Pay the Man Already

I'm tired of writing about Team Schizo's up-and-down chase for a playoff spot. The Phillies are 2 games out of the wild card after splitting a 4-game series with the Braves.

Even if they make the playoffs, it'll be a quick exit because the pitching is abysmal. But I don't want to talk about that, either.

I want to talk about the absolute priority must-do off-season job–sign catcher JT Realmuto to a long-term contract extension. Realmuto is the best catcher in baseball. @ me if you want. I don't care. Stats don't lie. He's played the most games of any catcher in baseball and leads all catchers in hits. He's second in OPS, second in home runs, and has 10 more RBI than anyone else behind the plate.

And we haven't even talked about his defense yet. He's thrown out 42 would-be base stealers this year, at an almost unheard of 47 percent rate. He's thrown out 18 more guys than the second-place catcher. And he's picked off an MLB-best 3 runners. He's been charged with only 8 passed balls in almost 400 innings behind the plate.

He's arbitration eligible for 2020 and can become a free agent in 2021. That cannot happen. So what's it gonna take to keep him year for a while? I'm thinking at least $22 million a season for 5 years. The two highest-played catchers this year, Buster Posey and Yadier Molina, make $22 and $20 million respectively. And both are on the downside of their careers. Realmuto is at his peak. He's probably worth as much as Bryce Harper makes per season, considering the importance of his position.

But this is one contract the Phillies can absolutely not afford to screw up. They gave up their top pitching prospect, Sixto Sanchez, to get him. And so far, Realmuto has been worth it. Pay the man.