Report: Phillies, Realmuto reunite on 3-year, $45M deal
The Philadelphia Phillies wasted no time reuniting with an old friend after missing out on Bo Bichette.
Philadelphia agreed to to a three-year, $45-million contract with free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto, sources told Robert Murray of FanSided. The contract includes annual award bonuses and performance incentives that could raise the deal's total value to $60 million, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Realmuto, who will turn 35 in March, has spent the last seven seasons as the Phillies' primary catcher. He's won two Gold Gloves and two of his three career Silver Sluggers during his time in Philadelphia.
The Oklahoma native is coming off a tough 2025 season, though. His .257/.315/.384 slash line was his worst since his rookie campaign with the Miami Marlins in 2015. He also showed defensive decline; his minus-2 defensive runs saved was the third-lowest total among catchers with at least 900 innings, and he ranked in the seventh percentile of framing.
Realmuto did continue to excel in some areas, however, leading all catchers in putouts and double plays while catching an NL-high 30 runners stealing. Additionally, his 1.86 pop time ranked in the 99th percentile. Offensively, Realmuto hit 12 homers, marking the 11th straight campaign that he's recorded at least 10 round-trippers, and also stole eight bases.
The Phillies were thought to be the front-runners for Bichette in recent days. Had they signed the infielder, Realmuto would have wound up elsewhere due to the payroll ramifications. But when Bichette shocked the baseball world Friday by reportedly agreeing to a three-year, $126-million deal with the rival New York Mets, Philadelphia quickly pivoted back to its longtime catcher.
His return gives Philadelphia another much-needed right-handed bat in what is projected to be a lefty-heavy lineup. Including top prospect Justin Crawford, the Phillies currently have six projected regulars who hit from the left side. The team already tried to correct this imbalance in December by signing outfielder Adolis García.
Rafael Marchán was projected to start behind the plate if Realmuto departed and will now likely serve as his backup. Philadelphia also has Garrett Stubbs on its 40-man roster, although both Stubbs and Marchán are out of minor-league options. Minor-league free agents Mark Kolozsvary and René Pinto will also be candidates to win the backup job in spring training.