After months of waiting, the Phillies have finally re-signed J.T. Realmuto

After months and months of waiting, the J.T. Realmuto saga has finally come to a close. According to MLB Network’s Craig Mish (and later confirmed by Jon Heyman), the Philadelphia Phillies and Realmuto have agreed upon a contract worth $115.5 million over five years.

The Phillies have officially re-signed J.T. Realmuto.

The Phillies lock up their 2x All-Star catcher for the next half-decade, and Realmuto still gets a whopping $100+ million, despite operating through an offseason dampened by COVID-19 related revenue loss.

More from Section 215

• 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
• Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
• 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
• Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
• Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles

While an AAV of $23.1 million per season is still the highest number a catcher has ever earned in MLB history, Realmuto’s overall salary is far below what many (Realmuto’s camp included) expected him to earn this offseason. $200 million was initially thrown out towards the end of the 2020 regular season, and many felt he would still ultimately eclipse $150 million.

$23.1 million per season is nothing to scoff at, but the Phillies have to be thrilled at how this year’s free agency played out for them and their shrinking payroll.

With Realmuto now finally set to return to Philadelphia, Dave Dombrowski and company can begin to turn their attention towards other areas of need. The team has routinely been linked to free agent shortstops like Andrelton Simmons and Didi Gregorius, and they likely need to add some more pitching depth as well – both in the rotation and in the bullpen.

Regardless of what the rest of the offseason ends up looking like, inking Realmuto to a big-time extension is a significant victory for this new-look Phillies front office. There was definitely a scary moment where J.T.-to-the-Mets felt like a very real possibility.

It’s also worth noting that some of Realmuto’s salary in 2020 will be deferred to later years – helping free up some more money for the current offseason.

Realmuto is coming off two very strong seasons with the Phillies, posting a collective OPS of .825 over 192 total games. He also won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in 2019, and has really positioned himself above everyone else as the “best catcher in baseball.”

While the Phillies still have plenty of holes to worry about, a now solidified trio of Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, and Realmuto is a pretty solid group of guys to build around moving forward.