Report: Realmuto likely to hit open market

It has been two weeks since Major League Baseball lifted the transaction freeze on rosters, allowing teams to adjust their rosters, make trades, and sign players. In that time frame, the Phillies have not made any ground in negotiations with their all-star catcher J.T. Realmuto.

In fact, Realmuto started off his Zoom call with reporters on Thursday by addressing the situation, saying "I'd appreciate if we can keep the questions away from the contract situation, just because we were in the really preliminary stages early on in Spring Training before the pandemic and we haven't really gone anywhere since then."

This doesn't give much indication as to where the negotiations stand, but according the MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, it's more likely Realmuto will hit the free agent market than reach an extension this season.

"A source said Thursday that the Phillies and Realmuto's agent have talked recently, but nothing is close. In fact, the best bet at this point is that Realmuto hits the open market and the Phillies try to sign him then."https://t.co/qSB5bGMyR6

It's no secret fans and players want to see Realmuto in a Phillies jersey for years to come. Bryce Harper has been actively campaigning for the Phillies to sign him, wearing a Realmuto shirt during a Zoom meeting with reporters and yelling out "sign him" after an interscrimmage home run. This obviously puts immense pressure on Klentak and the Phillies to get a deal done, but that doesn't mean one will happen. Both players and teams face an uncertain free agent market this offseason. More likely than not, teams will be less inclined to spend after a down year in revenue with the shortened-season and no fans. That may play well for the Phillies and John Middleton, who was hesitant to exceed the luxury tax before the season. However, with the Mets reportedly interested in Realmuto, the market may be hot for the best catcher in the game. If that's the case, the Phillies won't be doing themselves any favors by continuing to drag their feet on offering an extension.