4 Underperforming players the Philadelphia Phillies should non-tender

The Phillies should non-tender Andrew Knapp

Simply put, the Phillies can do better than Andrew Knapp as backup catcher.

Behind the dish, Knapp was fine. The best thing you can say about him is that he functioned well enough to give J.T. Realmuto some well-deserved days off from catching for an infuriating rotation and one of the worst bullpens in MLB history.

However, the backup catcher had the worst offensive year of his five-year career by far, hitting .152/.215/.214 with a .429 OPS. Over 62 games, he struck out 61 times and only managed 22 hits, including three doubles and a pair of home runs. He scored 13 runs and drove in 11.

While it’s true that Knapp was negatively impacted by injury and a stint on the COVID-related IL, he’s also not worth the $1.2 million he’s projected to earn in arbitration this winter. The Phillies also have Rafael Marchan waiting in the wings of the minor leagues. With Knapp gone and a revamped coaching staff, he could finally have the playing time to develop into a permanent big-leaguer.

While the Phillies need Realmuto to be better in 2022 than he was this year, they also need to support him with a better backup. Why pay Knapp over a million when they can pay Marchan the MLB minimum?