Phillies owner didn't want trade for Realmuto without long-term deal
Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton wasn't fully on board with one of now-former general manager Matt Klentak's biggest moves during his tenure.
Klentak, who stepped down as Phillies GM on Saturday, acquired All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto from the Miami Marlins before the 2019 season for a package including top pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez. While Realmuto performed as expected for the Phillies, the team hasn't made the playoffs with him on the roster - and he's now headed for free agency.
Meanwhile, the rookie Sanchez helped the Marlins to a surprising playoff berth this summer. His catcher on the Marlins, Jorge Alfaro, was also part of the Realmuto trade.
While addressing Klentak's departure, Middleton admitted he didn't feel fully comfortable trading Sanchez for Realmuto without getting the catcher locked up long term as part of the deal.
"The fact of the matter is, at the time it was being considered, my position was, I'd be willing to trade Sixto as long as you extend J.T. And if you don't extend J.T., I wouldn't trade Sixto," Middleton said Saturday, according to Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia. "Because we weren't at a point in the development of the team where the benefits that we were getting matched what we were giving up."
Realmuto will head into free agency without much progress made on a possible long-term deal with the Phillies. He and the team had some discussions before the pandemic halted spring training, though they weren't close to a deal.
As the top catcher - and arguably the top position player following Mookie Betts' extension - available this winter, Realmuto is expected to command top dollar on the open market. Bryce Harper, the Phillies' most recent blockbuster free-agent acquisition, has openly pushed for the team to re-sign Realmuto all summer, putting lots of pressure on them to pay up.
Middleton has confirmed the team still isn't close to a deal with Realmuto, although keeping him remains a priority. But he hinted outside factors relating to revenue losses from the pandemic might play a role in whether or not the catcher wears a Phillies uniform again.
"Can you tell me what the governor and the mayor of Philadelphia are going to allow us to have next year in the way of fans?" Middleton said, according to Jeff Skervsky of WPVI. "I have no idea what we're gonna be allowed, and obviously that's gonna determine revenues, and revenues determine what you can do and what you can't do.
"But is it a priority for us? Absolutely."