The Phillies future could come down to just one man- J.T Realmuto.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. There is not a single player in baseball who plays the catcher position that does it better than J.T Realmuto. Defensively, offensively, nobody. When he arrived in Philadelphia for the 2019 season, his impact was felt immediately.

J.T made his mark in the city during just his 2nd game in. He blasted a home run to deep left center field and it was only the beginning. Along with totaling 25 HR and 83 RBI’s, he had an astonishing 43(!!) runners caught stealing. People quickly took notice, with even the Phillies themselves calling him the B.C.I.B- the best catcher in baseball.

Is it possible that these past 2 seasons were for nothing?

It may be difficult to accept, but the Phillies may have traded one of the best young pitching prospects in the league for a 2 year rental. Sixto Sanchez was nothing short of fantastic this season in Miami. He ended the year 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA. This is really, really good for a rookie starter. If Realmuto doesn’t remain in red pinstripes, this trade could seriously come back to bite John Middleton.

Personally, I grow more and more confident by the day that the Phillies do not mess this up. A simple 5-7 year deal would be lovely. There’s just no possibility that the front office can be this incompetent, right? Unfortunately, this is also possible. Around 10 years ago the Phillies had 4 absolute studs and aces in their pitching rotation; Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt. With these 4 pitchers, all they needed was hitting. Hitting is something they never got. This team alone should’ve won at least ONE more World Series for Philadelphia, but it was a complete and utter failure.

This treacherous memory lives down in the deep depths of most fan’s brains. And as it should, it was a travesty that this era never amounted to anything. The fact that it has happened before shows that it could happen again.

Dombrowski, Middleton: Listen closely. Not re-signing the best catcher in the world can end up being one of the worst mistakes you ever make for a franchise. Nobody will be happy, and certainly no playoff games will be played by Bryce Harper and co. anytime soon. Stop being cheap, John. Sign the check.