The Philadelphia Phillies are gearing up to make a monster offer for free agent catcher JT Realmuto.
While Realmuto and the Phillies organization have been in negotiations since the sports world paused last March, it seems as though they are ready to give him the offer he wants.
Per Jayson Stark of The Athletic:
According to an industry source familiar with the negotiations, the offer was for five years and slightly north of $100 million, which is believed to be somewhere in the range of where the club stood last March, when negotiations screeched to a halt because of MLB’s COVID-19 transactions freeze.
While this might seem like a huge offer for JT Realmuto, it's a move the Phillies need to make to have any chance to compete in the National League.
The New York Mets recently acquired star shortstop Francisco Lindor. The Atlanta Braves made the NLCS just a few months back, and the San Diego Padres acquired Blake Snell and Yu Darvish.
The Phillies shelled out a 13-year, $330-million deal to Bryce Harper in 2019, so the Phillies throwing money around shouldn't be a surprise–especially considering Realmuto is one of the top free agents remaining.
While the specifics aren't clear on the terms of the deal, and while much can change over time, the Phillies and Realmuto seem close to an agreement.
The Phillies’ new president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, declined to comment on Friday, saying: “We continue to have interest in J.T. But from a negotiating standpoint, these are things that have to be kept private,” per The Athletic.
That statement certainly seems like the talks are close to being done. Will Realmuto be with the Phillies?
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