Friday, November 30, 2018

Can The "Andy Barkett Connection" Bring Catcher J.T. Realmuto To The Sox?

(Getty Images)
Granted, it's a long-shot, but a personal connection might help lure elite, 27-year-old catcher J.T. Realmuto to Boston. Current Red Sox assistant hitting coach Andy Barkett is an "old friend" of Realmuto's—having managed him in Double A ball. It's unclear who Boston would have to return to The Denizens Of Derek Jeter to get Realmuto—who hit .277 last season, with 21 HRs and 74 RBIs in 125 games. He was an All-Star in 2018 and won the Silver Slugger Award for backstops. Incredibly, he made just $2.9 million last year—and won't hit free-agency until 2021. Perhaps a combination of either Christian Vazquez or Blake Swihartplus some additional top prospects could fetch Realmuto. But, frankly, it seems a bit far-fetched—as the The Evil Ones are willing to swap Gary Sanchez and others in a trade. As Fancred's Jon Heyman put it: "The Red Sox’ catching situation is solid defensively but Realmuto would make baseball’s best lineup even better...however, it is hard to see what the Red Sox could offer in the way of prospects and young players." Indeed—but we can dream, can't we? Get on the horn, Andy!