catcher JT Realmuto He is in the final year of his contract with the Phillies, but other than that, he may stay in Philadelphia. Scott Lauber of Philadelphia Inquirer reported that backstage and clubs share interest in postponement, although it remains to be seen whether they can reach a consensus on the price point.
“Obviously, I’m interested in returning to Philadelphia,” Lauber said recently. “I love it here. My wife love it, my family. Their friends are all in the organization. So we’re definitely interested . I hope Phillies are interested, too.”
Before the 2019 season, Realmuto was obtained from the Marlins. After two years at Phils, he met free agents, but the two sides reunited to 2021 with a five-year, 115.5mm trade. He has been the best catcher in baseball for the past six years in Philadelphia. During that time, his WRC+ was 112, he started with a solid defense and his WRC+ was 112. Fangraphs attributed his replacement with a 23.2 victory. These are almost five wins, and this is the second best catcher Will Smith at 18.5 Fwar.
Philes will naturally like to keep this kind of work going, but it has now become a question of whether Realmuto can keep it. He turns 34 in March, meaning he will turn 35 at the start of his new contract. There aren’t many full-time catchers who are older or older. Last year, 37 years old Martin Maldonado The oldest catcher in the league. He was released by the White Sox, who was fed to the bottom in July. 36 years old Yan Gomes The same month was released by the Cubs. Among several 35-year-old children Travis d’Arnaud There were 79 starts behind the plate, earning the most game time. 34 years old El Salvador Perez He played 158 games last year, but in recent years he began spending more and more time on first bases.
Realmuto has had a lot of work in his career. He has appeared in 1,120 games after the set over the past decade, with Maldonado ranked second on the list. Perhaps this shows that Realmuto has the ability to stop alliance-wide trends, although honing may also catch up with him. He required knee surgery in June and played in just 99 games last year, his lowest full-season since his debut in 2014. His .258/.315/.442 batting line has resulted in 105 WRC+ over the last two years, but is still good but lower than his previous job.
Although Philes has reportedly considered reducing the workload of Realmuto, getting into the first base/DH mix is not easy Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber In those positions. This means taking him off his feet might require him to leave the roster altogether. According to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, Phils shaky on the left field, although both receiver and manager Rob Thomson describe the exercises as more experimental characterizations than any actual plan.
Zoom in to see the rest of the list, there are also controversial and controversial arguments against the expansion. On the one hand, Pheles now has no better solution in the system. Rafael Marchán and Garrett Stubbs Also on the roster, but they summarize in-depth people more than the regulars. Baseball USA lists three catchers on the club’s top 30 prospects (Eduardo Tait,,,,, Alirio Ferrebus,,,,, Guillermo Rosario), but these three people didn’t even reach high levels.
Financially, they will have to consider some alternatives. Schwarber and Ranger Suárez All are coming free agents Maximum Kepler,,,,, Jordan Romano and Joe Ross. Matt Stram and José Alvarado Although Philes has club options in both areas, they are signing the final guaranteed year for their respective contracts.
Entering 2026, the catcher’s position is definitely a focus, but other areas of the lineup may also require investment. Anthony Franco of MLBTR looked at the possibility of Suárez expansion in a post from front desk subscribers this week. If Phils left Schwarber around, it would be difficult to get Realmuto out of the catcher position as Harper was locked in first base.
As shown by MLBTR’s contract tracker, the catcher has been in his 35-year-old season for a long time. Kyle Higashioka This offseason just scored 13.5mm. The latest deal is in Cardinal and Yadier Molina Back in 2017. As far as guaranteed, the only close to the deal is Jorge PosadaThe $52.4mm deal for 52.4mm dates back to 2007.
Based on Realmuto’s history, he will surely look for a famous deal. But if Pheles hesitates to continue investing in him, they can consider other options. The free agent class will be like Danny Jansen and Jose Trevino Together with Realmuto.
There is also a trade market. Sailors have Cal Raleigh But it is also one of the most popular prospects Harry Ford. In Baltimore, this is a similar situation Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo. The winemaker has William Contreras and Jeferson Quero Not far away. Same as Dodgers, Will Smith, Dalton rushand other potential logjams on the roster.
All of these alternatives will come with varying degrees of uncertainty, and the Phillies know clearly and like Realmuto. It’s a tricky rope because Realmuto is obviously valued by the club, but there is a wise choice to choose from other options. A poll of MLBTR readers two weeks ago led to about two-thirds of votes on Pheles, expanding Realmuto.
