Inbox: How likely is a Realmuto extension?

Beat reporter Todd Zolecki answers fans' questions

February 10th, 2020

PHILADELPHIA -- Two more days.

Phillies pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training on Tuesday in Clearwater, Fla. They have their first workout Wednesday. It gives us one final opportunity to answer a few more questions before things get going.

What’s the latest on an extension for ?
-- @LoneEag48377244

The Phillies and Realmuto will meet in a salary arbitration hearing next week to decide his 2020 salary. The Phils have offered $10 million. Realmuto wants $12.4 million. Once that is settled, Philadelphia will begin to work on a contract extension. The feeling is that something will happen before Opening Day. If not, it needs to happen at some point. The Phillies cannot afford to let Realmuto enter free agency, where they can be outbid by another team.

Will have a chance to make the starting outfield?
-- @philahype

enters camp as the heavy favorite to play regularly in center field, based on comments Phillies general manager Matt Klentak made at the Winter Meetings. But while Haseley has shown promise, he does not have an extensive big league track record. If Quinn can stay healthy -- always a big if -- he could take time from Haseley. Before Quinn suffered a groin injury in August, he batted .333 with two doubles, one triple, four home runs, nine RBIs, four stolen bases and a 1.039 OPS in his final 62 plate appearances. Yes, it is a very small sample size, but Quinn has talent. He just needs to stay on the field long enough to show it.

Are the Phillies going wait a month or so to bring up ?
-- @Don_MannyOG

The Phillies are going to give Scott Kingery and Jean Segura plenty of time to get going this season, regardless of what positions they are playing. In other words, even if service time for Bohm, MLB Pipeline’s No. 30 overall prospect, was not a consideration (it is), the Phils will not pull the plug on one of their projected Opening Day starters if they start slowly and Bohm is playing well in Triple-A. But if Kingery or Segura struggle and Bohm is looking like a superstar in the making, I think you could see him pushing for a promotion by June.

At what point in the season can we expect to join the rotation?
-- @MLParlayDoug

The above answer for Bohm also holds true for Howard (No. 34 overall prospect). Even if Howard pitches well at the beginning of the Triple-A season, the Phillies will want to give or (or whomever the No. 5 starter is) an opportunity to prove himself. But the Phils’ front office is counting on Bohm and Howard to produce in the big leagues at some point. They won’t wait forever to promote them if they look ready.

With a lot of options in the bullpen, what guys do you think make the roster on Opening Day ?
-- @FlyEagleFly20

Good luck to anybody trying to successfully pick the Phillies’ eight relief pitchers for the Opening Day roster. There are so many options and so many uncertainties. Closer and left-hander are locks. The Phils say , and are healthy. If so, they will make the bullpen. pitched well out of the ‘pen last season; he is a good bet. The expectation remains that Velasquez or Pivetta will join the bullpen if they do not win a job in the rotation. That’s seven pitchers. Philadelphia has a bunch of non-roster invitees competing for jobs, like , and . is coming back, although it is unclear if he will be ready by Opening Day.

The Phillies are playing a numbers game here. They hope by bringing in a ton of options that a few of them hit. They also hope that Joe Girardi runs a better bullpen and pitching coach Bryan Price gets more out of the talent on the roster then their predecessors. The front office is counting on it.