The Philadelphia Phillies have been connected to an intriguing replacement for J.T. Realmuto.
The Philadelphia Phillies have to decide whether or not they want to re-sign catcher J.T. Realmuto this offseason, and while Realmuto has been a critical member of the Phillies since 2019, he is not a slam dunk to return.
Philadelphia also has to concern itself with retaining Kyle Schwarber as well as likely finding a replacement for Ranger Suarez, neither of which will be cheap.
Realmuto is being projected by many to land a contract in the neighborhood of three years and $45 million, and with Realmuto being 34 years old and coming off of his worst offensive campaign since 2015, the Phillies may not want to allocate that much money toward him.
That's why Philadelphia may ultimately consider going elsewhere for a backstop, and Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer has linked the Phillies to former Texas Rangers All-Star Jonah Heim as a possible target.
Of course, Heim certainly won't be anyone's favorite solution at this point.
The 30-year-old was really good back in 2023 when he slashed .258/.317/.438 with 18 home runs and 95 RBI, earning an All-Star appearance and winning a Gold Glove en route to helping the Rangers win a World Series.
The last couple of years, however, Heim's production has fallen off a cliff, resulting in Texas non-tendering him.
In 2025, Heim slashed .213/.271/.332 with 11 homers and 43 RBI over 433 plate appearances. He also posted a minus-7 DRS and minus-3 fielding run value.
Is there hope for a resurgence? Given the fact that Heim has been rapidly declining for two years and is only getting older, it does not seem incredibly likely, but perhaps a change of scenery could do the six-year veteran some good.
Heim began his big-league career with the Oakland Athletics in 2020 but was traded to the Rangers in February 2021.
The Buffalo. N.Y. native owns a lifetime .653 OPS and 85 OPS+, so maybe his offensive breakout in 2023 was a bit of a mirage. That doesn't account for his sudden dip in defensive production, though.
Honestly, the Phillies are probably better off looking elsewhere for an answer if Realmuto departs, even though Heim will come incredibly cheap.