MLB rumors: Phillies land J.T. Realmuto; Blue Jays, Dodgers among teams after Justin Turner
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Spring training is less than three weeks away and still 35 of our top 60 free agents remain unsigned, including 12 of the top 20. Here is the latest on Masahiro Tanaka and here are the latest hot stove rumblings.
Turner has four possible options
Justin Turner LAD • 3B • 10 BA .307 R 26 HR 4 RBI 23 SB 1 View Profile
Free agent infielder Justin Turner has four possible options, including re-signing with the Dodgers and joining the Blue Jays, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. Heyman adds the Dodgers would prefer a two-year contract and are optimistic they can get a deal done. Our R.J. Anderson ranked Turner the No. 7 free agent available.
Turner, 36, remains productive, though his defense and durability have slipped in recent years. Los Angeles could easily plug Turner, a clubhouse leader, back in at third base to help balance their righty heavy lineup. Toronto could also put Turner at third base with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. remaining at first. The Braves and Nationals stand out as other possible destinations, though that is my speculation.
Red Sox still in touch with Bradley
Jackie Bradley BOS • CF • 19 BA .283 R 32 HR 7 RBI 22 SB 5 View Profile
The Red Sox remain in touch with free agency center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr., chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told reporters, including Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Bloom added staying under the $210 million luxury tax threshold is “a factor, but not a mandate.” Cot’s Baseball Contracts has Boston’s 2021 luxury tax payroll at approximately $202 million.
Our R.J. Anderson ranked Bradley the No. 12 free agent available. Bradley, 31 in April, is an elite defender who fits best toward the bottom of a contender’s lineup. Boston’s outfield currently includes Alex Verdugo, Hunter Renfroe, and trade candidate Andrew Benintendi, though Renfroe struggles against righties, and none are as good defensively as Bradley. Also, the less time J.D. Martinez spends in the outfield, the better.
At least three teams after Simmons
Andrelton Simmons SS • BA .297 R 19 HR 0 RBI 10 SB 2
The Blue Jays, Phillies, and Reds are among the teams pursuing free agent shortstop Andrelton Simmons, reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. Last week, three of four CBS Sports MLB writers said they prefer Simmons to other free agent shortstops like Didi Gregorius and Marcus Semien. Our R.J. Anderson ranked Simmons the No. 9 free agent available.
Simmons, 31, remains an above-average defender, though his defensive ratings have been trending down the last few years. That is not the most surprising thing now that he’s in his 30s (and has dealt with several leg injuries recently). The Phillies and Reds have big openings at short. The Blue Jays have kicked around moving Bo Bichette to third to make room for a new shortstop this winter.
Phillies wrap up Realmuto deal
J.T. Realmuto PHI • C • 10 BA .266 R 33 HR 11 RBI 32 SB 4 View Profile
The Phillies have re-sign J.T. Realmuto to a five-year, $115.5 million contract. At $23.1 million, the contract establishes a new record average annual salary for a catcher, and the $115.5 million guarantee is the third largest ever for a catcher, behind Joe Mauer ($184 million) and Buster Posey ($159 million). Realmuto, 30, authored .273/.333/.492 batting line with 36 home runs in 192 games with Philadelphia the last two years. He led all catchers with 7.5 WAR from 2019-20.
Mets make offer to Bauer
Trevor Bauer CIN • SP • 27 ERA 1.73 WHIP .79 IP 73 BB 17 K 100 View Profile
The Mets have made free agent righty Trevor Bauer a short-term contract offer that would make him one of the game’s highest-paid players. The club is said to be “evaluating all aspects of Bauer’s strong social media presence.” Bauer, 30, won the NL Cy Young with a 1.73 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 73 innings in 2020. Former UCLA teammate Gerrit Cole holds the average annual salary record at $36 million. Our R.J. Anderson ranked Bauer the No. 1 starter and No. 3 player overall on the free agent market.
Cleveland re-signs Hernandez
Cesar Hernandez CLE • 2B • 7 BA .283 R 35 HR 3 RBI 20 SB 0 View Profile
Cleveland has re-signed second baseman Cesar Hernandez to a one-year deal with a club option. Hernandez, 30, won the AL Gold Glove at second base last year and authored a .355 on-base percentage with a league leading 20 doubles. He will return to second base this coming season and is expected to pair up with Andres Gimenez or Amed Rosario, both of whom came over in the Francisco Lindor trade, on the middle infield. Our R.J. Anderson ranked Hernandez the No. 32 free agent available.
Phillies To Sign J.T. Realmuto
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The Phillies and J.T. Realmuto are reuniting, as the two sides have agreed to a five-year deal worth $115.5MM, according to Craig Mish of SportsGrid (Twitter link). The contract will become official when Realmuto passes a physical. Realmuto is represented by CAA Sports.
Realmuto will earn $20MM in 2021, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets, and the other $95.5MM will be split evenly over the other four years, or $23.875MM per season. The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reported (via Twitter) that some deferred money is involved, with Jayson Stark of the Athletic adding that $10MM of Realmuto’s 2021 salary is being deferred. Realmuto’s contract is a straight five-year deal with no club options or opt-outs, according to Nightengale. The only extra clause seems to be a $1MM assignment bonus in the event of a trade, as per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.
The $23.1MM average annual value is the highest given to any catcher in baseball history, slightly topping the previous $23MM standard set by Joe Mauer in his eight-year, $184MM extension with the Twins back in March 2010. Several previous reports indicated that Realmuto was looking to raise the bar on catcher salaries with his next contract, and while topping Mauer or Buster Posey in terms of pure dollars was perhaps going to be a stretch even before the COVID-19 pandemic impacted baseball’s finances, Realmuto did end up setting at least one new benchmark.
Realmuto is now slated to remain in Philadelphia through at least the 2025 season, ending an extended negotiating process about his long-term future that seemed to begin almost as soon as the Phillies acquired him in a blockbuster trade with the Marlins in February 2019. While the two sides had mutual interest in an extension, talks were halted last spring due to the pandemic-induced roster freeze, and then it seemed as if Realmuto seemed more open to considering other options as his free agency approached. Since the Phils spent the early weeks of the offseason overhauling their front office and seemingly putting looking to cut spending, it increased speculation that Realmuto would be playing elsewhere in 2021.
However, the hiring of Dave Dombrowski (no stranger to big payrolls) as the team’s new president of baseball operations seemed to indicate that owner John Middleton wasn’t entirely looking to cut costs. Most reports in recent weeks seemed to hint that the Phillies were again the favorites for Realmuto, both because the team was willing to pay up, and also perhaps because Realmuto’s market was shrinking.
The Mets made an early exit from the Realmuto hunt by signing James McCann, and other speculative candidates like the Angels (Kurt Suzuki) and Astros (Jason Castro) made lower-cost catching additions, while the Yankees seem content to stay with Gary Sanchez. The Nationals, Blue Jays, and Braves were also reportedly interested in Realmuto, though Toronto was perhaps done with top-tier contracts after landing George Springer, and Washington has seemingly opted on a strategy of spreading its money around on signings like Brad Hand and Kyle Schwarber rather than make a big splurge on a single star.
Regardless, Realmuto will now stay in a familiar and comfortable environment, and the Phillies will keep the consensus choice as the game’s best catcher. Realmuto is a two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner, with a .282/.336/.466 slash line and 85 home runs in 2443 plate appearances with Miami and Philadelphia since the start of the 2016 season. The odd nature of the 2020 season didn’t slow Realmuto down at all, as he continued to produce at the plate and also posted outstanding framing numbers (as per Statcast).
While he is entering his age-30 season, Realmuto’s track record is strong enough that a five-year contract doesn’t seem like too much of a risk. MLBTR projected Realmuto for five years and $125MM, while ranking him second on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents.
With Realmuto back in the fold, the question now turns to what else might be in store for Dombrowski and new general manager Sam Fuld. As per Roster Resource, the Phillies have a projected payroll of $171.2MM for next season (not counting Realmuto’s $10MM in deferrals) and a luxury tax number just shy of $179.48MM. It isn’t yet clear if Realmuto was the one big signing Middleton was willing to stretch the budget to land, or if Philadelphia still has room for another notable acquisition — perhaps a reunion with Didi Gregorius, or another arm for the rotation or bullpen.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Twins, Brewers Have Talked With Marcus Semien
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Two new teams can be added to the list of potential Marcus Semien suitors, as SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson reports (Twitter link) that the Twins and Brewers have each spoken with representatives for the free agent shortstop. While Semien might not necessarily join one of those two clubs, Wolfson writes that there is some sense that Semien is “moving closer to a decision.”
Minnesota has been speculatively linked to Semien for months, considering that the Twins have been known to be monitoring the middle infield market as part of their rather broad range of free agent considerations. MLBTR’s Steve Adams wrote back in September that acquiring a new everyday shortstop or second baseman would allow Minnesota to shift either Jorge Polanco or Luis Arraez into super-utility duty, thus effectively filling Marwin Gonzalez’s old role as a Swiss Army knife off the bench.
Or, it isn’t out of the question that Semien could find himself playing elsewhere than shortstop, if the Twins were one of the teams considering him at other infield positions. It’s probably safe to assume that Semien would get the bulk of the action at shortstop in Minnesota, but if he was open to playing some second base (or even third base, to occasionally spell Josh Donaldson), it would further increase manager Rocco Baldelli’s flexibility in regards to lineup construction and in-game maneuvering.
J.A. Happ and Hansel Robles have been added on the pitching side, but the Twins have yet to make a significant position player move this winter. There isn’t yet any news on the Nelson Cruz front, and Minnesota already said goodbye to a notable power bat when Eddie Rosario was non-tendered (though the team hopes that top prospect Alex Kirilloff can immediately step in to fill Rosario’s shoes). Before salaries were reduced last season, the Twins had a non-prorated $132MM payroll projected for 2020 and currently have a little over $100MM committed for the 2021 roster, so there is theoretically room to add at least one more big salary while still not approaching their 2020 spending.
Signing Semien would perhaps be an even more interesting move from the Brewers’ perspective, and it would mark the first big-ticket addition of the offseason within an NL Central that has collectively seemed more focused on cutting payroll than planning to contend. It could be that the division’s general inactivity has given Milwaukee some inspiration in making a move that could separate the team in the playoff race, even if it means stretching the budget to some extent. Granted, there was considerable debate over what Semien’s next contract would look like even in the early days of the offseason, and as we approach February, it’s possible Semien’s asking price has dipped into the Brewers’ range. Milwaukee had a pre-proration payroll of just under $97.5MM in 2020 and are just shy of $85MM in projected payroll for 2021 thanks to some notable contracts (including Ryan Braun) coming off the books.
Semien would immediately solidify a rather uncertain left side of the Milwaukee infield, as Orlando Arcia and Luis Urias are respectively slated as the starting shortstop and third baseman. Daniel Robertson and Jace Peterson have also been added this winter as backup infield options. Similar to the aforementioned scenario with Semien and the Twins, Semien would likely mostly play shortstop in Milwaukee but perhaps also get some work at other infield spots to stay in the lineup every day while the Brew Crew juggles their other players in and out of the lineup.