Chicago Cubs: J.T. Realmuto’s contract impacts catching situation
The Chicago Cubs have been lucky to have one of the best catchers in the entire National League over the past few seasons.
Willson Contreras is an elite player and would be an upgrade at the position for most teams in the league. He is going to need a new contract soon and a lot of people wonder if the Cubs are going to be the ones who give it to him. His name has been out there in trade speculation as well, so there’s no telling what might happen..
J.T. Realmuto’s new contract might really affect the Chicago Cubs’ plans.
One of the only catchers in the league that you would consider better than Willson Contreras is J.T. Realmuto. The only other one in the mix is Yasmani Grandal. Those are the three that when push comes to shove, you want behind the plate of your championship level squad. Realmuto was a free agent this winter but that saga is over.
Earlier in the week, the Philadelphia Phillies signed Realmuto to a five year, $115 million dollar contract. This is a contract that brings him back to the Phillies after spending two years with them. His average annual salary of 23.1 million dollars is the highest for a catcher in the history of Major League Baseball. He is only the third catcher (Joe Mauer, Buster Posey) to ever receive a contract that is worth more than 100 million dollars.
It is a significant contract across Major League Baseball but it certainly doesn’t help the Cubs. Realmuto is better than Contreras but not by much. If the Cubs wanted to keep Contreras in the long term, the price is probably going to be somewhat similar. Realmuto’s 2020 WAR was 1.4 and Contreras ended at 1.0. The gap might not be as big as some people think.
The fact that Contreras might be this expensive very well could cause the Cubs to trade him. Realmuto got the money he is worth and Contreras will as well. So far this winter, we have seen that the Cubs have been shedding payroll a lot. It is fair to believe that they are going to ship him off to avoid giving him a contract of that magnitude.
If the Cubs were smart, they would do it now or never. His trade value might never be higher than it is right now. He is an elite catcher that has two years left on his deal and that might be intriguing for a contender that has a two-year window to win the World Series.
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The type of return he would net the Cubs in trade could really help their rebuild as well. If they want to pay him, that would be smart to do so because he is so good and still young enough to help them rebuild. No matter what you believe the Cubs should or should not do, there is no doubt that this mega-deal that J.T. Realmuto signed affects the Cubs and Contreras.