MLB rumors: Red Sox had interest in JT Realmuto before he returned to Phillies

JT Realmuto recently signed a three-year, $45 million contract to return to the Philadelphia Phillies. The longtime catcher potentially had other suitors, but Philly was seemingly the place for him. One of the other possible suitors, though, is rumored have been the Boston Red Sox.

Reports indicate that the Red Sox spoke and stayed in touch with the 34-year-old catcher during free agency, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. However, Cotillo claims that the likelihood of Boston signing Realmuto never seemed legitimate.

“I’m told the Red Sox stayed in touch with J.T. Realmuto ‘all along,’ but he’s obviously a bit redundant on the roster, so setting the market for him (or matching PHI, who did set the market) never seemed likely, IMO.”

The Red Sox already have Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong listed as the main two catchers on the roster. Boston seems headstrong in maintaining those two in that position. So, it’s unclear why the organization kept tabs on JT Realmuto.

At the end of the day, the three-time All-Star returns to Philadelphia, where he’s set to play his eighth season with the club. Realmuto is coming off a 2025 campaign that saw him play 134 games for the Phillies. He finished last season with a .257 batting average and .315 OBP while recording 129 hits, 12 home runs, and 52 RBIs.

As for Boston, the team focused more on improving the starting rotation over everything else. The Red Sox managed to sign starting pitcher Ranger Suarez to a five-year, $130 million contract while also trading for pitchers Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo.

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