The Philadelphia Phillies have had a busy offseason that has seen them bring back a few key players. In addition to re-signing slugger Kyle Schwarber to a five-year deal, the club was also able to bring back All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto on the strength of a three-year, $45 million contract.
While Philadelphia ultimately retained Realmuto, insider Bob Nightengale reported that the 34-year-old understood that he may not have ended up back with the club if they were able to ink former Toronto Blue Jays infielder Bo Bichette, who signed with the New York Mets.
“JT Realmuto wanted to return to Philadelphia all along, and thought it would happen, but acknowledged ‘it got hairy in the end’ knowing that he’d be gone if the Phillies signed Bo Bichette,” Nightengale tweeted.
Realmuto has been an important part of the Phillies’ core ove the past few seasons. The Del City owns a .270 career batting average with 180 homers and 677 RBIs across 12 seasons with the Miami Marlins and Phillies.
The former third-round pick is coming off an interesting 2025 campaign that saw him play 134 games, but he missed some time due to injury. Despite this, he was still productive throughout most of the season.
There is some concern regarding how Realmuto will fare going forward. He posted a .700 OPS in 2025, his lowest mark since 2015. But Philadelphia has also taken steps to add other impact players, such as former Texas Rangers All-Star Adolis Garcia.
It remains to be seen how the Phillies will handle the rest of their winter, but Realmuto figures to be a critical part of another postseason push.
