J.T. Realmuto pulled into third base, stared at the Phillies’ dugout, covered his eyes and held up three fingers. Citizens Bank Park was rocking.
He had just delivered a bases-clearing triple in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Dodgers. Phillies up 2-0.
It was Realmuto’s hardest-hit ball since 2020 — 111.5 mph.
But who remembers that now?
J. T. Realmuto brought home two runs with a triple in the 2nd inning against the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday.
The Phillies went on to lose the NLDS in gut-wrenching fashion, and the hit that opened the scoring and jolted the city faded into the abyss.
At the end-of-season press conference, however, manager Rob Thomson couldn’t stop praising the then–free-agent catcher.
“I’ve had a lot of great catchers [that] I’ve been around. [Jorge] Posada, Pudge Rodriguez, for a short period of time. It goes on and on and on,” Thomson said. “This guy, to me, is the most prepared guy I’ve ever been around, as a catcher.
“He will spend hours watching video, making up his own game plan, and then matching it up with Caleb, and talking with the pitchers. He’s got a great feel for in-game adjustments, when to go to the mound, when to change the pitch, when to change location… He’s just that good.”
The offseason opened quietly. The Phillies re-signed Kyle Schwarber, bought low on Adolis García and added relievers — including Brad Keller — through free agency and trades. There were tweaks, but not sweeping changes.
For weeks, the club had a three-year offer on the table for Realmuto.
Then came Bo Bichette.
Philadelphia’s pursuit of the infielder shifted the feel of the offseason. Had the Phillies landed Bichette, a reunion with Realmuto would have been unlikely.
Bichette ultimately signed with the Mets. Less than an hour later, the Phillies finalized Realmuto’s return on a three-year, $45 million deal.
For many, the emotional swing of those 24 hours reshaped the offseason narrative — from the excitement of chasing Bichette to the underwhelming feeling of turning over a familiar roster.
When the Realmuto deal became official and the club addressed the media, the tone wasn’t celebratory. It was candid.
“I know how the game works and I know there’s certain values on players and at the end of the day, I just value myself in what I do for the team and the clubhouse differently than what the Phillies did for a while,” Realmuto said. “So that’s why it took longer than it, maybe, should have.”
Realmuto’s clubhouse value and impact on the pitching staff is, in many ways, immeasurable.
Dave Dombrowski had plenty to say about the Phillies’ pursuit of Bo Bichette in free agency and eventual signing of J.T. Realmuto.
Since being acquired in 2019, he has caught more innings than any catcher in baseball — 6,699.2 — nearly 1,200 more than the next closest. Over that span, Phillies starting pitchers have posted the highest WAR in the majors (103.5) according to FanGraphs, forced the softest contact (88.1 mph average exit velocity), and ranked top 10 in both strikeout and walk rate.
According to FanGraphs’ defensive run value, Realmuto ranks third at the position with 91.2 — a difficult number to sustain over seven seasons of heavy usage.
That influence shows up daily. It showed up again when Cristopher Sánchez learned his catcher was coming back.
“I got goosebumps,” Sánchez said through an interpreter. “I just know the pivotal part that he is of the team, and me personally, I just wanted him back so bad.
“To me, he’s one of the best catchers in baseball,” he continued. “Obviously, he’s had a huge impact on me… every time I walk in, J.T.’s already in the kitchen, he has a laptop in his hands, he’s looking at the opposing team, going over the [scouting] report, helping us out, and I just think that’s a testament to him and the preparation he puts in for us to go out there and be able to thrive.”
The praise has never been the issue. The challenge, as Thomson noted back in October, is “putting a dollar sign” on that underlying value.
Realmuto acknowledged his offensive production has dipped — but bristled at how the rest of his impact is weighed in negotiations.
“Yeah, it’s definitely frustrating… I know that I haven’t had my best years the last couple years, but I do believe that it’s not like age or physically related. It’s something that I can improve on and work on and be better for the years to come.”
From a peripheral standpoint, 2025 was one of the least productive offensive seasons of Realmuto’s career. Among qualified catchers, he posted the lowest slugging percentage (.384) and OPS (.700) at the position — the lowest and second-lowest marks, respectively, of his 12 big-league seasons.
J. T. Realmuto’s solo home run in the 8th inning of NLDS Game 3 against the Dodgers gave the Phillies a 4-1 lead.
October has told a different story.
Realmuto hit .353 with a 1.118 OPS in the NLDS and has collected 11 extra-base hits since the start of the 2023 postseason, posting an .816 OPS across his last 21 playoff games.
Realmuto, who once held the highest average annual value ever for a catcher after signing a five-year, $115.5 million deal, still believes the position remains undervalued.
“For me, it sucks that like the catchers, in my opinion, are just undervalued in this game, as far as contracts and dollars go,” he said. “I truly believe it’s one of, if not, the most important position on the field. So like, I just enjoy fighting for that.”
Left-hander Tanner Banks echoed the sentiment — with a smile.
“From a pitching standpoint, I know he’s got a great rapport with the starting pitching and the relievers that are coming back and I collectively think I could speak for us all and say we’re excited,” Banks said Tuesday.
He also acknowledged the difficulty in quantifying Realmuto’s value.
“It’s hard to put a number on, but a catcher’s in every play of every game. So there’s an extreme value there. You think about a starting pitcher — how good is a starting pitcher if you don’t have your counterpart there, helping you call shots and navigate a lineup three times?”
As with his 2021 free agency, Realmuto again found himself at a negotiating crossroads. This time, though, the leverage shifted.
When Bichette went elsewhere, the Phillies moved quickly — and decisively.
“The dollars looked different and luckily, you know, after the Phillies missed out on an opportunity there at the end, they called back and were able to make something happen, and improve their offer and get to a place that we were happy with.”
Either way, the Phillies have their leader behind the plate.
With Ranger Suárez now gone in free agency, Realmuto’s role as the voice and backbone of the pitching staff becomes even more critical — especially with top prospect Andrew Painter entering the picture.
In the end, both sides landed where they wanted to be.
“We always wanted to bring J.T. back. That was always a priority for us,” Dave Dombrowski said. “We’re thrilled that [he’s] back.”
“The whole time, this is where we wanted to be,” Realmuto added. “I’m glad we’re back here and this is where we want to be the whole time. So really, my focus was just on my legacy here and being able to finish my career with the Phillies.”