The Philadelphia Phillies need to make some huge moves this offseason if they want to get back to the World Series. But before they can improve their roster, they need to work on re-signing their own free agents.
Ranger Suárez is likely to leave town in free agency, but slugger Kyle Schwarber should be retained if the Phillies are willing to spend the money. The biggest question mark in free agency is Phillies catcher JT Realmuto.
Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball recently projected Realmuto would leave the Phillies and sign a two-year, $24 million deal with the San Diego Padres.
“Defensively, Realmuto is still great at controlling the running game, and he is obviously a great leader behind the dish with over 11 years of big league experience. He has, however, dipped a bit as a pitch framer,” Finkelstein wrote. “Realmuto is the type of veteran leader that makes a good team better, which is why there is every chance he returns to make another run in Philly. Another fun landing spot for him, however, would be San Diego, where he could help a Padres team that could use an upgrade over Freddy Fermin.”
The Padres need to add a catcher, so a move like this would make a lot of sense. The biggest plus of this potential deal would be the money.
If the Padres can add Realmuto for $12 million a year, it would be a no-brainer. But at that price, the Phillies will likely be active in his free agency.
Either way, Realmuto is likely going to land a contract slightly larger than this projection.
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