Realmuto: Betts' deal a sign teams are 'willing to spend'
J.T. Realmuto likely celebrated when Mookie Betts inked his 12-year, $365-million extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers this week.
With Betts now locked up in L.A., Realmuto will probably be the best free agent available this winter. Whether the Philadelphia Phillies catcher can cash in is another question, as the pandemic stoppage and its impact on team revenue has cast some doubt over whether clubs will want to spend.
But Realmuto is thinking positively about the coming offseason after Betts' recent windfall. He sees it as a sign that teams will still pay top dollar for the top tier free agents.
"It was definitely positive to see for baseball knowing that teams still do have that money," Realmuto said, according to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "Like I mentioned a few weeks ago, I still think that the teams at the top of the market are going to be willing to spend money. Some teams are going to take advantage of the situation where half or maybe three-quarters of the league might not be interested in spending as much money.
"Other teams are going to really go for it and push for those players. It was good to see (Betts) get what he deserves."
Realmuto's words come a few days after teammate Bryce Harper expressed a similar sentiment regarding the backstop's pending free agency. Harper has been quite vocal about his desire for Realmuto to stay in Philadelphia.
Realmuto reiterated Saturday that he hasn't discussed an extension with Philadelphia recently, saying he's "focused on the season at this point."
The Phillies acquired him from Miami before the 2019 campaign. Last year, he won the NL Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards at his position.