Phillies Could Steal Underrated Cubs Player Under One Condition

The Philadelphia Phillies are definitely in need of significant changes this offseason, and one area they absolutely need to address is the catcher position.

J.T. Realmuto is slated to be the team's starting backstop next spring, as he signed a three-year, $45 million deal to remain with the Phillies last winter. However, team president Dave Dombrowski has made it clear he would like Realmuto to catch less.

Realmuto slashed just .205/.283/.331 over 467 plate appearances in 2026, and his defense has declined significantly over the years.

The problem is that Philadelphia does not exactly have any capable internal options, as neither Garrett Stubbs nor Rafael Marchan are legitimate big-league hitters.

The Phillies will have to look outside the organization for a fix, and one potential solution is Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly.

Kelly has a mutual option with the Cubs this offseason, so if that gets declined, he would be free for Philadelphia to sign.

Of course, that's a decent hurdle for the Phillies to clear, as Kelly has been valuable to Chicago, but the Cubs may choose not to pay him $7.5 million in 2027.

If that occurs, the door would be open for Philadelphia, and Kelly would certainly represent a fine pickup.

Kelly slashed .258/.336/.376 with 10 home runs and 58 RBI across 425 trips to the dish in 2026 while playing passable defense behind the plate.

The year prior, Kelly posted a .761 OPS with 17 homers to go along with above average defense, so he's been good the last couple of seasons.

Kelly is 32 years old, so he could almost certainly be had on a one-year deal, and to be quite frank, he might actually comprise an upgrade over Realmuto at this point.

The Phillies simply cannot go into 2027 with Stubbs and Marchan as their alternative options at catcher. Especially not with the 35-year-old Realmuto coming off of a campaign in which he posted a measly .614 OPS and a 0.0 bWAR.

Ryan Jeffers isn't very realistic, because he'll want a full-time job. So will Tyler Stephenson. But Kelly would probably be amenable to a backup role with the chance for more reps, and Philadelphia should absolutely be pitching an offer to him.

Kelly's career 9.8 percent walk rate is very valuable, and while he doesn't have a ton of pop, he offers as much as Realmuto at this stage.

Kelly isn't a household name, but he would represent a great fit in Philly.