Phillies fan excitement about J.T. and Didi premature

By playing a waiting game the Philadelphia Phillies have become the default front-runners for players their fans already consider theirs.

Just like that, it appeared that the Philadelphia Phillies might very well re-sign both J.T. Realmuto and Didi Gregorius, returning both players to the team they played very well for last season. Some fans, once again, were heartened – the best catcher in the game and the team leader in RBI last season.

To quote the philosopher Homertes, “Woo hoo!” There’s an actual offer to Realmuto on the table!

Neither signing seems 100 percent assured at this point, but this publication and other, generally trusted observers now have Realmuto as quite likely to return to Philadelphia, and now Gregorius, following the costly signing of D.J. LeMahieu by the Yankees, seems somewhat more likely to return as well.

Former Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis also seems to be in the running for the bus to Philly, or at least some are speculating about that.

The reasons for other teams seeming less likely to want Realmuto now are about as mushy as you’d suspect when news progresses by leaks to prominent reporters. The Mets got their catcher; the Blue Jays appear to be more focused on a centerfielder; the Angels settled on a lesser catcher, like the Mets, and so forth.

So, then, as the old ladies said in my childhood, “God’s in His heaven and all’s right with the world” for the Phillies?

Well, not quite. First of all, neither Realmuto nor Gregorius (nor Galvis) is signed as this is typed.

Yes, several reports have the Phillies projected salaries, thus far, touching about $150 million, leaving a fair amount of distance to the luxury tax threshold, but if none of these three players is actually signed, where are the Phillies in their race with the loaded Braves, now more loaded Mets, talented Nationals, and 2020 playoff Marlins?

Last place.

It’s true that the bullpen appears to have been improved by the addition of Jose Alvarado and Archie Bradley. (Die-hard Phillies fans will surely call Alvarado “overpowering” rather than “recovering.”) But remember the excitement at the signing of “workhorse” David Robertson a few years back?

Moreover, beyond the No. 1 and 2 starters, the Phillies rotation is iffy at best although many have fallen into the habit of calling No. 3 starter Zach Eflin “solid” or the like. He is, in fact, “still promising,” and behind him, Spencer Howard and Vince Velasquez do not inspire an orchestral swell.

All three of them are lesser pitchers without Realmuto.

So, a great deal of money absolutely must be set aside for Realmuto because if he isn’t signed, questions elsewhere on the starting team become more obvious. Can Andrew Knapp actually hit .278 again if he starts at catcher?

Will the first baseman still be as streaky? Can utilityman/second baseman Scott Kingery return to his so-called best, natural position successfully? Who will be the shortstop? Will third baseman Alec Bohm have a sophomore slump?

The Phillies have said they won’t spend as much money on their lineup as was set aside (but not actually paid) for 2020, but with about five weeks to go before teams theoretically return to practice, they are not sitting pretty.

Front running for great players deserves comment, but as the old men said when I was a child, “‘Almost’ doesn’t count except in horseshoes and hand grenades.”