Should the Phillies target George Springer over JT Realmuto in free agency?

Is George Springer a better fit for the Philadelphia Phillies?

With JT Realmuto set to hit the open market this winter as a completely unrestricted free agent (I know, it hurts), some conversation has started to drum up regarding whether it’s even in the Philadelphia Phillies best interest to offer the 2x All-Star catcher a big time contract. It’s not a loaded free agency class by any stretch of the imagination, but there are a few other names that have been brought up as potential better “fits”.

We looked at Trevor Bauer and the impact that he could bring to the Phillies on a short term contract earlier in the week, but now we’ll pivot to someone who could add some pop to the Phils lineup. A 3x All-Star and 2x Silver Slugger, center fielder George Springer projects to be one of the best available bats during this year’s free agency class.

Springer has been one of the main building blocks in the Houston Astros organization over the past couple of seasons, playing a crucial role in each of the team’s last four postseason runs. He was named World Series MVP in 2017, recording an OPS of 1.471 against the LA Dodgers during that seven game slugfest.

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Springer’s career split sits at .270/.361/.491, with a majority of his elite level production coming over the last couple of seasons. He posted an .889 OPS in 2017, a .974 OPS in 2019, and an .899 OPS this past year here in 2020. His career-best 2019 season included 39 home runs and 96 total RBIs.

On paper, Springer is a wildly productive middle-of-the-order bat who would slot in quite nicely next to Bryce Harper. He also plays center field, a position that the Philadelphia Phillies have had struggles filling over the last couple of seasons. A move for Springer could allow the team to move Adam Haseley to left field, and then either permanently DH Andrew McCutchen or even explore a trade for him and his $20 million salary.

However, the one noticeable drawback when it comes to Springer and a hypothetical lucrative free agent contract is his age. He just turned 31, and it’s quite reasonable to assume that his better days might already be behind him.

The Phillies have experience in signing 30+ year old big name outfielders, as their move to acquire the before mentioned McCutchen is quite similar. Cutch wasn’t coming off as quite as good years as Springer currently is, but he was noticeably more productive during his prime. Cutch has turned into a valuable role player for the Phillies, but he in all honestly never lived up to that monster $60 million contract. He missed a majority of 2019 with a knee injury, and then came back in 2020 as a shell of his former self, posting a career-worst .757 OPS.

There’s no guarantee that Springer would follow a career track similar to that of McCutchen, but there’s always reason to pause when handing out huge money to 30+ year olds. While Realmuto is set to turn 30 this upcoming spring himself, he’s had three consecutive All-Star caliber seasons, leading one to believe he could just now be entering his offensive prime.

Realmuto also gives the Phillies the added production behind the plate, and his connection off the field with Harper is one that should be viewed as important to Phillies ownership and management. Personally, I’d rather the team just re-sign the guy you traded away a top pitching prospect for, as opposed to splashing on the former Astro in Springer.

Ultimately, a decision between Springer or Realmuto might not even happen this offseason, as owner John Middleton has hinted at withholding on spending this winter. If this does occur, we could be looking at yet another long year of October-less baseball down at Citizens Bank Park.