Phillies' $45 Million Mistake Will Unfortunately Block Much-Needed Trade

I completely understand why the Philadelphia Phillies re-signed J.T. Realmuto over the winter. He has long been one of the best catchers in baseball, and he is a tremendous veteran presence in that locker room.

However, the three-year, $45 million contract the Phillies handed Realmuto looked iffy from the start, and now, it's becoming a mini albatross.

In 46 games this season, Realmuto has slashed just .200/.284/.287 with three home runs and 11 RBI. He has actually had a bit of a bounce back defensively with a plus-4 DRS and plus-4 FRV, but his offense has been nothing short of abysmal.

And to be quite frank, everyone saw this dropoff coming.

Realmuto has been declining for several years now.

After achieving an .820 OPS back in 2022, Realmuto's OPS has dipped each season since. Last year, he slashed .257/.315/.384 in what was his worst offensive campaign since his first full big-league season with the Miami Marlins back in 2015.

It was clear that the 35-year-old was on a severe downturn, and now, thanks to his contract, Philadelphia is stuck with his .571 OPS bat in the lineup.

There could be some intriguing catchers available for trade this summer, and one name that immediately comes to mind is Minnesota Twins star Ryan Jeffers.

Jeffers is currently sidelined due to a fractured hamate bone, but during his time on the field this season, he has slashed .295/.408/.541 with seven homers and 26 RBI.

The 28-year-old is slated to hit free agency next winter, so the Twins seem likely to try and move him before Aug. 3 to recoup some value. Given the Phillies' dire need for offensive depth, they seem like a natural landing spot for Jeffers.

But Realmuto's presence makes that likely impossible.

Philadelphia has been watching its payroll closely recently, so retaining both Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber on multi-year deals surely hurt the team's pockets. The Phillies also extended Cristopher Sanchez, and we all know that big names like Bryce Harper and Trea Turner are on the books, as well.

Had Philadelphia been able to keep Realmuto on a one-year pact, acquiring Jeffers — and then potentially extending him — would have been far more doable. But now, it's a fool's errand to even consider it.

To be fair, the Phillies had no clear options at catcher had Realmuto walked, and chances are, he wouldn't have accepted a one-year contract. He surely had interest from other ballclubs who would have offered him more.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but there were absolutely questions about Philadelphia's decision to re-sign Realmuto on such a lucrative three-year deal at the time.

Now, you're starting to see why.

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