J.T. Realmuto is regarded as the best defensive catcher in the game. He is elite at being on the same page as his pitchers, alongside his ability to frame, throw runners out, and keep the ball in front of him.
However, the Philadelphia Phillies are at risk of losing their backstop after seven seasons. Realmuto will become a free agent at the end of the season and could be a tough player to retain.
They are also at risk of losing Kyle Schwarber, which could hurt the team’s ability to retain both. However, one player’s market could be quite bigger than the others, and it’s not who you think.
Execs suggest J.T. Realmuto could draw more free-agent interest than Kyle Schwarber
If you were to ask 100 fans who would have the biggest market over the winter between the two, almost all of them would say Kyle Schwarber. He is coming off a career-best season where he launched 56 home runs and did not miss a single game during the regular season.
However, according to team insider Matt Gelb, MLB executives believe J.T. Realmuto will have the larger market.
“But some rival executives expect Realmuto to draw more free-agent interest this winter than Kyle Schwarber. That’s not to suggest Realmuto will receive a larger deal than Schwarber; he won’t. But the sheer number of teams interested in Realmuto could boost his market.”
Realmuto will not cost quite as much as Schwarber, which could generate more interest. That could seriously jeopardize Philadelphia’s chances of re-signing its prized backstop, which would be quite the loss.
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