The BCIB Remains a Phillie

The start of the biggest offseason in Phillies history saw them land JT Realmuto from the Marlins in exchange for fellow catcher Jorge Alfaro, lefty Will Stewart, international slot money, and top pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez. From there, more and more questions arose. At the time JT had only 2 years left on his contract and we hadn’t signed Bryce Harper yet. Eventually, we secured Bryce with a mega-contract along with the promise of making the necessary moves to build a contender. The most obvious of these moves was to lock up JT. While it may have taken longer than the fans, the Phillies, and even JT would’ve liked, the big question can finally be put to rest; JT will remain a Phillie for the next 5 years, penning a $115.5 million deal as first reported by Craig Mish. Finally, the team and the fan base can feel better about the hefty price tag paid to bring him to Philly in the first place.

The first edition of my multi-blog saga following JT's future highlighted how he felt an obligation to reset the catcher market for those to hit free agency after him. He had repeatedly expressed gratitude for those who had done the same before him, namely Joe Mauer setting an average annual value (or AAV) record of $23 million per year for a total guarantee of $184 million. Mauer was a few years younger than JT when he signed his deal allowing for the higher total value. However, the Phillies demonstrated a clear appreciation for JT and his value to their club when you evaluate the AAV on his new deal. In a market where only the Phillies seemed to be offering a long term, yet still high AAV deal, it gives the appearance that they might've slightly bid against themselves to ensure they landed JT. The AAV on his contract breaks down to $23.1 million a year, just barely edging out Mauer and paving the way for a future catcher to pass JT. The $100,000 per year appears to be very symbolic by the Phillies to show JT the respect he has earned as both a player and a leader. Ultimately both sides can now feel good about the deal that was reached and move forwards to bring playoff baseball back to Philly for the first time since 2011.

Prior to the signing, rumors were heating up that the Braves could have interest in bringing in JT. My gut reaction to this was that it was likely a smokescreen by either the Braves or JT’s camp to get the Phillies to bid higher. The Braves have Travis d’Arnaud entrenched as their catcher for this year as he was productive for them last season. While JT would’ve obviously been an upgrade for them, the Braves have shown an unwillingness to offer long-term deals to veterans, even to retain key bats in their lineup such as Josh Donaldson or Marcell Ozuna. If the Braves ever made an actual offer it was likely a 1-year deal that would break Mauer’s AAV record. Considering the original report had the Phillies offering a 5-year deal just north of $100 million and over a week had passed without him signing, my guess is that offer fell just shy of setting the record. The Braves news could've pushed the Phillies to offer the symbolic $23.1 million a year. Whether or not the slightly increased offer was to outbid the Braves in AAV or was simply up bidding themselves to appease JT, the deal appears to be a win for both sides. The record-breaking AAV for a catcher paired with the long-term security of a 5-year deal culminated with JT Realmuto staying in Philadelphia where he is deservedly acclaimed as the BCIB; the BEST CATCHER IN BASEBALL.