Phillies Resign Star Catcher J.T. Realmuto To $115M Deal: Reports

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Sighs of relief were exhaled across the Delaware Valley Tuesday afternoon, as the Phillies reportedly resigned their star catcher J.T. Realmuto to a record-setting deal.

Realmuto, widely considered the best catcher in baseball for the last two years he's spent in Philadelphia, agreed to a five-year, $115.5 million contract, MLB Network's Craig Mish first reported. The deal was later confirmed by several other media sources including ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The deal is one of the largest ever signed by a free agent catcher, and gives the 30-year-old Realmuto the largest sum per year for a catcher ever. Only Hall of Fame candidate Joe Mauer, at $184 million, has ever commanded a greater total sum.

While the Phillies have been the favorites to land Realmuto all winter, the pandemic has thrown the financials of most professional sports organizations for a loop, and doubts lingered about ownership's appetite for another major investment after another disappointing season. Resigning Realmuto reiterates a win-now message to a team that went all in on the now when it signed Bryce Harper two years ago.

Realmuto is one of the best defensive catchers in the game by any metric, and is the best hitter at the position, by far. He enjoyed a career year at the plate in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, ripping 11 home runs and batting .266/.349/.491 with an .840 OPS. He makes the middle of the Phillies order fearsome for years to come, pairing with fellow sluggers Harper, Rhys Hoskins, and nearly-Rookie of the Year Alec Bohm.

Much was made over Realmuto's desire to raise the bar for catchers of the future, and rumblings dating back to more than a year ago suggested that he was seeking something north of $200 million over the course of a seven or eight year deal. But Realmuto was always clear in his desire to remain in Philadelphia, and he did so while still breaking the record for average annual value.

Due to the demands of their position, catchers tend to age more quickly than other players, and there were no shortage of concerns that the elite skillset Realmuto has exhibited in his late twenties would carry deep into his thirties. But a five year deal only takes Realmuto through his age 34 season, he also has experience playing first base, and there is always the possibility that the designated hitter will return to the National League.

The Phillies had one more major impetus to resign Realmuto, too: Sixto Sanchez.

Realmuto was originally acquired two winters ago from the division rival Miami Marlins, and top-level pitching prospect Sanchez was centerpiece of that trade. The Phillies watched in 2020 as he blossomed into a star. In fact, Sanchez and his upstart, rebuilding Marlins beat the high-spending beat the Phillies back to the playoffs in 2020. To give away Sanchez for Realmuto and then watch Realmuto walk away in free agency just two years later (potentially to a division rival like the Braves or Nationals) would've been a tough pill for the franchise to swallow.

The news was welcomed from across the Phandom.

Realmuto is the second major addition the Phillies have made this offseason, as they've also signed top-end reliever Archie Bradley to boost their MLB-worst relief corps from 2020. Other notable deals include a trade for Tampa Bay's Jose Alvarado, a high-ceiling reliever who has experience closing.

Suddenly, the 2021 Phillies look stronger than a year ago, and even more so if they can resign their other major loss in free agency: shortstop Didi Gregorious. Rumors have connected the Phillies to Gregorious over the last few weeks, and the Phillies are also known to be interested in two other options at short, both elite defenders: Andrelton Simmons and ex-Phillie Freddy Galvis.