The Philadelphia Phillies' main priority this offseason was re-signing Kyle Schwarber. The organization did that handsomely with a five-year, $150 million contract. Now, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is focusing on other roster improvements. Another player he wants to bring back is J.T. Realmuto.
Dombrowski and the Phillies have an offer on the table, but the concerns with re-signing Realmuto are his age, he will turn 35 in March, and the potential for continued offensive decline. However, he's lauded for his handling of the pitching staff and has maintained his ability to be one of the best defensive catchers at controlling the running game.
The Phillies will take a step back behind the plate if the veteran does not return for the 2026 season.
Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies should be wary about re-signing J.T. Realmuto
Dombrowski has a history of trading younger players from a farm system for experienced veterans and re-signing them to keep a competitive team intact. The downside is that the club eventually declines and needs to go through a rebuild.
Re-signing Realmuto means Philadelphia will not get younger at this position for the duration of his contract. Dombrowski has said that the team intends to keep its top prospects: Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller, and Justin Crawford. However, any other of their younger players can be acquired presumably.
During his tenure as general manager with the Detroit Tigers, Dombrowski traded minor leaguer Brian Rogers to the Pittsburgh Pirates for veteran Sean Casey in July 2006. He also traded prospect Giovanni Soto to Cleveland for Jhonny Peralta in July 2010. Then, Dombrowski dealt young players Jacob Turner, Rob Brantly, and Brian Flynn to the Miami Marlins for Omar Infante, Aníbal Sánchez, and a supplemental first-round draft pick in July 2012.
Dombrowski had some competitive teams with Detroit, making five playoff appearances and winning four consecutive division titles. They reached the World Series twice but failed to win a championship.
Just months after taking over the role of president of baseball operations for the Boston Red Sox in 2015, Dombrowski traded for Craig Kimbrel from the San Diego Padres for prospects Manuel Margot, Javier Guerra, Carlos Asuaje, and Logan Allen. He then signed David Price to a huge seven-year, $217 million contract during the same offseason.
In July 2016, Dombrowski traded with the Padres for Drew Pomeranz in exchange for Anderson Espinoza, who was Boston's top-ranked pitcher and the fourth-overall prospect in their farm system, according to MLB Pipeline. In December 2016, the Red Sox received Chris Sale from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for MLB Pipeline's number one-ranked prospect, Yoan Moncada, and Michael Kopech, Victor Diaz, and Luis Alexander Basabe, all of whom were also ranked among Boston's top 30 prospects.
During the 2017-18 offseason, Dombrowski signed Mitch Moreland to a two-year deal and J.D. Martinez to a five-year, $110 million contract.
Dombrowski experienced more success than failure with his transactions of trading prospects for more experienced players during his time with the Tigers and Red Sox, but won just one World Series when Boston won it all in 2018.
Since Dombrowski's hiring in December 2020, the Phillies have yet to win the Fall Classic. They have reached the postseason in four straight years, reached the World Series in 2022, and have won two straight NL East titles with Dombrowski in charge. But unless this current core of aging veterans can win it all soon, it won't be considered a success.
The Phillies will now have Schwarber, who will turn 33 before Opening Day, on their roster for the next five seasons. With other veterans Zack Wheeler (35), Bryce Harper (33), Trea Turner (32), and Aaron Nola (32), it's arguably unwise for Dombrowski to re-sign Realmuto with such an experienced team that already has many other key players in their early to mid-30s.