The talk of the Philadelphia Phillies' offseason has been centered around what the organization plans to do with Kyle Schwarber. 

Rightfully so, too, as Schwarber is considered one of the top free agents available, if not the best outside of Kyle Tucker. 

Schwarber has ridiculous power in his bat and can leave the yard at any moment, as fans have seen over the past few years. 

However, there's also an upcoming contract situation with J.T. Realmuto that might be one of the more interesting ones around Major League Baseball for Philadelphia to consider. 

There isn't much of a debate that Realmuto has slowed down on the offensive side of the baseball. 

He was never an elite hitter by any means, but for a catcher, he was more than good enough, something Philadelphia was very happy with.

Factor that in with him being one of the best defenders in baseball, and it was easy to give Realmuto the $115.5 million deal they did just a few years ago. 

Now, a bit older and a worse player, Philadelphia will have to determine if it wants to offer him anything close to his market value. 

The unfortunate reality is that if the Phillies don't keep him in town, not only will they have a tough time finding a competent catcher to replace him, but another team will likely give him the money he's looking for, and they wouldn't have a chance to re-sign him. 

That's why Steve Silverman wants to give him a $60 million deal over three years. 

His reason was simple, noting that the Phillies don't have many other options to pursue if he were to walk. 

“Realmuto has been earning an average of $23 million per season and that appears to be too much to offer considering the other free-agent issues the Phillies are facing. A new three-year deal that averages $20 million per season would allow Realmuto to have a positive feeling and would secure the catching position for the team.

“If the Phillies don't bring back Realmuto, the other free agent options on appear to be Christian Vazquez and Sal Perez. Vazquez, 35, has not caught as many as 119 games since the 2022 season. Perez is 36 years old and its difficult to see him playing for any other team than the Kansas City Royals,” he wrote.

I think there's a lot to consider here for the Phillies, and if I had my choice, I wouldn't bring Realmuto back. 

The issue, however, is the fact that there aren't many perfect options available. 

For that reason, it might be better if the Phillies go out and try to make a trade, or if they consider the veteran as a one-year option, hoping to have him accept a low-cost deal for one season.