Major League Baseball’s transaction freeze ends Friday at 12 pm ET. That means star catcher and impending free agent J.T. Realmuto has a key decision to make: He could re-engage with the Phillies on a potential contract extension or he could decline to do so and head into the season without a new deal.
Realmuto has plenty more options than just the two listed above. He could also negotiate in-season or even completely opt-out of the 2020 season. Opting-out would not make sense financially for Realmuto because it would be at the discretion of the Phillies whether or not to pay him and or grant him service time.