J.T. Realmuto is staying put in Philadelphia after agreeing to a deal with the Phillies, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand on Friday. The club has not confirmed.
According to reports, it’s a three-year, $45 million contract, with $5 million in incentives per year.
Year in and year out, Realmuto has been one of the most dependable catchers in the Major Leagues. The 2025 season was no exception.
In his seventh season with the Phillies, Realmuto made an MLB-high 132 appearances behind the plate. Even in his age-34 season, he remained an excellent thrower, tied for the Majors’ fastest pop time to second base and totaling +6 Caught Stealing Above Average, according to Statcast.
Limited to 99 games in 2024 by a torn meniscus in his right knee — his first IL stint since 2021 — Realmuto stole just two bases all season. He increased that total to eight in 2025, hitting 12 homers to reach double-digit long balls in all 11 of his full seasons so far.
But Realmuto’s overall offensive numbers declined a bit: His .700 OPS was his lowest since he posted a .696 OPS during his rookie year in 2015. In several Statcast quality-of-contact metrics, including expected wOBA, expected slugging percentage and barrel rate, Realmuto’s numbers dipped below average for the first time since early in his career.
Realmuto was not eligible to receive a qualifying offer this offseason since he got one from the Phillies in 2020. Thus, there is no Draft pick compensation attached to him, or penalty for signing him.
Realmuto, who turns 35 years old eight days before Opening Day 2026, has seen considerable wear and tear during his days at the physically demanding catcher position. He has played 1,316 games between the regular season and postseason at catcher, trailing only the Royals’ Salvador Perez (1,420) among active players.
Speaking of the postseason, Realmuto has considerable experience in October. He started every one of the Phillies’ playoff games from 2022-25, batting .232 with seven home runs and a .745 OPS. Realmuto went 6-for-17 (.353) with two doubles, a triple and a homer in the 2025 National League Division Series, and in the 2022 NLDS, he became the first catcher with an inside-the-park home run in the postseason.
