3 big questions about a potential Phillies-Realmuto reunion

J.T. Realmuto is up next.

Now that the Phillies have achieved their top offseason goal -- re-signing star designated hitter Kyle Schwarber -- they can turn their attention to Realmuto. The veteran catcher is a free agent after seven seasons with the club, and Philadelphia aims to retain Realmuto as well.

The Phillies have made a contract offer to Realmuto, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was optimistic about the club’s chances of re-signing the backstop. Realmuto is the No. 1 catcher on the free-agent market and has performed well during his tenure in Philadelphia, but as he enters his age-35 season, there are reasons to be cautious about the future.

Here are three key questions surrounding a potential reunion between Realmuto and the Phillies.

What’s the case for bringing Realmuto back?

The argument for re-signing Realmuto is fairly straightforward: He’s by far the top catcher available in free agency, he’s one of the most durable players at his position and he’s been an established piece of the Phillies’ core since being acquired from the Marlins in 2019.

Realmuto played in 134 games in 2025, including an MLB-high 132 at catcher. Since donning red pinstripes, he’s landed on the injured list only two times, apart from COVID-19 protocols: for a left hand contusion in 2021 and for right knee surgery in 2024. He has played in every one of the Phillies’ 38 postseason games since 2022, hitting seven home runs -- including an inside-the-parker against the Braves in the 2022 NLDS and the winning dinger in the 10th inning of Game 1 of the 2022 World Series.

In spite of his age and the wear and tear on his knees from years behind the plate, Realmuto still excels in a few key areas. For one, his throwing arm is one of the best in the Majors: His average pop time to second base of 1.86 seconds in 2025 was tied for an MLB high, and his +6 mark in Caught Stealing Above Average was tied for fourth among qualifying catchers.

Realmuto remains an above-average runner overall and especially for a catcher. His 28.4 ft/sec sprint speed in 2025 ranked in the 76th percentile in the Majors, and his eight steals were tied for third among primary catchers. For a catcher, he has a rare blend of power and speed: In 2025, Realmuto socked 12 home runs, reaching double-digit dingers for the 11th consecutive season.

With a lack of clear-cut alternatives, retaining Realmuto -- who has been a productive player year in and year out -- makes a lot of sense for a Phillies team that has already spent big to re-sign Schwarber and keep its core intact.

What are the concerns for Realmuto going forward?

Realmuto has held off Father Time remarkably well, but he’s still mortal. The standout catcher, who will turn 35 just before Opening Day 2026, began to show signs of age that offer reasons for concern if the Phillies choose to bring him back (especially on a multiyear deal). After a strong 2024 across the board in terms of Statcast’s quality-of-contact metrics, Realmuto took a step backward in 2025 in nearly every hitting category, resulting in his poorest offensive season in a decade.

Along with dips in all three triple-slash categories, Realmuto saw his expected batting average, expected slugging percentage, expected wOBA, hard-hit rate, barrel rate, chase rate and whiff rate all worsen from 2024. Much of this can be explained by a dip in bat speed likely associated with age: Realmuto’s average bat speed fell to 72.0 mph in 2025, which ranked in the 47th percentile of MLB hitters. In 2024, his bat speed of 73.2 mph put him in the 70th percentile, well above average.

Behind the plate, Realmuto was again one of MLB’s poorest pitch framers, tied for 50th among 57 qualifying backstops in catcher framing runs (-8). The incoming ABS challenge system should lessen the impact of framing significantly, but it can still be a valuable skill -- one that Realmuto hasn’t consistently shown ever since he racked up +15 framing runs in 2022. And although Realmuto still has an excellent arm, he’s been a slight negative in terms of blocking pitches, recording -4 blocks above average in 2025 after -2 in 2024.

And despite Realmuto’s remarkable durability, the fact remains that catchers his age simply don’t usually hold up well. In 2025, Realmuto became the first backstop at least 34 years old to catch 125 games since Yadier Molina in 2017. The most recent 35-year-old catcher to hit that benchmark? A.J. Pierzynski in 2012. While Realmuto has been a relative iron man so far, he likely won’t be able to handle as big a workload going forward, and staying off the IL might only get harder.

What alternatives are there if Realmuto leaves?

If Realmuto signs elsewhere, the Phillies don’t have much means of replacing his production in-house. In 2025, backup Rafael Marchan batted just .210 with a .587 OPS, while veteran Garrett Stubbs caught just two games and spent most of the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. With the Phillies’ top catching prospect Caleb Ricketts (No. 22 on their Top 30, per MLB Pipeline) finishing 2025 at Double-A, Philadelphia would likely be forced to dip into the free-agent or trade markets to replace Realmuto.

Although Realmuto is aging, he’s still a cut above the top catchers available in free agency. The likely No. 2 option, Danny Jansen, agreed to a two-year deal with the Rangers on Friday, per sources. Switch-hitter Victor Caratini is intriguing but has never started more than 87 games in a season at catcher, so he likely couldn’t handle a workload remotely close to Realmuto’s. And veterans Elias Díaz and Christian Vázquez, both 35, are better suited for backup roles.

Orioles backstop Adley Rutschman is by far the most intriguing catcher potentially available for trade, but Baltimore doesn’t seem highly motivated to move the former No. 1 overall Draft pick this offseason. One trade candidate mentioned by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand who could make sense for the Phillies is Astros catcher Yainer Diaz, who hit 20 home runs in 2025 and has significant offensive potential despite poor defense behind the plate.

Simply put, there’s no clear top alternative for the Phillies if Realmuto doesn’t return to Philadelphia. It’s a key factor in the impending decision for both sides -- and it could dictate the size of the contract Realmuto ultimately signs, whether or not it’s with the Phillies.