3 high-profile signings Yankees need to avoid this offseason

2. JT Realmuto

Stop it. The Yankees do not need JT Realmuto.

You don’t like Gary Sanchez? That’s understandable. He’s been downright bad since the start of 2018 sans his home run totals. We’re with you there.

But replacing him with a backstop in JT Realmuto who only bests him in dWAR by 4.2 for his career just isn’t what the Yankees are looking for. He’s only a one-time Gold Glover and next year will be his age-30 season. Want to go deeper into the stats? Realmuto has -4 DRS (defensive runs saved) for his career — and much of that is inflated from his career campaign in 2019 — while Sanchez has +1. For the advanced stats lovers out there, that’s typically the most important defensive metric.

So splurging for Realmuto would mean the Yankees are paying for 40 batting average points and better defense, but not by a wide margin, it seems.

Another big thing to note? Realmuto really isn’t ahead of Sanchez that much offensively.

• Realmuto career: .278/.328/.455 with 380 runs scored, 95 home runs and 358 RBI in 732 games
• Sanchez career: .236/.320/.502 with 245 runs scored, 115 home runs, 286 RBI in 421 games

MLB Trade Rumors is predicting Realmuto will fetch a $125 million contract. The Yankees would be out of their minds to pay that and not invest in other, more dire areas of need.