PHILADELPHIA -- Once the World Series ends, free agency begins.
Officially, players become free agents the day after the end of the World Series. It could be Saturday, if the Blue Jays win Game 6 on Friday night. Or it will be Sunday, if the Dodgers force a Game 7. Free agents cannot sign with a new team until 5 p.m. ET on the fifth day after the conclusion of the World Series. Teams can re-sign their own players at any point during that five-day period, although it rarely happens.
For the Phillies, their group of free agents includes Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Ranger Suárez and Harrison Bader.
The Phillies have said they want to bring back Realmuto, who will be 35 next year. He batted .257 with 12 home runs, 52 RBIs, a .699 OPS and a 91 OPS+ in the final year of a five-year, $115.5 million contract. It was his lowest OPS and OPS+ since his rookie season in 2015. Realmuto’s OPS ranked 23rd out of 41 catchers (minimum 200 plate appearances).
But Realmuto remains a force behind the plate and continues to be highly respected in the Phillies’ clubhouse. He is remarkably durable. Realmuto caught nearly 40 more innings than any other catcher in the Major Leagues this year. He caught 432 2/3 more innings than any other catcher the past five years.
And Phillies pitchers love throwing to him.
“J.T. is a really good player,” Phils president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in early October. “He’s had a great career up to this point, and he continues to be a good player. One of his many strengths is handling a pitching staff. He does a great job, so if you don't have him, you have to try to replace that. There are very few guys that are quite as good as he is in that regard, but you have to do your best to try to replace that if he's not back with us.”
Internally, Rafael Marchán and Garrett Stubbs are the only other catchers on the 40-man roster. Both are eligible for salary arbitration. Both are out of options.
It would make sense for the Phillies to bring back Realmuto. So many other teams need catching and the competition is likely to be fierce, if it means getting the player or not. After all, look at the catching available in free agency and on the trade market.
There are not a lot of good options out there.
Free agents
Ranked by FanGraphs WAR total across 2024-25, with 2026 seasonal age next to their name.
- Salvador Perez (36, 3.8) -- club option
- Victor Caratini (32, 2.7)
- Danny Jansen (31, 1.8) -- mutual option
- Christian Vázquez (35, 1.0)
- James McCann (36, 0.9)
- Elias Díaz (35, 0.8) -- mutual option
- Austin Barnes (36, 0.2)
- Gary Sánchez (33, 0.2)
- Mitch Garver (36, -0.4) -- mutual option
- Luke Maile (35, -0.4)
- Tom Murphy (35, -0.5) -- club option
- Jacob Stallings (36, -0.5)
Trade
Joey Bart (29, 2.6). Pittsburgh got calls about Bart in July. He has two years of team control remaining, but he has a career .690 OPS and 93 OPS+. Bart has never started more than 80 games in a season at catcher.
William Contreras (28, 9.1). He probably isn’t getting traded this winter with two years of team control remaining. But the Brewers’ MO is trading their best players before they hit free agency, so Contreras is a name to watch.
Yainer Diaz (27, 4.6). The Astros could be persuaded to try somebody new behind the plate, even though Diaz cannot become a free agent until after the 2028 season. Diaz batted a combined .293 with a .796 OPS in 2023-24, but only .256 with a .701 OPS this year. He swings and misses a lot. His defense has slipped a bit.
Jonah Heim (30, -0.6). He will be a free agent after next season. He has a career .653 OPS and 85 OPS+, mostly with Texas.
Hunter Goodman (26, 2.2). He had a breakout 2025, batting .278 with 31 home runs, 91 RBIs and an .843 OPS. He also has four years of team control remaining.
Sean Murphy (31, 2.8). He is entering the fourth year of a six-year, $73 million contract, which includes a club option for 2029. Murphy has been banged up the past two years in Atlanta, batting a combined .197 with a .676 OPS. Drake Baldwin’s emergence has made Murphy expendable.
Adley Rutschman (28, 3.9). He is the guy Phillies fans mention the most, but Philadelphia would have to pay a steep price to get him. Rutschman is under team control through 2027, so the Orioles would want a haul in return. But Rutschman has underperformed the past two seasons, batting a combined .240 with a .696 OPS. His career OPS at catcher (.726) is 111 points lower than when he DHs (.837).