The Philadelphia Phillies are entering a new era, whether they want to or not. The 2025 season was the last year to try to win with this current core, but with another postseason cut short, it's time for a shakeup to the current roster.
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto is one of the long-time veterans who could find his way out the door, becoming an unrestricted free agent upon the conclusion of the World Series. It will conclude his last season of his five-year, $115.5 million deal.
The problem the Phillies find themselves in is that replacing Realmuto's production will be difficult. He's given the Phillies a lot over his years in Philadelphia, including this postseason. Finding a better option is easier said than done. The better option would be to bring Realmuto back after all.
Phillies won't find a better catcher on free agent market than J.T. Realmuto
The Phillies have to bring back Realmuto. He's been one of the best catchers in baseball over his seven years with the organization, and it shouldn't end just yet. The Phillies do have the restrictions of payroll, but the options at the catcher position would be slim outside Realmuto.
The other options for the Phillies would be veterans like 35-year-old Salvador Perez and other older catchers on the market. There are names that are available, but none that would be worthy to take Realmuto's spot on the roster.
Here's the crop of free agent catchers this offseason, with their age in parentheses:
- J.T. Realmuto (35)
- Salvador Perez (36) *club option
- Victor Caratini (32)
- Danny Jansen (31) *mutual option
- Christian Vázquez (35)
- James McCann (36)
- Elias Díaz (35) *mutual option
- Tomás Nido (32)
- Austin Barnes (36)
- Gary Sánchez (33)
- Mitch Garver (36) *mutual option
- Luke Maile (35)
- Tom Murphy (35) *club option
- Jacob Stallings (36)
- Martín Maldonado (39)
In Realmuto's seven seasons with the Phillies, he's hit .265 with a .778 OPS. That OPS ranks sixth among all catchers since 2019. His 25.1 fWAR leads all catchers over that span.
He's also a three-time All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner. He's won the Gold Glove Award twice with the Phillies.
Outside the hardware, Realmuto has worked with the Phillies' pitching staff tirelessly and has become invaluable while managing one of the best staffs in the sport. Even in his age-34 season, Realmuto still caught the most innings as a catcher with, 1151 1/3. He is the modern-day Iron Man behind the plate.
On the other hand, Realmuto will be 35 going into 2026. That's not an easy pill to swallow with the limitations in free agency and the lack of catcher depth the Phillies have going for them currently. The bright side is, they most likely won't have to shell out an average of $23.1 million per season like they did the last five years.
Per Spotrac, Realmuto's estimated market value currently would be about $13 million per year. They won't have to break the bank and hopefully come to a figure that can work for both sides.
He may not be the best catcher in the sport right now, but he's the best option moving forward. For his clubhouse presence, leadership and personality, Realmuto needs to be the catcher for the Phillies in 2026 and beyond.