{"id":381734,"date":"2026-01-01T14:18:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T14:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/381734\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T14:18:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T14:18:07","slug":"phillies-backup-catcher-sounds-more-than-ready-for-j-t-realmuto-to-move-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/381734\/","title":{"rendered":"Phillies backup catcher sounds more than ready for J.T. Realmuto to move on"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5f\">The Philadelphia Phillies have already made a flurry of notable moves this offseason, but there\u2019s still work to be done. Whether it\u2019s adding more talent in free agency or making trades, the Phillies\u2019 2026 roster is far from complete.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5i\">Two of the Phillies\u2019 biggest priorities this offseason were to re-sign Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto. Schwarber was brought back on a massive 5-year, $150 million contract, but <a href=\"https:\/\/thatballsouttahere.com\/phillies-behind-the-scenes-dealings-point-to-an-unexpected-j-t-realmuto-outcome\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Realmuto remains a free agent<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Phillies still waiting on J.T. Realmuto decision<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5o\">The Phillies reportedly have had an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/news\/phillies-wrap-2025-winter-meetings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">offer on the table for Realmuto<\/a> for a few weeks, but the veteran is still exploring options. Although the exact offer is unknown, it\u2019s likely a two-year deal in the $30-$35 million range.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5r\">Realmuto was expected to sign a two-year contract this offseason, whether it was with the Phillies or another team, but he could be holding out for a third year or third-year option. The Phillies must decide if it\u2019s worth it to commit that much to a soon-to-be 35-year-old catcher who has shown signs of regression over the last couple of years.<\/p>\n<p>Rafael March\u00e1n ready for larger role with Phillies<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5x\">The catching options are slim in both free agency and in the Phillies\u2019 organization if Realmuto signs elsewhere this offseason. Realmuto\u2019s backup in 2025, Rafael March\u00e1n, is the top option to replace him and sounds ready to take the reins after learning from his potential predecessor.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"60\">\u201cLook, it\u2019s a really great experience,\u201d March\u00e1n said about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.liderendeportes.com\/noticias\/baseball\/rafael-marchan-con-realmuto-se-aprende\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">his experience playing behind Realmuto<\/a>, per L\u00edder\u2019s Eduardo Chapellin. \u201cI have to thank God for putting that person [Realmuto] in my path. I\u2019ve learned a lot from him, especially now in his final years of his career.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"63\">March\u00e1n was once a top prospect in the Phillies\u2019 organization, but injuries affected his development and derailed his career. He played in 23 games between 2020 and 2021 with the Phillies before finally taking advantage of an opportunity with the big league club in 2024.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"66\">Realmuto missed significant time during the 2024 season, resulting in increased playing time for both March\u00e1n and Garrett Stubbs. March\u00e1n showed flashes of what he\u2019s capable of both offensively and defensively in the 17 games he played in while Realmuto was out, hitting .294 with seven extra-base hits.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"69\">March\u00e1n won the backup catcher job in spring training over Stubbs to be Realmuto\u2019s backup in 2025. He hit just .210, but he played sparingly, logging only 105 at-bats due to how much of a workhorse Realmuto proved to be.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6c\">Now, with Realmuto\u2019s future with the Phillies uncertain, March\u00e1n is ready to take on a larger role in 2026. The soon-to-be 27-year-old switch-hitting catcher is a question mark, but he\u2019s never had the chance to prove himself at the major league level as an everyday-type catcher.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6f\">\u201cThe way he prepares, the way he communicates with the pitchers, the way he works with the guys on the team,\u201d March\u00e1n said about the impact Realmuto had on him in 2025 and what it means for the rest of his career, per Chapellin. \u201cI think it has been quite important for me, because he has taught me and made me aspire to more things as a player so I can stay here in this sport as long as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6i\">Not only is March\u00e1n much younger than Realmuto, but he\u2019s also much cheaper. The Phillies could sign a veteran catcher in free agency for far less money than the aging Realmuto or <a href=\"https:\/\/thatballsouttahere.com\/3-best-phillies-catcher-alternatives-if-j-t-realmuto-bolts-in-free-agency\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">make a trade<\/a> to provide insurance just in case March\u00e1n isn\u2019t ready to be an everyday catcher.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6l\">Realmuto has done great things for the Phillies since the organization acquired him from the Miami Marlins in 2019, but a change may be what\u2019s best for the team moving forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Philadelphia Phillies have already made a flurry of notable moves this offseason, but there\u2019s still work to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":381735,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-381734","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-mlb","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381734\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/381735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=381734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}