Overview
- Realmuto is free to sign with any team starting Thursday, placing an immediate choice before the Phillies on whether to retain their veteran catcher.
- His offense dipped in 2025 (.257, 12 HR, .699 OPS), yet he started a career-high 132 games at age 34 and drew strong praise from coaches and pitchers for elite game-calling and preparation.
- The club has no proven in-house replacement after Rafael Marchán’s limited production, and the free-agent market for everyday catchers is thin with names like Danny Jansen and Victor Caratini headlining.
- Trade scenarios are being floated by analysts, including a speculative Adley Rutschman pursuit despite his injury-plagued, down 2025 season, while other mentioned targets include Ryan Jeffers and Jonah Heim.
- Contract dynamics center on term length for an aging catcher, with Realmuto’s 2020 five-year, $115.5 million deal still the position’s benchmark and potential outside interest from catcher-needy contenders projected.