Phillies re-sign J.T. Realmuto to five-year deal

The Philadelphia Phillies have re-signed J.T. Realmuto, taking the star catcher off of the free agency market. Realmuto signed a five-year contract worth $115 million, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

There was a thought that Realmuto could go elsewhere as the Phillies didn’t re-sign him during the regular season and he declined a one-year qualifying offer. But when the New York Mets signed former Chicago White Sox catcher James McCann to a four-year deal, it opened up the door for Realmuto to return to Philadelphia.

Last season, Realmuto had another solid year at the plate, slashing .266/.349/.391 with 11 home runs and 32 RBI. Behind the plate, he had a .993 fielding percentage and a caught stealing percentage of 25. In his first season with the Phillies, the 29-year-old had a career-year, slashing .275/.328/.493 with 25 home runs and 83 RBI. For his efforts, Realmuto was named to the All-Star Game, finished 14th in the NL MVP voting, and won both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards at catcher.

J.T. Realmuto came up with the Miami Marlins prior to his two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies.