Philadelphia Phillies: 5 potential J.T. Realmuto suitors still out there
By David Esser
New York Yankees
Outside of the Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies, the Yankees were viewed as the other main player in the J.T. Realmuto sweepstakes. They had gotten some fairly disappointing play out of their catcher Gary Sanchez in 2020, and were reportedly interested in Realmuto prior to his trade to Philadelphia.
Considering the Yankees’ affection with spending boatloads of money in free agency, a monster offer for Realmuto this winter didn’t seem out of the question.
As of right now, the Yankees still have Gary Sanchez on their roster, which could signal them not being in the market for a new catcher. They’re also struggling to re-sign infielder DJ LeMahieu, a priority that still likely ranks at the top of their list.
However, if the Yankees are ultimately unable to bring back their star second baseman, they could pivot towards adding a big name catcher. Signing J.T. gives them an elite bat capable of replacing DJ in the lineup, and it also makes Gary Sanchez expendable. Moving him for some pitching help could be in the Yankees’ best interest.
For the Philadelphia Phillies, New York jumping into the Realmuto discussion would be very bad news. The Phils are trying to cut costs this winter, and there’s simply no way they’d compete with the Yankees in terms of a bidding war.