J.T. Realmuto Stays in Philadelphia

J.T. Realmuto was a big offseason story that died out a few weeks ago. At that point, it seemingly became an attempt by his agent to create interest so the Philadelphia Phillies would pay him more since it was obvious that he wasn’t going to break the catching record with his total haul. His five years at $115 million was good for both sides.

In the end, he’ll break the record with his AAV ($23.1 a season) and that’s fine if that makes him sleep better at night. I’ve often said if I were a baseball general manager, I’d make my big signings the highest-paid player for that first year of the deal. The player gets the splash and the team and fanbase get their player.

The Phillies are still lacking some pitching depth, but they did just sign Ivan Nova to a minor-league deal worth $1.5 million if he can stick with the big club. The Phillies are a lot better with Realmuto than without, and he helps manage the pitching staff too.

As far as the Mets getting Realmuto, he would have cost more to go there. I’m certain of that. Did the Mets make a mistake by not paying him? I’ll get back to you on that one.

The Brad Hand Saga

This offseason has been weird. The Mets are spending money, and a lot of teams aren’t. When’s the last time that happened? Brad Hand signed a one-year deal for $10.5 million with the Washington Nationals. It was rumored he was going to the Mets, then he wasn’t. Some of the insiders got it wrong. Nobody will know why that happened, maybe because players are trying to get every last dime in what’s been a bad offseason for a lot of players with dollar signs in their eyes. The Nationals needed this signing, and by all accounts, he will be their closer.

The Mets wanted him but probably weren’t willing to name him the closer as it was reported Hand was asking. In fact, Edwin Diaz did well for the Mets last season earning another year in that closer position. Is Hand better than Diaz? That’s a good argument for sure. Two years ago, it was no contest “Hands” down. Ok, bad dad joke, but you get the point.

The Nationals, Phillies, and Mets all got better. The Braves are still the class of the division, and the Marlins are waiting for their young talent to develop.

Trevor Bauer Going to Flushing?

Trevor Bauer has been using the Mets and Angels trying to cause a bidding war. The 2020 National League Cy Young winner, wants to go to the Angels but will take a record AAV from the Mets. Sound familiar? If I were the Mets owner, and my last name is Cohen, I would instruct Sandy Alomar to make him a whopping one-year offer with a club option for a second.

I don’t think the Mets want him for five years unless they’re thinking about cutting ties with Noah Syndergaard at some point. Health is a big deal for “Thor” so this would bridge the gap with a two-year deal. Bauer is a Twitter celebrity and a heck of a hurler. He could be a bigger star in New York. Let’s see how this one progresses.