The Philadelphia Phillies have changes to make this offseason, and the backup catcher spot is one of the more obvious places to shake things up. The club is locked into elder statesman J.T. Realmuto for two more years, but they intend to upgrade over the Garrett Stubbs/Rafael Marchán combo they employed in 2026.
As usual, the free agent market is full of talented back-up catchers, just by virtue of there being very few in the entire league. Nevertheless, almost every one of them will be an upgrade over last year.
Ryan Jeffers, Carson Kelly, and Tyler Stephenson
This entry doesn’t need to be long, since the Phils will likely avoid these options. Any of Ryan Jeffers, Carson Kelly, or Tyler Stephenson would be an upgrade over the 35-year-old Realmuto at this point, but all three are coming off solid campaigns and should land significant money and starting roles from other clubs.
The Phillies don't have a lot to choose from in the catching market
Gary Sánchez
It’s been a while since Gary Sánchez earned two All-Star nods with the New York Yankees, but “the Kraken” has carved out a nice role for himself as a solid part-time backstop in recent years. He’ll turn 33 years old in less than a month, and isn’t a great defender, but his .209/.349/.422 slash line this past season was light-years ahead of Realmuto’s. On the heels of a solid year and a World Series ring, Sánchez may also be out of the Phillies’ price range.
James McCann
James McCann falls into the Gary Sánchez bucket as a bat-first part-timer with sketchy defense. The 36-year-old has spent the last two seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he’s posted a .761 OPS across 93 games. It’s hard to imagine he’ll keep up that level of production as he nears 40, but he wouldn’t be a bad option on a one-year deal.
Kyle Higashioka
Longtime New York Yankee Kyle Higashioka was once an excellent defender behind the dish, but his glovework has declined over the past few seasons. The 36-year-old is a decent hitter, posting a .687 OPS in his two years with the Texas Rangers. Like McCann, Higashioka would be a fine stopgap for one year.
Austin Hedges
Finally, a guy who isn’t a terrible defender. 2023 World Series winner Austin Hedges has lasted a dozen years in Major League Baseball by being a superb game-caller and excellent pitch framer. His career .190/.251/.318 slash line is hardly better than most pitchers, but he did have a career year at the plate in 2026.
In 78 games with the Cleveland Guardians, Hedges slashed .247/.325/.377 with 16 extra-base hits. He certainly won’t continue to produce at that level in what will be his age-34 season next year, but if he has figured out how to be more than a complete zero at the plate, he could be a great option to split time with Realmuto. Although he could just end up being another Marchán if he backslides offensively.
Jonah Heim
This one is purely an upside play. Jonah Heim had a breakout year for the Rangers during their World Series-winning 2023 campaign, when he posted a .755 OPS and earned an All-Star selection. Unfortunately, he hasn’t duplicated that feat since, putting up a woeful .602 OPS mark in each of the ensuing two seasons.
Things got so bad that Texas cut him loose last winter, and he split the 2026 season between the Atlanta Braves and the Athletics. A .627 year-long OPS wasn’t much better, and his defense is pretty rough these days, but there was a small silver lining in his .721 OPS over a dozen games with the Braves. There’s a very good chance Heim is what he is at this point, but the Phils could take a flyer on him getting back some of that All-Star form on a low-risk deal.
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