The Phillies season finally got moving on Thursday when the Phillies came to agreement with free agent relief pitcher Archie Bradley on a one-year, $6 million deal. But who will Bradley be throwing to? The news could be good for Phillies fans who hope that it is none other than incumbent. J.T. Realmuto.
Jayson Stark of the Athletic reports that the Phillies have made an offer in excess of $100 million:
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.
If the recent six-year, $90 million deal agreed to by D.J. LeMahieu is any indication, prices have gone down thanks to COVID-19.
The Phillies might not have a whole lot of competition for Realmuto. The New York Mets were out of the bidding early, opting for the more-affordable James McCann instead. The Toronto Blue Jays were said to be interested, but after offering a four-year deal to LeMehieu, it seems to indicate that they are not looking to go longer, and that they would be less likely to do more for a catcher.
New Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski traveled to Realmuto's home to talk about a new deal prior to Christmas, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reported.
After a slow start in the Phillies offseason, things finally seem to be heating up.
