With the offseason rapidly approaching, the biggest free-agents will become the talk of the baseball world, and on that list is sitting a significant upgrade at Catcher: J.T. Realmuto and the Washington Nationals shouldn't miss out.

J.T. Realmuto was selected in the third round of the 2010 MLB draft by the Florida Marlins, now the Miami Marlins. He made his MLB debut in 2014, and in a short time, he made an impact. He played five seasons with the Marlins until February 7, 2019.

Offensive Bat

For the 2014 season with the Marlins, J.T. batted .241 with 9 RBI's in 29 at-bats.

According to Baseball Reference.com, in his five years with the Marlins, he totaled:

  • 243 RBI's and 59 H.R.s;
  • .279 Batting Average and .768 OPS;
  • Played in 540 games and had 2,152 at-bats.

In 2018, J.T. Realmuto was selected to his first MLB All-Star Game and played in the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series. In 2018, Realmuto batted .277 with 21 Home Runs, 74 RBI's, and had three stolen bases.

The Marlins traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Jorge Alfaro, Sixto Sánchez, Will Stewart, and $250,000 in international bonus slot money.

In 2019, Realmuto was selected to his second All-Star Game and finished the season with winning his second career Silver Slugger award and his first Gold Glove Award. In a Phillies uniform in 2019, Realmuto batted .275 in 538 at-bats and had a career-high 92 runs, 36 doubles (which is the most ever by a Phillies catcher), 25 home runs, and a total of 83 RBI's.

Defense is Key

And that's just his offense; let's take a look at his defense, which is also very impressive.

In 2019, with the Phillies, he threw out a Major League-high 47% of all attempted base stealers. Realmuto also had the fastest pop time in the major's of all the catchers and had the second-strongest arm strength, and in total, he had an NL leading 11 Defensive Runs saved and led all major league catchers in double plays with 14 total.

When it comes to framing a pitch J.T. Realmuto would be a perfect addition. Currently, both Washington Nationals catchers Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki aren't great at framing pitches, so it would be amazing to see Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, and Patrick Corbin get that extra advantage over a batter at the plate.

Over the last three seasons, J.T. Realmuto has a 15.4 FRM, which is one of the better marks in baseball in that period. His exceptional framing and good defense help save runs and strikes, as he had a 19.5 FRAA (Fielding Runs Above Average) and 8 Runs Extra Strikes in 2019. Those three metrics add up to Realmuto helping pitchers give up fewer runs and stealing strikes that otherwise would put pitchers in worse counts.

Where he fits with the Nationals

The numbers speak for themselves and are impressive. Realmuto will be entering the prime of his career; therefore, the Nationals would be set at catcher for a couple of years. Additionally, if the National League keeps the D.H. and Realmuto also plays first base, you now have three spots (catcher, first base, and D.H.) he can play, and his bat is worth keeping in the lineup whenever possible.

We all know that the Nationals need an upgrade in defense behind the plate, so we will not beat a dead horse on that point; however, his batting will provide added value.

Realmuto would be the perfect protection for Juan Soto as pitchers would have to pitch to Soto not to let Realumto do some severe damage.

Show J.T. the Money

Between his offensive and defensive make the hefty price tag worth it. What would a contract look like? Well, we think it comes down to how long the deal is.

At this point in his career, his age plays a huge factor. The contract's length should fall in the middle of the deals of Yadier Molina (3-year deal) and Buster Posey's deal (8-year deal singed in 2013); however, both Posey and Molina had two world series rings, and as of now, Realmuto has none. The other factor to keep in mind when thinking about the length of a possible contract is that the National League's adoption of the designated hitter rule this season will enhance his value if that rule stays.

With that being said, J.T. Realmuto is on the cusp of getting the largest contract in MLB history, and he deserves it. If Realmuto stays healthy, his numbers are going to be an automatic 275-.285 BA 20-30 HR 80-100 RBI guy for the rest of his career, and that's a lot to expect out of a catcher.

How could the Nationals get it done? Well, actually, with some players coming off the books, the Nationals are in a great position to sign J.T.Realmuto. Since both Anibal Sanchez (that is $12 million of the books), Sean Doolittle, Adam Eaton, and other free agents, and coming off the books, the Nationals can get creative in moving money around.

If the Nationals can give Realmuto $20 million over 5-6 years, that could get the deal done and a franchise catcher that can be used in multiple ways.

Conclusion: Go for it!

It is easy for us to tell the Learners how to spend their money, but in all seriousness, Realmuto would be able to play in two positions, and all his offensive and defensive metrics make sense to spend big on this player. The Nationals have been able to keep under the competitive balance tax for the past two seasons, so why not go out this offseason and spend the money to fill multiple holes. We all know that the Learners aren't afraid to go and spend money on talented baseball players.

According to Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post, the Nationals might be willing to spend big for J.T.Realmuto "(GM Mike) Rizzo has coveted him for years. ... If Realmuto was offered Corbin or Jayson Werth money, in the $125 million-plus range, would he become a Nat?..."

Between Realmuto's offensive and his defensive numbers, it would be nice for the NAtionals to make an offer that he can't refuse, and hey, maybe he can get his World Series ring to add to his collection.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments section or on Twitter

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