How aggressive should the Phillies front office be when it comes to their backstop?
The Phillies organization and a majority of the fan base believe that Jorge Alfaro is the catcher of the future. Just 25-years-old, the organization has Alfaro under team control through the 2023 season with two years of a minimum deal and three years of arbitration.
Beyond Alfaro the Phillies don’t have great options at catcher, which led to the acquisition of Wilson Ramos at the trade deadline. Andrew Knapp beat out Cameron Rupp for the backup job in spring training, but Knapp proved to be nothing more than an average backup catcher for a bad team. He’s a player too talented for Triple-A but not talented enough for the major leagues.
I long argued that the Phillies needed a backup with experience behind Alfaro who could mentor him. Ramos became that guy when Klentak swiped him from the Rays for cash considerations.
After hitting .337 for the Phillies Ramos enters free agency as the best catcher on the open market. Assuming the Phillies are directing the majority of their funds and focus on Manny Machado and/or Bryce Harper, Ramos won’t be back.
It’s not a forgone conclusion that Ramos won’t return, but if he’d rather be a club’s everyday catcher than the Phillies could be out of luck.
A veteran is certainly needed behind Alfaro and there are several veteran backups on the open market this offseason. Here are five catchers the Phillies could pursue in free agency this offseason.