Phillies to sign All-Star Realmuto
The Phillies and two-time All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto agreed Tuesday on a $115.5 million, five-year contract, according to reports.
Realmuto gets $20 million next season, of which $10 million is deferred, with $5 million each payable in 2026 and ’27. He gets $23,875,000 in each of the final four years.
He doesn’t have a no-trade provision. The deal includes a $1 million assignment bonus if traded.
Realmuto’s average annual salary of $23.1 million will become the highest for a catcher, topping the $23 million Joe Mauer averaged in a $184 million, eight-year deal with the Twins that covered 2011-18.
Realmuto was acquired from the Marlins in February 2019. He made his second NL All-Star team with the Phillies in 2019 and earned a Gold Glove. He had career-highs in homers (25), RBIs (83) and slugging percentage (.493) that season.
Last season, Realmuto, who turns 30 in March, hit .266 with 11 HRs, 32 RBIs and a career-best OPS of .840.
His deal is the second-largest of the offseason behind outfielder George Springer’s six-year, $150 million contract with the Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays and free agent INF Marcus Semien agreed to a one-year, $18 million contract, ESPN reported. Semien, 30, spent the last six seasons with the A’s. He finished third in AL MVP voting in 2019 but struggled last season while dealing with an injury.
College football: Nebraska QB Luke McCaffrey entered the transfer portal. McCaffrey started two games as a redshirt freshman last season. He’s the son of former NFL WR
Ed McCaffrey, now the coach at Northern Colorado, and brother of Panthers All-Pro RB Christian McCaffrey and former Michigan QB Dylan McCaffrey, who opted out last season and entered the transfer portal last week.
Golf: Davis Love III was named captain of the U.S. Presidents Cup team for the event that was postponed to 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Love, 56, was a two-time U.S. Ryder Cup captain and will be an assistant to captain Steve Stricker this year when that competition is held at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis. The Presidents Cup will be played at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 22-25, 2022.
NBA: Bulls C Wendell Carter Jr. will miss at least the next four weeks after an MRI confirmed a severe right quad contusion. Carter Jr., who was injured during a Jan. 20 practice and has missed the last three games, is averaging a career-best 12.8 points with 8.0 rebounds in 14 starts.
NFL: Chiefs RB Le’Veon Bell (knee) and WR Sammy Watkins (calf ), and Buccaneers WR Antonio Brown (knee) and SAntoine Winfield Jr. (ankle) are all expected to be ready for the Super Bowl on Feb. 7. All four missed the conference title games.
NHL: Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon was behind the bench for Tuesday’s game against the Blues while the Knights coaching staff was self-isolating due to at least one positive COVID-19 test on the staff . ... Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe announced that backup goaltender Jack Campbell will be out “weeks” with a leg injury.