J.T. Realmuto is entering his second season as a Philadelphia Phillie and his final year under his current contract. It's no secret, the 28-year-old back-to-back All-Star catcher is seeking a monster pay day.
Realmuto says his agents and the Phillies are working on a contract extension, although nothing is imminent.
"Not really any specific updates," Realmuto told Jon Marks and Ike Reese in Clearwater on Tuesday when asked about his contract situation. "It's in the works, they're talking and communicating on a daily basis. There's nothing imminent at this point, but they are working on it so we'll see how it goes."
Realmuto, who was acquired by the Phillies 13 months ago in a trade, hit .275/.328/.493 with 25 homers and 83 RBI in 2019.
"It was awesome," Realmuto said of his first season playing in Philly. "The passion that this fan base brings on a nightly basis. Me, coming from Miami, obviously it couldn't have been more different. So, it was exciting for me to get play in front of fans like that.
"I'll always have love for the city of Philadelphia just from the first year, how they treated me there. Hopefully that continues out through my career."
Something new manager and ex-All-Star catcher in his own right, Joe Girardi, is toying with is the idea of batting Realmuto leadoff to start the season, while Andrew McCutchen recovers from injury.
"It's definitely something that could happen," said Realmuto when asked about leading off. "Joe came to me a couple of weeks ago and mentioned that he was thinking about doing it. He likes the thought of me leading and I'm comfortable anywhere in the lineup."
You can listen to the full interview below.
