J.T. Realmuto, Phillies agree on 5 year deal, per report

MLB Rumors: J.T. Realmuto and the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to terms on a 5 year, $115.5 million deal, per multiple reports. The free agent catcher, who turns 30 in March, was considered one of the top free agents on the market this offseason.

The Phillies acquired Realmuto right before spring training in 2019 from the Miami Marlins, trading Sixto Sanchez, Jorge Alfaro, Will Stewart and international bonus slot money to land him. Realmuto has been a consistent 4-5 win per year guy since 2017, and has generally been viewed as one of the best, if not the best, catcher in MLB over that time.

The Realmuto acquisition was part of the Phillies’ big push to get back in contention prior to 2019, as the team also signed Bryce Harper and traded for Jean Segura, having signed Jake Arrieta the previous offseason. The Phillies finished .500 in 2019, however, and were below .500 in 2020.

Realmuto is getting a deal in line with what I think was expected — Kiley McDaniel projected 5 years, $110 million for him prior to the offseason kicking off — and the Phillies retain a player who has been a key part of their lineup and a quality contributor. One can reasonably worry about how he will hold up over the life of the deal, given the frequency with which catchers suffer relatively early declines, but this seems to overall be a win-win signing.