J.T. Realmuto, Phillies Agree on 5-Year, $115.5M Deal
Photo Via: Mitchell Leff - Getty Images
Once the Phillies hired Dave Dombrowski as President of Baseball Operations and Sam Fuld as General Manager, this move seemed inevitable. The Phillies and J.T. Realmuto have reportedly agreed upon a 5-year, $115.5 million contract, according to MLB Network contributor Craig Mish.
Realmuto’s average annual value of $23.1 million breaks a record for catchers that was set by Joe Mauer and the Twins ($23.0M). Realmuto was the third best free agent and the best catcher on Lunch Break Baseball’s free agency rankings.
Dave Dombrowski is known as a baseball operations guru who likes to spend first. Phillies’ star Bryce Harper publicly called for the re-signing of Realmuto as well, so Dombrowski had no problem spending to keep the core of players together.
Realmuto has some pop and is extremely athletic, not even just for a catcher. He hit 11 home runs in 47 games last season and even stole 4 bases. He will turn 30 prior to this season, so the agreement will take him through his age-34 season.