Veteran catcher J.T. Realmuto has agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract to stay with the Philadelphia Phillies, according to multiple reports.
Realmuto can earn an additional $5 million annually in bonuses, according to the reports.
The Phillies’ re-signing of Realmuto was the latest free agency domino to fall Friday. Philadelphia was among the top pursuers of infielder Bo Bichette, who instead agreed to a three-year, $126 million deal with the New York Mets. The Mets, meanwhile, had shifted to Bichette after missing out on new Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker.
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A three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner, Realmuto made his decision a month after designated hitter Kyle Schwarber also chose to remain with the Phillies on a five-year, $150 million deal.
Realmuto, who turns 35 in March, hit .257 with 12 homers and 52 RBIs in 134 games last year, when he tied for the major league lead with 132 games at catcher. His .700 OPS was his lowest since 2015 — his second big league season — and it marked the third straight season in which his OPS declined over the season before. He was in the final season of a five-year, $115.5 million contract, the highest average annual value ($23.1 million) ever given to a catcher at the time.
Realmuto has a .270 career batting average with 180 homers and 677 RBIs in 12 seasons with the Miami Marlins (2014-18) and Phillies.
A rare every-day catcher in today’s MLB, Realmuto’s 641 games is the second-most among primary catchers over the past half-decade, behind Kansas City Royals’ Salvador Perez (728). Realmuto’s 19.0 wins above replacement during the same time period ranks second behind the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Will Smith among backstops.
Philadelphia has also reached deals this offseason with right-hander Brad Keller (2 years, $22 million) and outfielder Adolis García (1 year, $10 million).
ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
