Phillies, J.T. Realmuto agree to five-year, $115.5 million deal

It appears that catcher J.T. Realmuto, one of the top available players of the MLB offseason, isn't going anywhere. 

ESPN's Jeff Passan and Todd Zolecki of the league's official website are reporting that the Philadelphia Phillies are bringing Realmuto back on a five-year contract worth $115.5 million. 

Realmuto is a two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner who turns 30 years old shortly before Opening Day and is widely viewed as one of the best catchers in all of baseball. According to ESPN, he leads all players at the position in WAR (10.1), RBIs (189) and stolen bases (16). He is also second in slugging percentage (.489) and OPS (.825) since the start of the 2018 season. 

He joined the Phillies via a trade from the Miami Marlins in February 2019 and hit .275 with 25 home runs and 83 RBI in his first season with his new MLB home. During the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Realmuto hit .266 with 11 homers and 32 RBI across 47 regular-season games. 

He declined an $18.9 million, one-year qualifying offer following the season to test free agency but ultimately returned to the City of Brotherly Love. Zolecki added that Realmuto's deal has the highest average annual value ($23.1 million) for a contract ever signed by a catcher.