Reports: Phillies bring back J.T. Realmuto with a three-year deal after Mets add Bo Bichette
After the Mets swooped in with a three-year, $126 million deal for Bichette, the Phillies immediately made a pivot of their own, bringing back Realmuto.
Less than 24 hours after losing out to the Dodgers in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes, the Mets pivoted to Bo Bichette.
After New York swooped in with a three-year, $126 million deal for the infielder, the Phillies immediately made a pivot of their own. They agreed to terms with catcher J.T. Realmuto on a three-year, $45 million contract according to multiple reports. The deal includes incentives that could reach as high as $60 million.
The contract will take Realmuto through his age-37 season.
He is coming off a down year offensively, slashing .257/.315/.384 with 12 homers, but has remained one of the top defensive catchers in baseball with a game-planning and pitch-calling ability that is highly touted by many Phillies pitchers.
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“I’ve had a lot of great catchers I’ve been around. [Jorge] Posada. [Iván] Rodríguez for a short period of time. It goes on and on and on,” manager Rob Thomson said in October. “This guy, to me, is the most prepared guy I’ve ever been around as a catcher.”
Re-signing Realmuto, who has backstopped the Phillies since 2019, had been a main focus of the club throughout the offseason. But while the parties were apart on a deal, the Phillies began to show interest in adding Bichette as a lineup upgrade.
They met with Bichette virtually earlier this week, but instead of landing the two-time All-Star, they will now have to contend with him in the National League East.
Bichette spent the first six years of his career with the Blue Jays as a shortstop. A right-handed contact hitter, Bichette posted a .311 batting average in 2025, second in the American League behind Aaron Judge. He injured his knee in September but returned to Toronto’s lineup in the World Series, playing second base for the first time in his major league career.
The Mets have an established shortstop in Francisco Lindor and traded for second baseman Marcus Semien earlier this offseason. Per multiple reports, Bichette is expected to play third base for the Mets, a position he has not played before.