A long time ago, in the year 2010, many things happened. Lady Gaga surprised many with her outrageous style, no one understood the end of Inception, and Brett Farve was still playing in the NFL.
Most importantly, people wondered, “How will the Philadelphia Phillies return from their surprising loss to the San Francisco Giants?”
That question, unfortunately, did not have an answer that worked. They tried to answer and then it all fell apart after just a year.
The Phillies really only gave one answer and his name was Cliff Lee. They brought in Lee with a $ 120 million, 5-year contract, beating the Yankees who offered more money. Not even 2 years earlier, it was Lee who beat the Yankees in 2 games of the 2009 World Series.
The signing brought with it an important consequence.
The Phillies would not give up World Series champion Jayson Werth. His best right-handed hitter in the lineup would sign $ 126 million for 7 years with the Washington Nationals.
Jayson Werth would hit .273 against the Phillies with 19 home runs.
For the Phillies, not signing Werth was probably the right decision. Not tackling the hole he left cost them. To fill that right hole, the Phillies traded some of their best prospects at the time to the Astros for Hunter Pence.
The consequences were twofold; 1) The Phillies never found that right-handed bat since Pence was traded in 2012 and 2) The Phillies’ farming system was drained, forcing the Phillies to trade with Pence and Victorino.
There are similar consequences the Phillies might find themselves in if they don’t quit JT Realmuto. Top-tier receivers are hard to find, and the Phillies certainly don’t have an internal replacement.
Like Werth, JT Realmuto received MVP votes before reaching free agency. Werth did it in his last 2 seasons with the Phillies. There is a good chance that Realmuto will get votes in 2020 as well.
Werth also likes it if the Phillies don’t give it up, then another National League East Division team will likely do. Both the Mets and Braves would surely be very interested in their services.
The next closest available free agent receiver for Realmuto would be James McCann. Defensively, he’s a strong candidate, but offensively, last season was his first with an OPS + over 100.
With a weak class of free agent, the Phillies could be forced to trade again, weakening their agricultural system after exchanging Sixto Sánchez for Realmuto.
It may be years before the Phillies see another receiver like Realmuto. They would be fools not to extend it.
Alec Kostival graduated from La Salle University with a degree in communication with a focus on media and journalism. Covered high school sports for Chestnut Hill Local. He has practiced at Reading Fightin Phils and Philadelphia Eagles.
