Back in January, the Phillies finalized a contract with catcher J.T. Realmuto to bring the veteran backstop back to the team. That three-year, $45M deal was only possible after the team's dreams of signing Bo Bichette were dashed by the division rival Mets. Bichette's defection left enough money in the budget for the Phillies to give Realmuto a healthy contract, even in spite of his age and declining production in recent years.
Those factors made the Realmuto signing a somewhat dubious one from the jump, but things have only gotten worse for the Phillies after absorbing a recent 10-game losing streak. Realmuto went on the injured list about halfway through that skid, so he certainly hasn't been in position to help the team dig themselves out of this massive hole they find themselves in. What are some ways the Phillies could've better spent Realmuto's money this winter?
Robert Suarez is helping the Braves win Phillies' division at the same price tag as Realmuto
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski swung a huge trade with the Twins last summer to bring star closer Jhoan Duran into the fold. That trade fortified the back of the bullpen in a big way, but Dombrowski clearly wanted to do more to help the relief corps given that he added Brad Keller to the fold on a two-year, $22M deal. That plan for an elite back of the bullpen hasn't worked out so far, as Duran has been injured while Keller's results have been middling so far.
One need look no further than Philadelphia's own division rival to see how spending a little more to get a more established reliever could have paid dividends. The Braves have been without closer Raisel Iglesias for about as long as the Phillies have been without Duran, but their succession plan was much stronger.
That's because they had signed former Padres closer Robert Suarez to a three-year, $45MM deal to serve as their top setup man. Suarez has delivered for them so far with a 0.71 ERA and a 1.55 FIP across 13 appearances with the club. If the Phillies had brought in Suarez instead of (or even in addition to) Keller, they would be missing Duran a whole lot less right now.
Zac Gallen would be just the stabilizing force this Phillies rotation needs for half of Realmuto's guarantee
While a stronger bullpen would certainly be nice, it's easy to see that the biggest issue the Phillies are facing right now is in the starting rotation. With Zack Wheeler only now returning, there's little going right in the starting five outside of Cristopher Sánchez right now. The team's other four starters all have ERAs north of 5.00, and while Jesus Luzardo and Andrew Painter at least have encouraging peripherals, the results simply haven't been there yet.
Another reliable arm alongside Sánchez in the early going would have surely helped the Phillies avoid slumping so drastically throughout the month of April, and one was available for the taking across virtually the entire offseason. Zac Gallen lingered on the market until he eventually re-signed with the Diamondbacks on a one-year deal that guaranteed him just over $22M. There's little question that he would've been interested in signing a deal with the Phillies where they offered him Realmuto's money.
Had Gallen, a Camden County native, been brought into the fold, one look at his numbers with Arizona this year shows how impactful he could have been for the Phillies: across six starts, the right-hander has a 3.14 ERA and 3.58 FIP. Even if the results don't stay that strong all year, he would have helped the Phillies through this tough early stretch while they waited for Wheeler to return and Luzardo to get back on track.
Kazuma Okamoto could have solved Phillies' third base woes for Realmuto's salary
While the most serious issue with the Phillies right now is on the pitching side of things, that doesn't mean the lineup should be ignored. Alec Bohm has been one of the weakest hitters in all of baseball this year and, even if Bichette wound up ultimately being out of reach, there's no question that upgrading at the hot corner was on the table this winter.
For proof of that, one need look no further than the performance of Kazuma Okamoto since he joined the Blue Jays. Okamoto got off to a slow start as he adjusted to MLB after spending his entire career to this point in Japan, but the 30-year-old has begun heating up recently and has gotten his numbers to right around league average overall. Meanwhile, he's made an impact in the clubhouse, with Mitch Bannon of The Athletic noting that Okamoto leads the team in a new pregame tradition.
Having someone like Okamoto in the fold would not only improve things on offense, but help keep a clubhouse that is surely struggling amid a tough stretch and the firing of their longtime manager in better spirits. His four-year, $60MM deal comes with the same annual salary that the Phillies are offering Realmuto, so he surely would've been affordable for the team.
At the time of Realmuto's deal, the front office's desire to avoid a tandem of Rafael Marchan and Garrett Stubbs behind the plate was understandable. But decent catchers like Danny Jansen, Gary Sánchez, and Victor Caratini were all available and signed for far less than Realmuto did, which could've allowed the Phillies to opt for a more impactful player. At this point, however, Phillies fans have no choice but for Realmuto to justify his contract going forward with a big 2026 season.
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