Phillies: 5 catcher options if J.T. Realmuto leaves

MIAMI, FL - AUGUST 23: J.T. Realmuto #10 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on August 23, 2019 in Miami, Florida. Teams are wearing special color schemed uniforms with players choosing nicknames to display for Players' Weekend. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 18: Wilson Ramos #40 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action against the New York Mets during a game at Citizens Bank Park on August 18, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Re-sign Wilson Ramos

The free agent catcher market after the 2020 season is fairly bare outside of Realmuto, who will obviously garner a lot of attention.

The second best catcher available stands to be Wilson Ramos, who played 33 very productive games as a Phillie back in 2018. He was an instant fan favorite when he went 3-4 with three extra-base hits in his Phillies debut.

Ramos’ tenure with the Phillies ended with a .337 batting average and 10 extra-base hits.

Last offseason Ramos signed a two-year deal with the Mets and his bat went to New York with him. In 141 games in Queens Ramos hit .288 with 14 home runs and 19 doubles. He stayed relatively healthy, something that didn’t happen in 2018, but threw out just 17 runners and allowed 94 stolen bases.

Ramos does have a $10 million club option with the Mets, so his availability next offseason is in question. As would his availability behind the plate every day. He’ll be 33-years-old next season and turn 34 during the 2021 season.

If the Phillies were to bring Ramos back, their best option might be to platoon him with Grullon. If Ramos can continue to hit the way he has over the last four seasons the Phillies will gladly play the two-time All-Star 130 times while mixing in a potential future piece in Grullon or possibly Marchan.

This might not be the best option for Philadelphia, but it could be efficient based on their payroll and the ability to mix in young players.