{"id":533700,"date":"2026-01-23T02:28:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T02:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/533700\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T02:28:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T02:28:18","slug":"phillies-lose-player-after-j-t-realmutos-mlb-free-agency-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/533700\/","title":{"rendered":"Phillies Lose Player After J.T. Realmuto’s MLB Free Agency Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Philadelphia Phillies<\/a> re-signed catcher J.T. Realmuto<\/a> to a three-year, $45 million contract on Tuesday. It was another strong move for Philadelphia, as the front office has prioritized retaining key pieces while preparing for the 2026 MLB<\/a> season.<\/p>\n

Realmuto\u2019s production dipped last year, when he posted a .257 batting average, .315 on-base percentage, .700 OPS, 12 home runs and 52 RBIs across 134 games.<\/p>\n

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Even so, that level of output remains valuable at the catcher position, and the veteran has a chance to rebound in 2026.<\/p>\n

Beyond the numbers, the 34-year-old is widely respected for his ability to handle a pitching staff and provide leadership in the clubhouse.<\/p>\n

At his peak, Realmuto finished seventh in National League MVP voting and collected three All-Star selections, two Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers.<\/p>\n

If he can approach that form again, or even deliver something close, the Phillies will have secured a reliable presence behind the plate and a stabilizing force for a roster intent on pushing deeper into October.<\/p>\n

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\"Philadelphia<\/p>\n

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10)\u00a9 John Jones-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

(\u00a9 John Jones-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

When Philadelphia made the signing of Realmuto official, the roster was already at its 40-man capacity.<\/p>\n

To create space, the Phillies designated utility man Weston Wilson for assignment, hoping he would clear waivers and remain in Triple-A as a versatile depth option.<\/p>\n

Wilson had shown flashes of value with his ability to play multiple positions and provide right-handed power off the bench, making him a useful insurance piece for a club built around established stars.<\/p>\n

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In 2024, the 31-year-old owned a .284 batting average, a .347 on-base percentage and an .836 OPS across 40 appearances.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for Philadelphia, that plan quickly unraveled. On Thursday, the Baltimore Orioles<\/a> claimed Wilson off waivers, officially ending his tenure with the Phillies.<\/p>\n

The club acknowledged his departure on X with a parting message that read, \u201cWishing Wes nothing but the best \ud83e\udef6.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a small but telling reminder of how even minor roster moves can ripple through a team\u2019s depth chart, especially for a contender that values versatility.<\/p>\n

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Depth often proves critical over the course of a long season, and losing Wilson underscores how fragile roster balance can be.<\/p>\n

For the Phillies, every decision matters as they attempt to maximize their championship window and maintain stability in a competitive National League.<\/p>\n

Related: Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber Receives Honor Ahead of 2026 MLB Season<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports<\/a> on Jan 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB<\/a> section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Philadelphia Phillies re-signed catcher J.T. Realmuto to a three-year, $45 million contract on Tuesday. It was another…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":533701,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2397],"tags":[47,5,113,4,505,144,25,4216,40,15448],"class_list":{"0":"post-533700","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia-phillies","8":"tag-baltimore-orioles","9":"tag-baseball","10":"tag-j-t-realmuto","11":"tag-mlb","12":"tag-national-league","13":"tag-philadelphia","14":"tag-philadelphia-phillies","15":"tag-philadelphiaphillies","16":"tag-phillies","17":"tag-weston-wilson"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115942058117883450","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=533700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533700\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/533701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=533700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=533700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=533700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}