Philadelphia Phillies: J.T. Realmuto market appears to be a two team race

Despite the Philadelphia Phillies officially extending an offer of five years and $100+ million to J.T. Realmuto this past weekend, the saga for the best catcher in baseball is still far from complete. While the Dave Dombrowski led Phillies should definitely be viewed as the favorites to land the 2x All-Star’s services, an American League team eager to spend hasn’t been ruled out of the mix quite yet.

Philadelphia Phillies still competing with Toronto for J.T. Realmuto?

The Toronto Blue Jays – after failing to land a deal with marquee free agent shortstop DJ LeMahieu – reportedly remain in contact with Realmuto. According to MLB insider Jon Morosi, Toronto is still in the mix for Realmuto, George Springer, and even Trevor Bauer. Eager to build around their young roster, the Blue Jays seem intent on landing one of the big-name free agents. While their attention does seem more focused on the likes of Springer and Bauer, missing out on either one of them could see the team pivot towards the former Phillies catcher.

For the most part, the offseason has played out pretty favorably for the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets went after James McCann as opposed to Realmuto, and some of the other main potential suitors (Yankees, Nationals, Angels) ultimately went other directions as well. With a general lack of spending taking place this winter, the Phillies have found themselves in a spot where Realmuto could be re-signed on a bit of a discount.

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Realmuto and his camp scared everyone with their initial $200 million target number, but now they seem far more likely to land on a number in the $110-120 million range.

An offer of anywhere between $20-25 million per season seems more than fair considering the fact that LeMahieu only got an AAV of $15 million, and Realmuto’s public desire to stay in Philadelphia should only make things easier. The catcher has developed a strong relationship with Bryce Harper, with the superstar outfielder repeatedly calling for J.T. to be re-signed.

Another factor to take into account when considering Toronto’s interest is the fact that there’s no guarantee they’ll be playing games in Canada. The Blue Jays were forced to play In Buffalo last year due to COVID-19 restrictions, and they could have to do the same in 2021.

With all that said, the Phillies shouldn’t rule out the possibility of Toronto coming back over the top with a mega offer sometime soon. Money talks at the end of the day, and Realmuto’s camp has long expressed their desire to land a massive contract this winter. If Philadelphia really wants to lock up their All-Star catcher for the next five seasons, they need to act quickly and decisively.

If the Phillies aren’t able to re-sgn Realmuto, there are very few external options to turn to in free agency. The Phillies would likely have to hand things over to Andrew Knapp as the full-time option behind the plate, which is obviously less than ideal.