Philadelphia Phillies Haven't Discussed Extension With J.T. Realmuto

With J.T. Realmuto entering the last season of his deal, the Philadelphia Phillies reportedly haven't discussed a contract extension with him.

Aug 24, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are at a tipping point right now.

This roster is good enough to win a championship, but after coming up short of getting to the World Series in back-to-back years, the age of their core group is starting to increase and the window is getting smaller.

That's evident by the number of contracts for their star players that are set to expire after the upcoming season and the year after that.

It's also one of the reasons why the Phillies have been so quiet this winter.

With tons of capital tied up in the deals already handed out to players who make up this clubhouse, the ability for Dave Dombrowski to make sweeping changes like the fan base wants just isn't a reality.

Barring some blockbuster trades taking place or one high-profile free agent addition, it seems more than likely Philadelphia will go after a title with the same group who has been in place since they made it to the Fall Classic in 2022.

A staple of this team over these years has been star catcher J.T. Realmuto.

Nicknamed the "Best Catcher in Baseball" because of what he can do in the batter's box and behind the plate, he is one of the players whose contract is set to expire at the conclusion of the upcoming campaign.

There are real question marks when it comes to how the Phillies are going to approach this situation going forward.

At age 33, it's clear his production is starting to wane, something Philadelphia will try to address this season by using some of their backup catchers more often to save his best for when it matters during the latter part of the calendar.

But the idea of not having him around is something that could become a reality if the Phillies don't offer him a new deal.

To this point, extension talks haven't happened per Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

"The Phillies haven't approached Realmuto about an extension, but it may come up later in the offseason or spring training. And it will be a fascinating conversation," he reports.

Giving catchers a multi-year contract at his age is rare.

Since 2004, only four backstops have been handed a deal that's for three seasons or more; Mike Matheny, Jorge Posada, Carlos Ruiz and Yadier Molina.

That wouldn't be bad company to join, and considering what Realmuto has done during his career, there's certainly an argument for him to be part of that group since he's still an elite game-caller behind the plate.

But he's also coming off his worst offensive performance in nine years, so to think he's going to get better as he gets older, even if he's given more time off, just doesn't seem to fit with reality.

It's a hard decision.

The best course of action might just be for Philadelphia to let him play out this season and assess his performance before handing him another contract.