself another hole. As for Fisher, he is not major league material and the Jays would be better off cutting him loose and signing Brett Gardner to replace him, or an INF in the event an injury occurs. Then you move Biggio out there. Or play Jonathan Davis who’s the superior CF defender.
If you’re in the camp that Vlad can play 3B then you’re not watching enough baseball. Plain and simple.
I like Vlad to 3rd because Martin is almost 22. He should be a guy who could make a jump mid season if Vlad’s defense is a tire fire and untenable
Martin’s primary is CF. He has a very suspect arm. More likely Biggio moves to 3B before Martin does.
WAJGH is spot. Vladdy is incapable of playing 3B. He’s just too fat. And Martin will not be a 3B in the majors. He profiles as either a CF or 2B.
It’s for this reason that I struggle with the Jays targeting Springer. I honestly think they are better served putting their money into Bauer. Playoff winning teams do it with a combination of elite pitching and hitting. The Jays are nowhere near being elite on the pitching side which makes Bauer the most logical target. A Bauer/Ryu 1-2 punch is fairly solid.
I think Realmuto will stay in Philly. Nobody is going nine figures on him.
Springer, Paxton to Jays
Realmuto to Phillies
Turner to Dodgers
Bauer to Giants
Ozuna to Braves
Tanaka to Mets
Odorizzi to Red Sox
Brantley to White Sox
Gregorius to Reds
Change Tanaka to Japan and Didi to Philly and the rest looks good.
Fiers, Naquin, McGee to the Jays
Is this a Joke?
Yes, Ramon ParraGarcia is a joke.
Yup. Maybe Kintzler too
Add Paxton to the Jays too
I would hope that Odorizzi comes on over to Texas, but if not I wouldn’t mind a Trevor Williams.
You say that about every single free agent. No one wants to play in Texas. That’s why no one ever signs there.
My contest picks to follow… I’d like to change Realmuto to PHI if I could. Will stick to my guns on the rest. Laugh now or later, both if you wish! Enjoy:
Springer BOS
Paxton CHC
Realmuto NYM
Turner LAD
Bauer SF
Ozuna TEX
Tanaka SEA
Odorizzi MIN
Brantley HOU
Gregorius DET
I’m sorry, but that’s just trippy lol. I’ll list who I picked here in a minute… Let me pull it up.
This is the same list of players you named, except with my predictions from two months ago:
Springer TOR
Paxton TEX
Realmuto NYM
Turner LAD
Bauer LAA
Ozuna WSOX
Tanaka NYY
Odorizzi MIN
Brantley HOU
Gregorius CIN
A lot has changed since these were made; that’s for sure.
My predictions are:
Springer: Mets
Paxton: Mets
Realmuto: Mets
Turner: Dodgers
Bauer: White Sox
Ozuna: Braves
Tanaka: Yankees
Odorizzi: Brewers
Brantley: Astros
Gregorius: Phillies
So far I have only gotten Smyly and Treinen. And based on what’s happened in FA/trades so far, I don’t think I will get much more than that. I can’t believe somebody already has six.
That 6 is 8 once today’s are official
Dang that’s good. Plus, he will hit on Realmuto if today’s rumors are to be believed.
I’m in the same boat as you dan55. I have gotten Treinen, Smyly, and Lemahieu.
I picture the guy with 8 to be Scott Boras just trying to cop a little extra cash lmao.
Why would the Mets go after Realmuto now?
I see them picking up Tanaka and calling it a day.
Mets have McCann
Hey guys… over here… look at this: “except with my predictions from two months ago:”. Let’s zoom in… *two months ago*…
I don’t think they understand what the prediction contest is. If they just started reading to this site, they might not know anything about it.
Fair, but I literally said “two months ago” in my comment. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt though lol.
The most picked teams in the contest were:
Springer NYM (25%) — 2nd most CWS (15%)
Paxton TOR (20%) — LAA (7.5%)
Realmuto NYM (52%) — PHI (28%)
Turner LAD (82%) — WAS (3%)
Bauer LAA (27%) — NYM (25%)
Ozuna ATL (41%) — CWS (12%)
Tanaka NYY (67%) — LAA (6.5%)
Odorizzi TOR (20%) — MIN (18%)
Brantley HOU (41%) — ATL (12%)
Gregorius CIN (28%) — LAA (20%)
I don’t see Boston signing Springer… they’re not exactly in win-now mode, and that’s a move for now, not the future.
These are laughably off base.
Maybe Semien to Cincinnati
I’d love the Jays to get both of these guys. I just can’t see Springer coming to TO
Giants can afford Bauer, but I don’t see this as being the right time for them to land a massive contract like that. Bobby Evans would have done it, but Zaidi is smarter than that.
Phillies did their part. It’s up to JT now.
He needs to jump on that offer like yesterday. He’s not gonna find those years and dollars anywhere else.
J. T. needs to verifiably leave $63.6m on the table to stay in Philly to make that trade worth it.
Or if Sixto doesn’t work out, which seems unlikely.
Even if Sixto doesn’t work out, it stands to reason that the Phillies could have traded him for something else.
Sure, but it would have to be the equivalent of 2 solid years of Realmuto. I think that was a dumb trade. All evidence points to it being a horrendous trade. But 2 solid years of JT was the result for the Phillies. Marlins seem to be giving up on Alfaro, but Sixto seems to have a bright future. So it looks like it’s going to be bad.
All 2 solid years of Realmuto did was hurt the Phillies’ draft position.
This is true, but they drat terribly anyway.
Well… they could draft terribly with a bigger bonus pool!
Shouldn’t you be 541Hayes.
Springer needs to stay where he belongs. And keep his trash can with him.
All these jays fans want springer after he cheated them in the playoffs multiple times. Not right
The Blue Jays never faced the Astros in the playoffs. Ever. Perhaps you’re thinking of the other Texas team, which was extremely generous to the Jays in ’15 and ’16 (thanks again, Elvis).
Masahiro kamikazi Tanaka, recently of the Tokyo giants knocks himself cold for the second time this week, maybe in Japan that’s actually better than catching the ball, personally I just think he’s trying to get out of the lineup
You have no marbles!!
Not sold this “offer” is real. I think it was a report floated to make the Phillies look good to fans when JT signs elsewhere in the next week.
My daughter, who lives in Toronto, tells me that the COVID situation in her city and in Ontario is not good. The Blue Jays may have to begin their season in Buffalo because the Canadian govt. , similar to what the NHL is doing, may not want any MLB teams to cross the border. This might be in the back of the minds of free agents perused by the Jays.
Everyone also needs to remember, that Toronto is a foreign country with different laws, lifestyle, different medical facilities and such, and of course a Canadian tax structure that requires taxes to be paid to Canada based on living and working there in addition to paying the same in America……physically, this would force the Blue Jays to pay more than any American based baseball team to lure a free agent across the border.
When analyzing a free agent player who has a choice whether he wishes to adjust to a different lifestyle….its not just a slam dunk.
Wrong
I’m sure you don’t mind me saying that you know absolutely nothing about playing ball or living in Canada for that matter. If you work in any country you have to pay taxes for the time you worked in that country. You don’t pay double. A player might pay a little more tax in Toronto than in some parts of the U.S. but the Jays will pay for the difference making sure the player is not making less. The players are all paid in U.S. funds and they will not have to live in an igloo. That is reserved for visiting politicians and royals only these days.
Bullred the taxes are a huge difference between Canada and states like Florida and Texas. Do not kid yourself. There is a startling difference depending on the state.
Players don’t get taxed by just their home state. They pay state or local taxes in every city they play in. So being in Florida or Texas is an advantage but not as much as many fans think.
What about New York and California.Ontario is similar taxes to those.I wonder why all athletes do not sign in Florida or Texas.They leave millions on the table
Taxes aside, people love New York City for a variety of reasons and California is beloved for a variety of reasons. Toronto does not get the same love as certain big cities, again, for a variety of reasons. But people fall in-love with the big cities with huge taxes and want to be in these places. I’m a Jays fan in Toronto and I love parts of California. Beautiful state.
Metsgolf you bring up a good point because the province of Ontario has put in-place stricter rules which in some cases lacks common sense and logic. This is supposed to lift around Jan 30, but it could very well be a factor. I am sure Jays management has discussed the option of playing in Dunedin or Buffalo for the 2021 season.
But if you are hitter you won’t mind Buffalo. Last year they ripped the baseball there.
Jay’s screwed the pooch. Should’ve paid LeMahieu and took him away from the Yanks. 4 for 78 wasn’t getting it done. The Jay’s have been all talk this winter.
dont think DJ wanted to leave the Yanks.
That was a situation just like the one between the Mets and Cespedes several years ago. Any indication that DJLM was considering other teams was just maneuvering on the part of his agent.
Interesting. I’m just glad the Phillies finally have a pulse. It’ll be great if they can bring JT back. Greater still if they add another top level reliever. Or two or three.
Looks like neither player will get close to the $150M+ they were looking for at the start of free agency. Springer’s ‘real’ market seems to be only Toronto, with maybe an outside chance of returning to Houston. Either way, he’s not getting the 5/150 contract he was looking for. Toronto can afford to wait him out and get him for their price. Same goes for JTR. Philly appears to be his only true suitor with maybe an outside chance that the Nats open up the purse and pay him. He’s probably looking at 4/90 or 5/110.
Cohen can do the same, but better.
Actually, scratch Houston off of Springer’s list. They just signed a stud 22 year old CF Cuban ‘prospect’ (Pro) named Pedro Leon who will move very quickly through their farm. He could even debut this year if all goes according to plan. It cost them most of their pool ($4M) but he’s supposed to be well worth it.
I think J.T Realmuto is who the Jays should be in on. Let Kirk learn behind him, and if Jansen has the value that “people” say he does, then definitely look to trade him to get better at other areas
The difference Russ Martin made was huge when the Jays were still true contenders.. Realmuto is a much better player apparently, so why not ? Over 20 million per year isn’t much at all for the “best catcher in baseball”. He’d be 34 when his contract expires 5 years from now, if it would be a 5 year deal.
Guys like Liam Hendriks are getting 15 million per year.. this is a bargain for Realmuto if you ask me. I’d try to trade Jansen with Grichuk and get his 10 plus million off the books.
Only thing about JTR to the Jays is that they already have 5 catchers on their 40-man. Granted, it’s an easy fix, but I don’t think they’re in.
I agree on the Jays making JTR their primary target. Then can then deal Janssen, McGuire and Kirk for starters like Gray. Why not Marie a position of strength and elite one then upgrade the rotation via trade.
I just can’t see Springer wanting to sign in TO.
JTR will request a trade like he did in Miami when things get tough. Not a winner.
That statement is blatantly untrue..I’m here..that never happened..
As days tick by and free agents slowly fall off the board. My faithful Jays stick to their laurels and watch everyone of significance sign elsewhere. Now that Shapiro got his 5 year extension all that matters to him is extending his reach around partner Atkins.
P.S im switching to Bell
I don’t think any of the free agents want to sign with the Jays. They’ll have to add via trades.
Springer-Mets Big Maple-Angels Bauer-Halos. Brantley-Tor. Turner- LAD Tanaka-NYY. Realmuto-TOR. Ozuna-ATL
Less room for Brantley in Toronto than Springer.
JTR 105 guaranteed
Springer sub 100
Bauer- Zero clue
Safe to assume we will at least see a mystery team nab Ozuna or one of the names above once prices drop
Am I the only one that just doesn’t see Springer wanting to sign with Toronto? No hate against Toronto, he just seems more like a New York kind of guy, and his wife grew up there.
I hardly ever see players signing with Toronto given Canada’s high tax brackets. I think some locations are around 36%. Theyll have better luck when they have a surefire contender on the field.
Don’t know why, but Trevor Bauer feels like a Chicago White Sox pitcher. They handed Hendricks a bank though.
If the Blue Jays offered JT 5/125 it may get it done. Then tremendous pressure on Springer which Toronto could leverage to lower his expectations and perhaps they sign both.
Wouldn’t Springer just be punting that in taxes, though? Toronto has to counter state-side tax rates somehow.
Just not true about the taxes. When it comes to taxes the Jays are middle of the pack in the league. I once thought the same as you until I was shown. Taxes aren’t the reason free agents are not coming to TO. However several who were traded to TO didn’t want to leave after. Granted Covid takes that all away right now.
Very well said Boatman. Those that have never been to Canada don’t have a clue. Most players love it.
I might not be aware. My wife is the COO of a CPA firm. But how does Canada split the taxes up with the states? I know the highest tax bracket in Canada is something like 10% more than the highest in the US..which these players fall into. The flaw seems to be in Canada not allowing as many deductions as the US.
I think top bracket is 33% federally and in Ontario 13.16%.
So compared to 37.5% in the USA and whatever states you play in. I believe the players all pay based on road games also. Does Canada have lower capital gains rates also (as compared to their regular tax brackets)?
Realmuto might be in trouble, based on where the Yankees are luxury tax wise,
I can see them making Sanchez available and I could also see them trying to package Ottavino with a prospect or two for someone to take his money off their hands.
I can’t see many teams in the position to take Ottavino but if the Phillies may be best served calling Cashman about Sanchez and offering up a non-factor prospect.
You seem to have arrived from a different realm, one where the Yankees didn’t sign Sanchez to a 2021 contract yesterday and the Phillies haven’t offered Realmuto a contract north of $100M. Welcome traveler. Will you be staying, or just passing through?
That doesn’t mean that the Yankees will keep Sanchez, nor does it mean the Phillies will sign Realmuto.
The Yankees have just under 6 million before they hit the luxury tax, are they set with their rotation? Bullpen? player depth? If so, then there is no reason to deal Sanchez, but if they need to add, then they will need to clear money. Based on what they have, Sanchez and Fraizer make the most sense to deal.
If the reason for making deals is lowering payroll, trading Frazier doesn’t make sense. He’s making league minimum and his production will cost more than that to replace.
Philly would take O in a salery dump if the Yankees put in a respectable prospect or pay down the salery a bit
If Philly has 5 years and $100+ million on the table then Realmuto is foolish for not already have signed. He doesn’t have a market out here. Philly also fools for offering if true. Philly is so bad! Worst defensive team in baseball combined with the worst bullpen in baseball. The Philly story is bad move (Jake Arietta) followed by a bad move (Jean Segura), then another bad move (Andrew Mccutheon), followed by another bad move (Bryce Harper), followed by another bad move (David Robertson). To make it worse, in the end, for the free agent signings of Arrieta, McCutcheon, Harper and Robertson ….. they overpaid for ALL of them and in the end were bidding against themselves.
I agree w all that. As a former reds fan though, when u have a city no one wants to play in- u have to over pay players to come there. That has a lot to do w all those bad contracts u mentioned as no one wants to play in Phili.
Realmuto doesn’t want to go there either. He’ll just end back up there due to lack of a market and as the article states- teams unwilling to give up a draft pick. Which shows how absolutely stupid the players union is to allow free agents value to be suppressed by tying draft picks to them when those 2 things have nothing to do w each other. Realmuto has to hate that. I’m sure him and just about anyone else will pick Houston over Phili if everything else is close to equal
I say bad luck over bad deals. Especially for Robertson and even Cutch. Both players were known for their durability. Also the Harper deal has been the best of the bunch. He has been the star that team needed. Too bad the other pieces did not fall into place.
curb your bias. the defense should improve this year and the bullpen will be better just do to how unlucky they were last year and with the new additions. Harper is a money printer, Segura is far from an albatross and Robertson was a product of bad lock above all else. and if you want to hate on the bad moves you should acknowledge some of the good ones (Wheeler and Bradley)
Assuming Lemahieu is better than Realmuto, 6 years, $85-mil. Can’t pay Realmuto more if he most likely plays less games and is the inferior player. Realmuto does play the more physically demanding position.
He’d be the most expensive backup catcher his final year. Or two.
bbc
Why would you assume Realmuto is the inferior player? He’s younger and plays a premium position which most think he is the best in the league at.
1. Lemahieu puts up better offensive numbers
2. Lemahieu plays multiple positions defensively, and does it well
3. Lemahieu will more than likely play more games than Realmuto
4. One is an MVP candidate, the other is not. Which one?
As stated, Realmuto does play a physically demanding position, thus calling it premium. But I stand by the fact that Lemahieu is better than Realmuto. And perhaps more valuable due to versatility.
DJLM is not that good at 2B. Anyone can play 1B including Realmuto. He is likely to start getting more time there as he ages. DJLM’s career OPS + is only 102. He had a great 2019/20. Let’s see if he can keep that up.
Realmuto will be in decline offensively once he’s ready to move to 1B. As for your comment about DJL’s defense at 2B, 3 gold gloves disagrees with you. Now your next play will be to go to the defensive metrics angle. You can forget it, those numbers are flawed and not a true reflection or measurement of good defense.
The whole reason for current contract signings is what you have done lately. 2019/20 would be considered lately. But I guess the suggestion for Realmuto to be paid $5-mil less than Lemahieu over 6 years offends some.
LeMahieu’s bat is fantastic. Detractors point at the predictive metrics as reason to believe he won’t keep it up, but the luck categories in LeMahieu’s case are actually a skill so I agree that he is a better hitter than Realmuto right now. But by value when you consider how much offense Realmuto gives you for a catcher, it’s huge. Plus he’s also a great defensive catcher and it’s not considered a premium position because it’s physically demanding. It’s a premium position because it’s the most important defensive position in the game. He’s involved on every pitch. He’s responsible for executing the game plan. He’s a more recent gold glover than Lemahieu at a position where being a gold glover carries a whole lot more meaning and value. LeMahieu is also at risk of aging off 2B, which means he’ll need to really keep up the power profile part of his game which is the one area I wouldn’t bet he continues to do well. The value of signings is sort of “what have you done for me lately” but more “what are you going to do for me”. I have a hard time seeing any supply and demand system valuing DJ more than JT. Although $90m for LeMahieu seemed like an old fashioned Yankees emotional move and when emotions kick in, all bets are off. Plus the game isn’t operating under normal economic circumstances, so Realmuto might have to settle for less than $90m. But at that price point, I’d bet a few more teams would start to show up in bidding.
Realmuto’s value plummets once he moves to first, though. His bat, which will also likely decline with time, already isn’t that impressive for a first baseman… whoever signs him better hope he sticks at catcher for the duration of the contract or they’ll be getting ripped off. Moving him to first can’t be part of plan A.
Lemahieu does not embarrass himself at 3B or 2B and plays well at 1B. We do not know if Realmuto can field a ground ball. As Cosmo2 states, and he is correct, Realmuto’s bat does not play at 1B. Lemahieu’s bat does, as well as every other position on the infield.
If he is so great why aren’t his teams better? At least a guy like Russell Martin could assist in helping his team reach the postseason. Realmuto has yet to sneak into a WC position. Does postseason not matter anymore?
Again, there is no reason to pay the inferior player more money regardless of the position. Anything more than $90-mil will be an overpay even if it’s just for 4 years.
Do you think Realmuto’s going to move to first during the contract he is about to sign? He’s not going to turn 30 until the start of the season. His market isn’t looking like the 8 years he might have wanted. A 5 year contract only takes him to his age 34 season. In the last year or two he might get a DH day one extra time a week, but I think he’s a better bet to be a full time catcher over the next 5 years than LeMahieu is a 2B or Springer is a CF. Maybe everyone is way overestimating Realmuto. I do believe that LeMahieu is often undervalued. It’s splitting hairs a bit as I think they’ll both be well paid fantastic baseball players.
Why is catcher a premium position? With the DH ultimately landing in both leagues ….. Just pay something less than $5 million for a strong defensive catcher with no bat. Plenty of those guys out there. Go bigger on bats throughout the lineup. More production to be had than chasing around catchers who have short shelf lives.
Realmuto is one of if not the most athletic catchers in baseball. the guy said he wanted to catch the whole slate last year and to be honest I could see him doing it. less versatile but is the best defender at arguably the most important position in the game.
Springer to the Jays 6/150. Front loaded. Might as well if you’re losing a pick.
It’s still a $30-mil cap hit per season and the Jays still don’t solve their mound problems. Let’s avoid this idea.
F it! Let’s get Springer and trade for Bryant. we’ll just bludgeon teams! Let’s have some fun!
OK cool. I’m down with it. Now let’s get Rogers on-board and do the darn thing!
@1 Goose Man — Hopefully that strategy works better for the BJays than it as for the Angels.
But it worked for the twins few years back, just not in the playoffs.
Let’s trade for Story instead. Then sign him long term. It’ll be quite the Jays fairy tale.
Story? No.
Realmuto’s agent may be costing him millions and possibly years. As the other big name players sign and fewer teams are bidding, there is less urgency for the remaining teams to increase offers. It may go just opposite direction.
I’m sure Realmuto was offered a healthy deal by the Phils over the last couple years at certain points. This is the same guy that whined his way out of Miami when they traded their core players. He hasn’t led his teams anywhere. I’m certain this is not an agent problem, it’s a player problem.
Not true..he remained silent and went about his game..
and, let’s ASSume you were right..Watching all the great players leave one after the other has to feel defeating, Christian Y and Giancarlo S left a huge hole…..
I believe JT goes back to Philly.
Realmuto for 5 years 100 mil? I wonder if a sleeper team will try and steal him away from the Phils?
Bradley Jr. anf Hand to the Mets.
Springer, Bauer, Paxton to the Jays.
Realmuto back to Phillies.
Bauer to the Phillies! Springer to the Red Sox!
For all the talk about cost of playing in Canada, Canadians have to spend $127.38 to buy $100 USA.
That should be a big concern for MLB players..
On another topic, I love how fans denigrate a player their teams can’t sign or didn’t sign.. Not sure if it jealousy or ignorance..In the case of Harper, all he’s done is play hard all the time..at bat, and in the outfield..looks like a solid team guy.. Phillies have nothing to resent there..
As to JT, he didn’t whine in Miami..if anything, he endured the constant selling off of players..Phils gave a lot to get him..I for one hope they can keep him..I’m not worried about the years, because he’ll get plenty of rest when the DH permanently is implemented..
@DadsInDaniaBeach That diffence in currency value between Canadian dollars and US dollars isn’t really relevant. The contract values we talk about are all listed in USD.
There may be a difference in tax burden between Canada and the US (and more specific US localities) that could be a factor, but I don’t think the tax burden in Toronto is especially high compared to many other US cities, especially for high earners.
If the tax dollars are all US in the contract, it still costs the team $27.38 for each $100 US dollar paid that player..so, the player doesn’t lose..the team just has to figure into the deal their cost of doing business…Now, I’m wondering if MLB makes an allowance for the exchange difference..it appears to me that the Jays are at a disadvantage..
Drawing nearly twice as many viewers helps the Jays. Kinda evens out. They can creatively account to make it seem like a loss, but the team and the network would be at a disadvantage without each other. As is, they can thrive, and it showed for a couple years at least!
The MLB better not ever consider expanding into Mexico.. It would cost a Mexican team nearly $2,000 for every $100 US dollar!
From b-r:
In Major League Baseball, 48% of local revenues are subject to revenue sharing and are distributed equally among all 30 teams, with each team receiving 3.3% of the total sum generated. As a result, in 2018, each team received $118 million from this pot. Teams also receive a share of national revenues, which were estimated to be $91 million per team, also in 2018.
Jays were receiving $260m after exchange while other teams received around $210m. A Mexican team would receive around $4b after exchange.
If attendance can return, and next CBA has similar revenue sharing structure… might be fun to see.
Aside from payroll in USD, expenses would be relatively cheap for a team in Mexico?
filthyrich: while I did know of the revenue sharing, I guess we all know that, but I did not know of the exchange rates being used…so, that takes care of revenues coming from MLB, but does not show how it works between a team and a player, or if as it was said earlier that all contracts are in USD, that the team still takes it on the chin..I still think that puts the Jays at a disadvantage.
I assumed exchange rate in 2018 was close to what it is today btw.
And I should have said “$260m” because it’s a lot closer to $210m USD if they’re spending it properly.
The costs to run the team vs player payroll alone would vary for most teams I guess. Many expenses in CAD for the Jays, but most of those expenses turn a profit ultimately. Drinks, food, merchandise, ticket income likely outweighs day to day operating costs for most teams? Maybe break even, but at those prices, that’s an expensive hydro bill to even things out… I’m just guessing obviously, so many factors, interesting subject,
Still a disadvantage for the Jays overall I agree.
They can’t ignore the fan or player experience (in 2018 terms at least) and surely there are many costs outside of player salaries that I overlook here..
I didn’t realize the actual amount teams receive, but the b-r article on revenue sharing breaks down the math for that 2018 figure.
The teams that cry poor are either doing a lot of things wrong, or pocketing some big money with creative accounting?
Jays possibly charge themselves for each time they air Jays in 30 throughout the night and a premium rate to air Blue Jays commercials during hockey stuff… ?
Lol, back down to earth time for me.
Go Jays.
On another note, I’m beginning to think that Dave Dombrowski might have had to get a change of heart out of Middleton re: spending..reason, is that early on, it was an almost certainty that JT would leave..Now, aside from this offer JT, they get Bradley, sign two international top players and are supposedly trying to get DD back..
Now, here’s where I get called crazy..Bauer actually is a fit in Philly..I’m not talking money, because I’m not up on what he wants or is worth..However, The Phillies might right now be looking at Howard as their #4 arm..far from ideal..they could give Bauer what he wants in a 4 day start and bring Howard along slowly..Howard has talent, but he wasn’t exactly good last year..anyway, just a thought.
I say if the phillies can get Realmuto back , then Odorizzi or a veteran like Sanchez or Felix Hernandez. Then also need another bullpen arm, I was thinking Alex Colome.
Angels would be foolish to even create the illusion they’re interested in Realmuto, and signing Suzuki pretty much closes that book if it was ever open. They need to be singularly focused on at least one top of the rotation SP, and that’s Bauer.
PLEASE MR DOMBROWSKI
TAKE BACK AL AVILA!
PLEASE GET HIM OUT OF DETROIT.
WE WILL TRADE YOU FOR A HALF EATEN PHILLY CHEESE STEAK!
GOD HELP UP PLEASE!
Aside for the CAPS, it’s worth an LOL!