Source: The Phillies Offer JT Realmuto Over $ 100 Million

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The stars seem to align with the Phillies and JT Realmuto.

The Phils made the free agent wide receiver their first official offer: five years and just over $ 100 million, according to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia, confirming a report from The Athletic.

The news comes as Realmuto’s landing spots continue to disappear. The Mets came out after signing James McCann, the Yankees after spending $ 90 million to retain DJ LeMahieu and possibly the Angels after making a deal on Friday with Kurt Suzuki.

Realmuto has long sought the highest annual average value ever for a wide receiver, currently $ 23 million from Joe Mauer’s $ 184 million contract with the Twins. If that is still the goal, a five-year agreement is expected to exceed $ 115 million. However, it is not clear whether Realmuto’s goal can still be achieved given the landscape of free agents.

Could another team step in and offer Realmuto a bigger deal at this point? Who is left? The Nationals are viewed as unlikely, as are the Astros due to the draft picks they have already lost to their sign-stealing scandal. Other big contenders in the NL like the Dodgers and Padres have catchers and have been spending money elsewhere this offseason. The Cardinals could be a possibility if they lose Yadier Molina in retirement, although it is not known if they have the capacity to make a deal like this.

The Blue Jays have been referenced throughout the offseason as a potential destination for top players: Realmuto, George Springer, Trevor Bauer. Would Realmuto go there?

Philadelphia would definitely be his favorite location compared to Toronto given its comfort and familiarity here, as well as the tax ramifications of playing half of your games in Canada. It’s unclear whether the Blue Jays will actually play in Toronto in 2021, but the Canadian tax rate they would face is about 16% higher than in the U.S. If the Phillies and Blue Jays offered the same deal , the Phillies’ offer would likely net Realmuto more, although Toronto could get creative with accounting alternatives to mitigate some tax differences (similar to a signing bonus in the NFL).

The Phillies are committed to pushing this deal through. You don’t offer a nine-figure deal unless you’re serious. If the Phils can complete that, the tone of their offseason would change quickly. They would have met their top priority, while also adding a proven end-of-inning reliever to Archie Bradley and two hard-throw paddock arms that should be able to help. The door is not closed on Didi Gregorius either. Earlier this week, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the team wanted to sign him.

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