Phillies fans- deep breath out. The Philadelphia Phillies finally make the move that all fans have been waiting for by re-signing the best catcher in baseball J.T Realmuto to a 5 year, $115.5 million contract. This contract not only locks up Realmuto for the rest of his prime, but makes him the highest AAV catcher in baseball history.

Throughout the entirety of the 2020 season and offseason, Phillies fans begged and pleaded for the team to make a move and make sure Realmuto stayed in Philadelphia. Players such as Bryce Harper screamed “SIGN HIM!” during scrimmages, Archie Bradley tweeted a simple #SignJT, and that was only a bit of it. Fans screamed and hollered from outside Citizens Bank Park during games, and it seemed as if Realmuto took notice as well.

Throughout his two years in red pinstripes, J.T Realmuto has put up a .273 average, 36 home runs and 115 RBI’s. While being slowed down due to the 60 game 2020 season, it’s obvious as to how important having a player of his caliber is. So finally, what does this contract mean for the rest of the team? What does it mean for the players, coaches? And lastly, was this enough for John Middleton and Andy MacPhail to save face?

First- this deal does nothing better than keeping the team happy. Pitchers understand the importance of having somebody behind the plate as good as the B.C.I.B. Along with this, Bryce Harper is on record calling J.T his favorite player in the MLB. This signifies J.T’s good presence in the clubhouse, and keeping a positive influence there for five years does nothing but good for the Phillies.

Onto my next point, this contract lures in more arms. Multiple pitchers have come out about how it would feel to play with J.T Realmuto, due to his unparalleled ability to make calls behind the dish and of course, his cannon he calls an arm along with the fastest pop time in MLB history. If you aren’t understanding how important J.T is yet, you surely should now.

Lastly, this may be the only thing that keeps the Phillies from blowing up the organization and the fans from burning the city down. The entire fanbase rallied behind Realmuto as soon as he stepped into Citizens Bank Park. His talent was impeccable and his ability to play under the pressure of Philadelphia sports was fantastic. J.T Realmuto is everything a Phillies player needs to be. This contract alone saved any last glimmers of hope from Andy MacPhail and John Middleton, and we can only extend our gratitude to Dave Dombrowski as it’s certain he had a hand in getting this done.

J.T Realmuto, we look forward to what you can do for this city in the next 5 years. Enjoy your money, you deserve it.

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Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY