Washington: 3 high-profile free agents Nationals need to avoid

J.T. Realmuto

J.T. Realmuto is going to sign a large contract as well. He should sign it somewhere other than Washington. I do not see the Nationals breaking the bank for a catcher. They never have. The Nationals have always traded for their backstops or signed them short term.

Earlier in the offseason I wrote a piece which included the idea playoff teams were getting by with catchers who didn’t hit during the regular season (then Mike Zunino literally didn’t hit during the World Series).

There are more glove-first catchers out there these days than bat-first guys. Realmuto is probably the best bat-first guy on the market, though the numbers he puts up aren’t head and shoulders above other catchers around the league. Free agent catchers, yes. Other catchers, no.

I also floated the idea of the Nationals engaging in talks with the New York Yankees about the services of Gary Sanchez, who they seem interested in moving.

This is more of a value move rather than a total cost move. Yes, Realmuto is going to command over $100M for the contract he gets. For less years and less dollars the Nationals can bring in a catcher who will suffice for what they need.