Philadelphia Phillies chances of signing J.T. Realmuto just went up

One of the Philadelphia Phillies biggest rivals won’t be signing J.T. Realmuto.

The Philadelphia Phillies have one less competitor when it comes to signing All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto this offseason.

According to multiple reports, the New York Mets have signed catcher James McCann to a four-year deal worth over $40 million.

The Mets were seen as one of the Phillies’ biggest competitors to signing Realmuto this offseason, but instead, the Mets go for the second-best catcher on the free agent market at a fraction of the price.

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McCann was regarded by many as a sound alternative to Realmuto just two years removed from an All-Star season, where he hit 18 home runs and 26 doubles for the White Sox. His playing time went down last year when Chicago signed Yasmani Grandal, but he hit .289 in 31 games.

With the Mets out of the running for Realmuto, the Phillies won’t have to compete with new owner Steve Cohen’s checkbook. They still have the Washington Nationals as a direct competitor for Realmuto’s services, as well as the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels.

Philadelphia’s hiring of Dave Dombrowski as their new President of Baseball Operations also boosts their chances of signing Realmuto, giving them a well-known, battle-tested executive who isn’t afraid to strike a deal.

However, McCann’s signing does limit the Phillies’ options at catcher if Realmuto goes elsewhere. Thirty-eight-year-old Yadier Molina and former Reds catcher Curt Sacasli are the only other notable starting catchers on the free agent market.

Jason Castro, Mike Zunino, Robinson Chirinos, Kurt Suzuki, and Francisco Pena are all either older backup catchers or struggle to hit for average.

If the Phillies wanted to make another big trade for a catcher, Dombrowski might have to swing a deal for Willson Contreras. It’s certainly less than ideal for the Phillies to trade for two high-profile catchers in three years, especially with the state of their farm system.

The Phillies have a lot going for them with Realmuto; he knows and likes the market, he knows the coaching staff and teammates, and they’re pushing towards playoff contention. In any other year, the Phillies would be in a position to pay Realmuto what he’s worth, which is potentially a $100+ million contract.

This year, they might have to stretch their payroll to add Realmuto, but now they’ll at least avoid having to compete with the Mets for the best catcher in baseball.