The Philadelphia Phillies have turned their attention to re-signing veteran catcher J.T. Realmuto after securing Kyle Schwarber. Realmuto, the top free-agent catcher available, received a contract offer from the team, with president Dave Dombrowski expressing optimism. As Realmuto approaches age 35, the decision involves weighing his durability and performance against emerging concerns.
The Philadelphia Phillies achieved a key offseason objective by re-signing designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, paving the way for negotiations with catcher J.T. Realmuto. After seven seasons with the club since his 2019 acquisition from the Miami Marlins, Realmuto became a free agent. The Phillies extended a contract offer, and Dave Dombrowski, the president of baseball operations, remains hopeful about retaining him as the premier catcher on the market.
Realmuto demonstrated remarkable durability in 2025, appearing in 134 games and catching a league-high 132. He has only landed on the injured list twice outside of COVID-19 protocols: a left hand contusion in 2021 and right knee surgery in 2024. In postseason play, he participated in all 38 of the Phillies' games since 2022, hitting seven home runs, including an inside-the-park homer against the Atlanta Braves in the 2022 NLDS and the game-winning shot in the 10th inning of Game 1 of the 2022 World Series.
Defensively, Realmuto's arm strength stood out, with a 1.86-second pop time to second base tying for the MLB high and a +6 Caught Stealing Above Average ranking fourth among qualifiers. Offensively, he hit 12 home runs—his 11th straight season with double digits—and stole eight bases, tying for third among primary catchers, with a sprint speed of 28.4 feet per second in the 76th percentile.
However, at age 35 entering 2026, concerns arise. His 2025 season marked his weakest offensively in a decade, with declines in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, expected metrics, hard-hit rate, barrel rate, chase rate, and whiff rate. Bat speed dropped to 72.0 mph, 47th percentile, from 73.2 mph the prior year. Behind the plate, he ranked tied for 50th in framing runs at -8 and recorded -4 blocks above average.
Catchers of his age rarely maintain heavy workloads; he was the first 34-or-older backstop to catch 125 games since Yadier Molina in 2017. In-house options like Rafael Marchan (.210 average, .587 OPS) and Garrett Stubbs (limited to two games) fall short, while prospect Caleb Ricketts remains at Double-A. Free-agent alternatives include Victor Caratini, Elias Díaz, and Christian Vázquez, but none match Realmuto's production. Trade targets like Houston's Yainer Diaz (20 HRs in 2025) or Baltimore's Adley Rutschman could be options, though the latter seems unlikely.
