Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a five-year, $115.5 million contract with catcher J.T. Realmuto, according to MLB Network's Craig Mish and Jon Heyman.

Realmuto with an AAV of $23.1 million dollars is the highest ever for a major league catcher in baseball history.

— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) January 26, 2021

Per The Athletic's Jayson Stark, the contract includes deferred money:

More on Realmuto's contract, per sources:

Of his $20M salary for 2021, half is deferred to help #Phillies with pandemic cash-flow issues.

He'd then earn the same amount ($23.875M) in each of the final 4 years.

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) January 26, 2021

Heyman noted Realmuto's deal includes a $1 million assignment clause if he's traded.

Stark reported Jan. 15 the Phillies had put a five-year offer worth "slightly north" of $100 million on the table. That aligns with the hiring of Dave Dombrowski as president of baseball operations since Dombrowski's recipe for success is pretty straightforward: Spend a lot of money on proven talent.

Philadelphia acquired Realmuto from the Miami Marlins in February 2019, sending Jorge Alfaro, Sixto Sanchez and Will Stewart to Miami in the trade. It was part of a big offseason for the Phillies, who signed Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330 million contract.

Things didn't go according to plan as the Phillies finished the 2019 season fourth in the National League East at 81-81.

Realmuto largely delivered, though. He batted .275 with a career-high .493 slugging percentage, 25 home runs and 83 RBI. His 5.7 WAR ranked first among all catchers.

In addition to his production at the plate, the two-time All-Star was one of the league's better defensive catchers. According to Baseball Prospectus, he was fourth in adjusted fielding runs above average (20.4) and eighth in framing runs (10.5).

Realmuto was his usual self during the abbreviated 2020 season. He had 11 home runs, 32 RBI and a .266/.349/.491 slash line. His 1.7 WAR tied for second among catchers. The 29-year-old set a career high in weighted on-base average (.361).

Realmuto also sat 11th in Baseball Prospectus' catcher defensive adjustment metric, living up to his reputation as one of MLB's best all-around catchers.

Thanks partially to their awful bullpen, the Phillies finished third in the National League East at 28-32 and missed the playoffs, even though postseason expansion lowered the bar for teams to qualify.

As with any catcher in his late 20s, there's a long-term concern about Realmuto's future at the position.

He played sporadically at first base with the Marlins and got four games there with Philadelphia in 2019, per Baseball Reference. As much as the 2020 campaign can provide any insight, his usage differed from the norm as he caught 36 games while playing first on six occasions. He was a designated hitter in nine games as well.

A full-time move to first base or DH might beckon in the future, but that shouldn't need to happen anytime soon based on how well Realmuto continues to defend. He made at least 125 starts for the fifth straight season in 2019, so durability isn't a question mark.

The Phillies still presumably want to contend in 2021, so letting Realmuto walk wouldn't have made much sense. Speaking with reporters in October, managing partner John Middleton didn't rule out his return but offered a cryptic comment about the possibility:

"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? Because if you do, you know something that I don't. So I have no idea what we're going to be allowed. Obviously, that will determine our revenues, and revenues determine what you can do and what you can't do."

While it shouldn't have factored too much into the final decision, failing to retain Realmuto would've meant the team had almost nothing left to show for losing Sanchez, who looks to be a valuable long-term piece in Miami's rotation.

Between bringing Dombrowski aboard and authorizing the contract put forward to Realmuto, Middleton is clearly looking to capitalize on the Phillies' championship window.

          

Stats are courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

As J.T. Realmuto continues to wait out the free-agent market, details about the Philadelphia Phillies' most recent contract offer to the All-Star catcher are coming out. 

Per MLB Network's Jon Heyman, the Phillies' proposal is believed to be worth around $110 million. 

After a slow free-agent period, MLB teams are starting to kick things into gear with less than one month before pitchers and catchers will report to spring training. 

Realmuto, DJ LeMahieu and George Springer were widely regarded as the top position players available this offseason. LeMahieu reportedly agreed to a six-year, $90 million deal to stay with the New York Yankees, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. 

On Tuesday, Heyman reported that Springer agreed to a six-year, $150 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Jayson Stark of The Athletic reported last week the Phillies made a five-year proposal worth "slightly north of $100 million" to Realmuto. It's unclear if Wednesday's report is about that same offer or a potentially new one as the two sides continue to negotiate. 

Realmuto has spent the past two seasons in Philadelphia after being acquired in a February 2019 trade with the Miami Marlins. The 29-year-old has hit .273/.333/.492 with 36 homers and 115 RBI in 192 games with the Phillies.  

One month from the scheduled start of spring training, the Philadelphia Phillies have presented catcher J.T. Realmuto with a formal contract offer.

Per Jayson Stark of The Athletic, the Phillies offered "five years and slightly north of $100 million" to the two-time All-Star.

As recently as Dec. 29, the Phillies had not made an offer to Realmuto, according to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia, even though the sides were having conversations.

The Phils front office has undergone significant changes this offseason, as Dave Dombrowski was hired as president of baseball operations Dec. 11.

Stark noted Dombrowski confirmed a report by Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia that he met with Realmuto and Realmuto's wife, Lexi, last month. The recent offer was made "in the last week or so."

Realmuto's free agency is one of the questions hanging over the Phillies. Bryce Harper has made no secret that he wants the team to keep the 29-year-old.

The Phillies acquired Realmuto from the Miami Marlins for Jorge Alfaro, Sixto Sánchez, Will Stewart and international slot money in February 2019.

In two seasons, Realmuto has posted a .273/.333/.492 slash line with 36 homers and 115 RBI. He won his first Gold Glove Award and second Silver Slugger in 2019.

Free-agent relief pitcher Archie Bradley is signing with the Philadelphia Phillies on a one-year, $6 million deal, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

The 28-year-old righty split time between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds last year, compiling a 2.95 ERA and 1.091 WHIP in 18.1 innings with three walks allowed and 18 strikeouts. 

New president of baseball operations David Dombrowski and general manager Sam Fuld appear intent on rebuilding the Phillies bullpen. Philadelphia relievers blew 12 saves last year, tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the third-highest mark in MLB.

Bradley's signing follows the acquisition of Sam Coonrod from the San Francisco Giants and Jose Alvarado from the Tampa Bay Rays in recent days. The team also inked Michael Ynoa and Neftali Feliz to minor league deals while grabbing Ian Hamilton off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.

Those moves will help buoy Hector Neris, David Hale and Seranthony Dominguez in the bullpen moving forward. 

Overall, Bradley's signing is the latest in a series of contracts announced for free-agent relievers this week. 

After the Chicago White Sox signed Liam Hendriks, the top reliever on the market, for three years and $54 million, the Houston Astros closed a two-year, $12.5 million deal with righty Pedro Baez. With Bradley off the board now, the focus turns to the likes of Mark Melancon, Brad Hand, Alex Colome and Roberto Osuna.

If a run on relief pitchers has begun, those names will jump to the top of the wish list for plenty of teams around MLB. 

The Phillies no longer need to worry about that. With Bradley, Coonrod, Neris and Alvarado in the bullpen, they can now focus on improving their roster elsewhere. 

The Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly growing "more optimistic" about their chances of bringing back free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto ahead of the 2021 MLB season.

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reported Wednesday the Phillies, who had President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski meet with Realmuto in December, "remain in the mix" for the two-time All-Star, and the club also "still hopes" it can re-sign free-agent shortstop Didi Gregorius.

Realmuto spent the past two seasons in Philadelphia after starting his career with five years as a member of the Miami Marlins. He posted a career-high .840 OPS with 11 home runs in 47 appearances during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season.

The 29-year-old Oklahoma native ranks third among all catchers in WAR (19.0) since the start of the 2015 season behind only Yasmani Grandal (26.6) and Buster Posey (22.4), per FanGraphs.

Although the market for several top free agents has been slow to develop as front offices assess the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Realmuto told reporters in July he felt the big-market teams would still be able to make strong offers.

"I still think that the teams at the top of the market are going to be willing to spend money," he said. "Some teams are going to take advantage of the situation, where half or even three-quarters of the league might not be as interested in spending as much money. Other teams are really going to go for it and push for those players."

The New York Mets have led the charge so far in the offseason with a blockbuster trade for shortstop Francisco Lindor and starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco from the Cleveland Indians. They've also signed catcher James McCann and relief pitcher Trevor May in free agency.

While the Phillies' NL East rival has been busy under new owner Steve Cohen, a majority of teams have remained quiet so far in the offseason.

That's why players like Realmuto and Gregorius, who compiled an .827 OPS in 2020 during his first year with Philadelphia, are still available with only about a month until spring training.

Bringing them back, or finding suitable replacements, is crucial if the Phillies want to keep pace with the Mets and the two-time defending division champion Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

The Philadelphia Phillies traded pitcher Garrett Cleavinger to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-team deal that netted Philly pitcher Jose Alvarado from the Tampa Bay Rays. 

The Rays acquired infielder Dillon Paulson and a player to be named later from the Dodgers. 

Cleavinger, 26, has appeared in just one game in his MLB career, giving up a run and two hits in 0.2 innings of work for the Phillies in 2020. In five seasons in the minor leagues, he's gone 19-12 with a 4.08 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 140 appearances, all out of the bullpen.

Alvarado, 25, has spent the past four seasons with the Rays, going 2-15 with a 3.46 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 161 strikeouts in 149 appearances (one start) and 132.2 innings. He's also posted 15 saves. 

Paulson, 23, has yet to make an MLB appearance. In two seasons in the minors, he's hit .253 with 26 homers and 125 RBI. 

It's a logical move for a Phillies team that desperately needs to address a bullpen that was easily the team's biggest weakness in 2020. Alvarado is a low-risk, fairly cheap addition that brings nice upside to the bullpen:

Of course, Phillies are in desperate need for something in bullpen. Alvarado, with 149 career MLB games, ranks as second-most experienced reliever on current roster behind Héctor Neris. Lots to do still.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) December 29, 2020

New Phillies reliever Jose Alvarado has a big arm but had a lost year in 2020. Phillies will need more pen help.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 29, 2020

#Rays cut payroll further by moving arb-eligible Alvarado. #Phillies gambling to try to boost pen on talented LH who had poor 2020 and bad shoulder. From 2017-19, Alvarado had a 3.27 ERA and averaged 10.8 Ks per 9IP. Lots of BBs, but just 4 HRs in 123.2IP.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) December 29, 2020

The addition of Alvarado gives Phillies a needed power arm. He’s also under team control for two more seasons after 2021 as an arbitration-eligible player. A good addition as the Phillies try to rebuild their bullpen.

Alvarado can create crazy movement: https://t.co/H6SoN12X15

— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) December 29, 2020

Nonetheless, the Phillies will need to further address the bullpen if they are to be serious contenders in 2020. Tuesday's trade isn't the sort of deal Phillies fans are waiting on, with all eyes on the free agency of All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto, but it's the first step in fixing a bullpen sorely in need of upgrades.

For the Dodgers, Cleavinger boasts upside as an option in the bullpen, while the Rays continued to trim payroll and add young prospects after dealing away ace Blake Snell to the San Diego Padres on Monday.

If the Philadelphia Phillies want to re-sign J.T. Realmuto, they don't appear to be in a rush to get a contract done with the All-Star catcher.  

Per John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia, the Phillies have yet to make a formal offer to Realmuto's camp even though the two sides have had conversations. 

This is at odds with a report from MLB Network's Jon Heyman on Monday that the Phillies have "an offer out" to Realmuto. 

Philadelphia's front office was in a state of flux until recently. The organization had no general manager for two months after Matt Klentak resigned in October. Dave Dombrowski was hired on Dec. 11 as president of baseball operations. 

Dombrowski hired Sam Fuld as general manager on Dec. 22. 

Following the end of the 2020 regular season, Phillies managing partner John Middleton told reporters that re-signing Realmuto was his No. 1 priority 

"The point I made is, we need J.T. now, but we really need J.T. in three, four, five, six years from now and if all we get for him is two years, that's not the same thing as two years of Cliff Lee in 2009," he said. "We were a little early in the development to make that kind of a play."

MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reported in November that Realmuto is seeking "a record-shattering contract for a catcher" that could approach $200 million. 

Philadelphia acquired Realmuto from the Miami Marlins in February 2019. The 29-year-old made the All-Star team, won a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove award in his first season with the Phillies. 

Realmuto posted a career-high .840 OPS with 11 homers and 32 RBI in 47 games during the 2020 season. 

The Philadelphia Phillies announced Tuesday they hired MLB outfielder Sam Fuld as their general manager.

Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia first broke the news.

Following the end of his playing career in 2017, Fuld took over as the Phillies' major league player information coordinator. The 39-year-old would succeed Matt Klentak and work under president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

Dombrowski's arrival signaled Philadelphia's priorities. The 64-year-old often has a short-term focus, be it signing marquee free agents and leveraging top prospects to land ready-made All-Stars. The strategy isn't totally sustainable but delivered results in his previous three stops. 

Philadelphia may have felt some level of pressure to promote Fuld. MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported in November that Fuld was a finalist for the Boston Red Sox's managerial vacancy. Sooner or later, an outside opportunity could have proven too good to pass up.

Now, Fuld gets to work alongside a proven front-office executive and gain valuable experience. He'll be well positioned to assume a larger role the moment Dombrowski moves on.

Philadelphia's front office boasts a healthy strategic contrast, too, between Fuld's more analytical approach and Dombrowski's traditional methods of team-building. The best-case scenario is a blending of the two, something akin to what the Los Angeles Dodgers are doing.

The hiring of Andrew Friedman as president of baseball operations in 2014 showed how the Dodgers wanted to embrace sabermetrics, but that hasn't stopped them from going after stars such as Mookie Betts and regularly running a high payroll.

Ideally, that's what lies ahead for the Phillies.

New Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski doesn't expect to tear down the foundation of the current roster. Despite a postseason drought dating back to 2012, he feels the club has the right pieces to contend in the near future.

"I consider a retool, not a rebuild for sure," Dombrowski told reporters Friday. "There's too many good players on the club."

The longtime MLB executive named Bryce Harper, Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Zach Eflin among the reasons he's optimistic. Earlier this offseason, Wheeler had been floated as a potential trade candidate only one year after signing a five-year, $118 million contract.    

Dombrowski called the Phillies organization a "sleeping giant" because of its East Coast market location, its proven manager in Joe Girardi and the commitment of managing partner John Middleton to winning.

"I know John wants to win. We have flexibility of finances," Dombrowski said. "But when I say that, I don't think it's unlimited amount of funds. You always realize there's some type of budget attached to that. We will work within that. But we're also more, we want to win this year." 

That may be a bit difficult given the state of the National League East. 

The Atlanta Braves have won three consecutive division titles, the New York Mets are a legitimate free-agent destination under new majority owner Steve Cohen and the Miami Marlins have developed a young core that stunned the league by making the postseason last year. 

While Dombrowski said he'd like to re-sign catcher J.T. Realmuto, it's unclear if a deal is on the horizon. Change is needed in Philadelphia, and it's looking like the process won't be complete overnight.

"I don't look at this as a situation where we're one player away from winning," Dombrowski said. "I think we need to do a few things with this team. And I really don't want to be sacrificing people that might be part of our future success for short-term gains if it's not the difference-maker."   

Even if the executive wanted to move prospects for a piece to push the club into contention now, there aren't too many options to work with. The Phillies have just three players ranked in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects (No. 28 RHP Spencer Howard, No. 82 SS Bryson Stott, No. 84 RHP Mick Abel).

Dombrowski may not be starting from scratch, but that doesn't make his task any easier—especially if he wants to avoid a full-scale rebuild. 

Dave Dombrowski, who won World Series championships with the Florida Marlins and the Boston Red Sox, has been hired as the Philadelphia Phillies' president of baseball operations, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. 

Per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports, Dombrowski was reported to be in the running for the position back in October, though he "did not appear to be a serious candidate." 

The 64-year-old beat out former Marlins president Michael Hill, Dodgers senior vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes and Minnesota Twins general manager Thad Levine, who all interviewed recently, per Salisbury. 

The bulk of Dombrowski's career has been a 32-year stint in which he led baseball operations for the Montreal Expos, Marlins, Detroit Tigers and Red Sox from 1988 until 2019. That streak ended when he was fired by the Red Sox in September 2019, less than a year after he engineered a franchise-record 108 regular-season wins and a defeat of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

His next move saw him head to Nashville and sign a four-year contract with the Music City Baseball movement, which is working to bring an MLB franchise to the city. As recently as last month, Dombrowski said he was focused on his work as an advisor with the group. He told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that he had moved to Nashville in September and was building a house that would be ready by January. 

“I have a lengthy contract," he told Rosenthal. "But it’s also one of those where, because it’s speculative, it could fall apart. It’s not going to fall apart tomorrow. But as you get into next year, I don’t know what Major League Baseball is going to do." 

The move provides some answers for the Phillies in an offseason filled with uncertainties. The team is searching for a new general manger after Matt Klentak stepped down, and team president Andy MacPhail is not looking to renew his contract after this season and would step aside early if the team found someone for the role. 

In addition, J.T. Realmuto hit free agency and is the top catcher on the market. He's likely to command a deal that the Phillies don't want on the books as they attempt to save money, though with a history of bringing big names like JD Martinez and Chris Sale to Boston, Dombrowski has made it clear he isn't afraid to open a checkbook.