If the Philadelphia Phillies don't re-sign free agent catcher J.T. Realmuto this offseason, their best option to find a replacement may not be to sign another catcher in free agency but to acquire one via a trade, according to Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller.
Miller thinks the Phillies should consider trading for the Baltimore Orioles' Adley Rutschman, with Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins or the Texas Rangers' Jonah Heim as backup plans. The Bleacher Report writer believes they are better options than free agents Danny Jansen or Victor Caratini.
Jeffers posted a .752 OPS and 1.2 bWAR with a .266/.356/.397 line in 119 contests with the Twins this year. He is scheduled to earn $6.5 million in his final year of arbitration next season before becoming a free agent in 2027. His numbers were on par with some of Realmuto, who finished with a .700 OPS and 2.6 bWAR with a .257/.315/.384 slash line in 134 games.
Heim's offense has regressed since his career year in 2023, when the Rangers won the World Series. He posted a .602 OPS in each of the last two seasons compared to .755 two years ago. This season, he finished with 43 RBIs in 124 games, his lowest total since 2021, 0.6 bWAR, and a line of .213/.271/.332 in 433 plate appearances. The 30-year-old is on track to earn $6 million in his last year of arbitration before becoming eligible for free agency next winter.
Trading for Adley Rutschman best option if Phillies don't re-sign J.T. Realmuto
Rutschman is Miller's prime trade target for the Phillies. The four-year veteran is due $6.75 million in 2026, his second year of arbitration.
The Orioles catcher looked like he would develop into one of the core players of a young Baltimore club. However, after a solid first two seasons in the majors, he is coming off his worst year offensively. He had 1.9 bWAR in 2025 and has decreased each season since 5.4 bWAR in his 2022 rookie year.
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 MLB Draft has hit a rough patch in his career since the second half of the 2024 season. He had a .585 OPS with only three home runs in 234 plate appearances in his final 58 games that year.
Missing time due to left and right oblique strains limited Rutschman to 90 games this year, slashing just .220/.307/.366. But he has a plan to perform better in 2026, according to MLB.com's Jake Rill.
"I think [there are] a lot of conversations to have with our hitting coaches, people around,” Rutschman said, per Rill. “For me, going into the offseason, that’s going to be definitely the No. 1 thing that I’m going to talk about with them -- just trying to make the necessary adjustments to be able to move forward and obviously perform better.”
SOOOOOOO BACK pic.twitter.com/i0T49g4nMr
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) March 27, 2025
The decision to promote top prospect catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo further clouds Rutschman's long-term future with Baltimore, especially if the switch hitter doesn't improve his offensive numbers or misses too much time with injuries again over the next two seasons. The Orioles committed significantly to Basallo, signing him to an eight-year, $67 million deal in August.
Mike Elias, Baltimore's president of baseball operations, expressed confidence that Rutschman will rebound in 2026.
“Adley's the guy. He will be our frontline catcher,” Elias said, per Rill. “Frustrating season for him coming off of a frustrating second half, and he's aware of it. We're all aware of it. We're all working on it. There were some injuries sprinkled in this year that I think were a factor in him kind of getting out of sync again. We saw flashes of him offensively the way that he can and should be.”
If Realmuto doesn't return to Philadelphia, Rutschman looks to be the top replacement option for the Phillies to pursue via trade, even if Elias keeps Rutschman to begin next season. The Phillies would be buying low if they acquired the Orioles catcher, given his decline in production.