Phillies players expecting on-time start for spring training, J.T. Realmuto says

As the news began circulating last week that J.T. Realmuto was on the verge of signing a five-year, $115.5 million contract to return to the Phillies, Bryce Harper sent him a two-word text message: “Let’s go!”

“With a lot of exclamation points,” Realmuto said Monday.

OK, but when?

Major League Baseball contacted the players union on Friday to propose a one-month delay in the start of both spring training and the regular season. The players on Monday rejected the proposal, even though it calls for them to receive 100% of their salaries for a 154-game season, eight games fewer than normal.

“We’re expecting to start on time, so we have to prepare for that,” Realmuto said in a videoconference to announce his new contract. “If things change, then we can kind of throttle back. But the most important thing is that we be prepared when spring training starts, and as of now, we don’t have a different start date than what we’ve been given.”

In pushing for a delay, MLB was hoping to begin the season with COVID-19 cases declining and vaccines more readily available to players, staff, and the general public. But after the Players Association rejected its proposal, MLB said in a statement that it’s “moving forward and instructing our Clubs to report for an on-time start to Spring Training and the Championship Season, subject to reaching an agreement on health and safety protocols.”

The players’ primary objection to the 154-game proposal, according to several reports, is that they believe it would broaden commissioner Rob Manfred’s power to cancel additional games for health and safety reasons and thereby prevent the players from receiving their full salaries. Players were paid 37% of their salaries in 2020 to play a 60-game season.

Phillies pitchers and catchers are scheduled to hold their first mandatory workout on Feb. 17 in Clearwater, Fla. The Phillies have not put tickets on sale for spring-training games at Spectrum Field.

MLB’s proposal also includes the use of the designated hitter in both leagues in exchange for an expanded postseason.

The players are in favor of the universal DH but have reservations about the larger playoff field. If it’s easier for teams to make the playoffs, the union fears it will be a disincentive for them to spend aggressively on free agents.

Amid a lack of clarity on the DH rule in the National League, free-agent sluggers Nelson Cruz and Marcell Ozuna, among others, remain unsigned. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said he’s proceeding as if the NL won’t have the DH.

“And if they tell you that you will, we have a lot of good hitters,” Dombrowski said. “The strength of our ballclub is our offense, and when you go around to different positions, it gives us a lot of availabilities for somebody to take a break on a particular day without having a full-time DH.”

Andrew McCutchen, for example, would be able to rest his surgically repaired knee from the rigors of playing left field and still remain in the lineup as a DH.

With the heavy offseason lifting complete, Dombrowski said the Phillies are focused on adding pitching depth, particularly in the bullpen and likely with non-roster invitees on minor-league contracts, and strengthening the bench. ... Former Phillies outfielder Raul Ibanez and longtime former Miami Marlins general manager Michael Hill, who interviewed with the Phillies in November, will work for MLB as senior vice presidents of on-field operations. They will oversee umpiring, discipline, and other on-field issues.