If J.T. Realmuto has his way, Sunday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Rays won’t prove to be the final time he put on a Philadelphia Phillies uniform. That said, there’s no evidence that the two-time All-Star catcher plans to give the Phillies any sort of hometown discount.
Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia says that Realmuto “is targeting a figure way beyond $23 million” per season. That annual figure comes from the eight-year/$184 million deal that Joe Mauer signed with the Minnesota Twins in March of 2011.