We're getting nerve-wrackingly close to the end of the 2025 season and an offseason that could bring considerable changes to the Philadelphia Phillies' roster. Among the pending free agents who could be wearing different uniforms in 2026 is catcher J.T. Realmuto. While he seems indispensable to the Phillies, there's no guarantee that he'll be back next year.
While the Phillies could very well be looking for a replacement, one thing they shouldn't do this offseason is trade for Baltimore Orioles backstop Adley Rutschman, even if it looks like he's on his way out the door after the news that dropped on Friday. The Orioles signed top prospect catcher Samuel Basallo to an eight-year, $67 million contract extension, per Jake Rill of MLB.com.
Trading for Adley Rutschman as J.T. Realmuto's replacement isn't the right move for the Phillies
Rutschman, 27, was already a candidate to be dealt by Baltimore this coming offseason even before Basallo was extended. A former first-overall draft pick and top prospect, Rutschman had at one time looked like the Orioles' long-term catcher of the future.
However, injuries have hampered him over the last couple of seasons and his time on the field and his production at the plate have taken a big hit as a result. That's why the Phillies, if they can't sign Realmuto, should find another alternative behind the plate. Ideally, the Phillies will figure out how to keep their aging 34-year-old catcher for at least another couple of seasons until they can figure out a palatable succession plan.
Rutschman burst onto the scene in 2022 as a 24-year-old, finishing second in AL Rookie of the Year voting and even earning some MVP votes. He followed that up with an All-Star season in 2023, slashing .277 /.374/.435 with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs in 154 games. He won a Silver Slugger and finished ninth in AL MVP voting.
He earned his second All-Star nod in 2024, hitting .275 with a .780 OPS in the first half. But battling hand and back injuries, he fell off in the second half, hitting just .207 with a .585 OPS.
Now in his fourth season, Rutschman's struggles have continued in 2025, slashing just .227/.310/.373 in 85 games. He has already dealt with hand and head issues and just went on the 10-day IL for the second time this year, with both trips the result of oblique/abdominal injuries.
Rutschman's plate discipline has always been good, and he hasn't lost any of that over the years, based on his Statcast sliders. However, he has never had good quality of contact metrics. His barrel rate, hard-hit rate and average exit velocity have always been below average, and his bat speed has always been well below average.
He has made up for a lot of those deficiencies by optimizing his launch angle sweet-spot rate, which ranked in the 78th percentile in 2023. But now that is even down this year, to the 43rd percentile, and he hasn't been a threat at the plate.
Rutschman still has two more seasons of team control, through arbitration, so he would definitely be affordable. But the Phillies would have to give up some prospects to get him. Even though he's controllable and cheap, and with better health may recapture some offensive ability, it's a risky move to take for a Phillies team that has its eye on contending for the World Series for multiple years.
Realmuto has bounced back at the plate after a sluggish first half and is again proving his immense worth on both sides of the ball. The Phillies' best bet is to do what it takes to keep Realmuto in the fold.