With the Philadelphia Phillies having multiple questions to answer during the offseason, it might not be the worst idea to keep J.T. Realmuto.
Realmuto is set to hit the free agency market, and at 35 years old in the 2026 campaign, it'll be interesting to see what type of market he has. On the surface, he's still an above-average defensive catcher, but his offensive numbers have really taken a hit in recent years.
However, when we look around Major League Baseball and the lack of talent at the catcher position, especially in this free agency market, there isn't a realistic path for the Phillies to truly replace him unless they want to go the prospect route.
Even then, there's no guarantee that a prospect is going to come in and play a massive role for a contending team.
When examining what Realmuto's contract might look like and where he could land in free agency, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently predicted that he'd take a three-year, $45 million deal back in Philadelphia.
“If J.T. Realmuto played any other position on the diamond, his offensive production wouldn't warrant him being on this list. There are just so few impact catchers to go around in the sport that even a mid-30s Realmuto who is no longer at the height of his powers should make out pretty well...
“He is going to have to take a pay cut from what he's made over the last half decade of a record-setting five-year, $115.5 million deal with the Phillies. But considering the next best free agents at catcher are probably Victor Caratini and Danny Jansen, Realmuto will still get a decent chunk of change and at least a two-year commitment,” he wrote.
I'd be a bit surprised to see Realmuto get a three-year deal, but I can definitely see a one or two-year deal.
From his standpoint, he'll likely have more than a one-year offer on the table from another team, so the Phillies will probably have to go the two-year route. At $15 million per year, it doesn't sound horrible for a starting catcher, but I can also see him getting a bit more than that somewhere else.