The Phillies have no sense for timing. Releasing the re-signing of J.T. Realmuto a short time after missing on Bo Bichette was just dumb. Fans wanted and needed time to get over not getting Bichette. The Realmuto contract was seen as a potential reason why they missed. They had spent so much time—and as it ends up, money—on getting a deal done with him, that they got in on Bichette late in the game.

The deal is three years and $45-million with the potential for Realmuto to make another $15-million in incentives. The incentives are going to turn out to be games played or games he was available to play. The availability will be due to likely having more rest during the duration of the deal. He will be rested more than in the past.

There are varying accounts about the market for Realmuto. Some question if the Phillies were bidding against themselves. Jim Bowden said there were no other teams interested, Jon Heyman said there was other interest in Realmuto. Two things can be true at once; there may have not been teams interested in what J.T. wanted, but there were teams interested in signing him at a lower level. Reports show that Realmuto wanted three years and $60-million. He will get exactly what he wanted, but only if he reaches all of the incentives.

People are slow to accept how a catcher handles a pitching staff as value. The truth is that you can find plenty of pitchers who either work with J.T. behind the plate now, and others who have worked with him in the past. They will tell you that they love having him as their catcher. It’s hard to quantify the value of a catcher that pitchers love. He knows how to call a game. He blocks pitches in the dirt extremely well and throws out a high percentage of basestealers.

If you compare Realmuto’s age and what he will be earning at the end of his contract with other Phillies, the 35-year-old catcher is a bargain:

  • J.T. Realmuto: Signed through 2028 when he will be 38-years-old. His 2028 salary is $15-million ($20-million if he reaches all of the incentives.)
  • Bryce Harper: Signed through 2031 when he will be 39-years-old. His 2031 salary will be $22-million.
  • Aaron Nola: Signed through 2030 when he will be 37. His 2030 salary will be $24.5-million.
  • Trea Turner: Signed through 2033 when he will be 40. His 2033 salary will be $27.2-million.
  • Kyle Schwarber: Signed through 2030 when he will be 27. His 2030 salary will be $30-million.
  • Zack Wheeler: Signed through 2027 when he will be 37. His 2027 salary will be $42-million.

Consider that Bryce Harper has been on the IL in each of the past four seasons for extended periods. He has six more years left to play to fulfill his contract. Remember that Nola has faced injuries and is coming off of a bad season. He also has five more seasons left. Wheeler has only two more seasons left. He is coming off a very serious injury (thoracic outlet syndrome) and had surgery to fix it. Wheeler also has huge salaries for 2026 and 2027.

If you have concerns about Realmuto, the rest of the lineup will appear even worse. This is especially true as players get close to the end of their deals. The Phillies should put the time remaining on Realmuto’s deal to develop somewhat of a succession plan. This time around they had nothing. If that’s the case when Realmuto’s deal is up that will be the real problem.

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