Phillies DFA Weston Wilson to make room on the 40-man roster for JT Realmuto

Last week, the Philadelphia Phillies missed out on Bo Bichette and immediately pivoted to bringing back JT Realmuto on a three-year, $45 million contract that can climb to $60 million with incentives. 

Today, the organization officially announced JT Realmuto’s return, along with designating Weston Wilson, in a corresponding move to make room on the 40-man roster. 

Listen, I really do love JT Realmuto, I just hate how the Phillies have operated throughout the offseason. This could have been an easy, triumphant reunion with Realmuto but instead, it was a desperate attempt at damage control after Bo Bichette turned his back on the ball club and chose to play for the lowly New York Mets instead of coming to South Philly. 

The Phillies flirted with a real offensive upgrade, let it slip away to a division rival, and then circled back to the only move that kept their roster from looking even more incomplete.

Bichette went to New York on a three-year, $126 million deal, and the Mets did it as a quick pivot after losing out on Kyle Tucker. The Phillies watched that happen and basically had to retreat to the safest option on the board.

The contract itself tells you everything. Three years, $45 million is a $15 million AAV, and that is the Phillies paying Realmuto like a good player who is aging, not like the elite catcher he used to be.

JT Realmuto is officially back

The Phillies have re-signed catcher J.T. Realmuto to a three-year contract. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, INF/OF Weston Wilson was designated for assignment.

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) January 20, 2026

JT Realmuto is 34, and the decline is already on paper.

In 2025 he hit .257 with a .700 OPS, 12 homers, and 52 RBIs in 134 games. That is fine. It is not impact. It is not saving your lineup. It is a guy you already know, at a price you can live with, because you struck out on the bigger play.

The Phillies will sell this as stability, leadership, and continuity, and sure, that is all real. JT Realmuto has also been durable, to the point MLB.com noted he played 134 games in 2025 and caught 132 of them, which is a workload most catchers his age do not handle anymore.

None of that changes the headline. The Phillies needed a bat to actually scare somebody. Instead, they lost Bichette to the Mets and ended up back where they started, praying the same core can squeeze out one more run. 

But hey, at the very least, the Phillies have finally rid themselves from Weston Wilson, who I have been begging to DFA for years at this point.

Join The Chase