Any way you slice it, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto is headed for a historic contract in 2020.

Realmuto and the Phillies began the salary arbitration process with an exchange of proposals on Friday.

The Phillies filed at $10 million.

Realmuto’s camp came in at $12.4 million.

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — The Phillies went into this offseason prioritizing a contract extension for All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto.

Even as the Phils pursue pitching and possibly a third baseman, they are quietly trying to hammer out that extension, according to multiples sources.

But the extension might not come before the New Year. It might not even come before the opening of spring training.

Don’t panic. Realmuto solidified his status as the top catcher in baseball by winning the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards in 2019. The Phillies very much want to prevent him from becoming a free agent after next season and Realmuto, for months, has professed his affection for the Phillies and Philadelphia as well as his desire to stick around.

Bryce Harper didn’t have a single plate appearance in the month of October. But, he was still a topic of discussion.

That’s because his former team, which he left last offseason, hoisted the World Series trophy not even a year after his departure. Though the focus should primarily be on the current members of the Washington Nationals who put together one of the most miraculous postseasons in recent history, Harper’s narrative was too much to be ignored.

Coming up with the Nationals as a teenager and quickly skyrocketing to a face of Major League Baseball, then leaving in free agency for the NL East rival Phillies didn’t sit well with many in the D.C. area.

On a national level, his vibrant, intense personality, paired with the $330 million he’ll make over 13 seasons doesn’t have many feeling too bad for him when things don’t go his way.

NEW YORK—Phillies manager Gabe Kapler describes any attempts to tell catcher J.T. Realmuto that he won’t be in the lineup as a “fistfight.”

Realmuto loathes off days. He wants to be back behind the plate every day. Once or twice this year, he’s even won an argument with Kapler, forcing his way into the lineup.

“I want to play, I enjoy playing,” Realmuto said. “I think it’s important for your teammates to see you back there every day and not taking days off all the time.”

That drive to play every day has Realmuto, 28, set to accomplish a career goal by leading all catchers in games played and innings caught.