Nice Knowing You, JT

In a move that's unsurprising to absolutely nobody, JT Realmuto has rejected the Phillies $18.9 million qualifying offer, making him a free agent. Get ready for Steve Cohen, the bazillionaire new owner of the New York Mets, to open his wallet and pay the catcher a huge sum.

The Phillies front office is in disarray, with GM Matt Klentak stepping aside, Ned Rice holding the interim GM title, and team president Andy McPhail doesn't think any GM candidate would be willing to uproot his family and move to Philadelphia in the middle of a global pandemic.

The Phillies blew this big time. They should have worked on a contract extension for Realmuto as soon as they traded for him. Now, they're likely to have nothing to show for the trade except for a compensatory draft pick. Meanwhile, the Mets will have an all-star catcher and former Phillies top pitching prospect will haunt them for years to come. 

Phillies fan shouldn't boo JT when he comes to bat against them as a member of the Mets. They should direct their anger toward the suite level, where Phillies executives completely bungled the situation. Get ready for a catching tandem of Andrew Knapp and Rafael Marchan, because the way the Phillies are talking, they're not going to spend anything to get a free agent like James McCann or the 700-year-old Yadier Molina. 

The Phillies can blame the pandemic all they want for their tight-fistedness. But this was set in motion during spring training 2019. What a freaking mess. (Photo by The Philadelphia Inquirer)