J.T. Realmuto
One of the Phillies' significant additions that led to them being contenders, catcher J.T. Realmuto, is entering the final year of his contract. Philadelphia traded with the Marlins in February 2019 to acquire the veteran.
Realmuto agreed to a five-year contract with the Phillies on Jan. 26, 2021. While the three-time All-Star has been reliable for the team defensively, he will be 34 years old in March. Should the team consider other alternatives to him if they view Tait as their future at the position and are waiting for him to debut in the majors in the next few years?
Realmuto played in 99 games, aside from the shortened 2020 season the fewest he played in a year since his debut with the Marlins in 2014, when he participated in 11 contests. The catcher missed over a month after sustaining a right knee injury in June.
Realmuto's .751 OPS was his lowest in a season since the .696 OPS he totaled in 126 contests during 2015. His .762 OPS in 135 games during 2023 was a drop from the .820 OPS he posted in 139 contests in 2022.
The 33-year-old has seen a drop in several other offensive categories over the past few seasons. Realmuto's home run total has dropped from 22 in 2022 to 20 in 2023 to 14 this year. He finished with 84 RBI in 2022, 63 in 2023 and 47 in 2024. The Phillies catcher totaled 41 walks two years ago, 35 a season ago, and only 27 this year. His 18 doubles in 2024 were his fewest, aside from the 2020 season.
Realmuto has been gradually declining offensively over the past two years. Whether or not he and the organization agree to a short-term deal, the Phillies need to find another suitable alternative for the position. Garrett Stubbs is not a starting catcher, and it is unknown if Rafael Marchán can be anything more than a backup. If Philadelphia's starting catcher continues to show signs of offensive decline, the organization needs to either move on from him or transition him to a platoon starter or backup.
Kyle Schwarber
Kyle Schwarber has locked down the designated hitter and leadoff roles for the Phillies. The 31-year-old appeared in only five games in left field in 2024 as he transitioned to being primarily a DH. He appeared in 139 games in left during 2022 and 103 the following year. Despite Philly not having a deep outfield group, they should not play him regularly in left field unless they have multiple outfielders on the IL considering how often he did not play defensively in 2024.
Schwarber is entering the final season of the four-year contract he agreed to in March 2022. The power hitter has demonstrated his tendency for high-strikeout numbers as he set career highs with 200 punchouts in 155 contests during 2022, followed by 215 in 2023. He finished with 197 this season.
Despite his strikeout totals, Schwarber has demonstrated good offensive numbers with Philly. He set a career-high with 94 RBI in his first season with the club. He has posted 104 RBI in back-to-back years since then. The Middletown, Ohio, native finished with a career-best 46 home runs in 2022 and topped that total with 47 homers the following year. He also totaled 86 walks during 2022, a career-high 126 in 2023, and 106 this past year.
If Schwarber does not show a decline at the plate in 2025, the Phillies may consider bringing him back on a multi-year deal as their DH. He may receive a generous offer from another club in free agency next winter that the Phillies might choose not to match. No matter how next year plays out for Philadelphia, they could enter next offseason looking not to rebuild but retool their roster depending upon how many players they lose in free agency or decide not to pick up their club options.