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By Patrick McAvoy
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Philadelphia Phillies have a lot of talent available on the open market right now, but that doesn't mean that everyone will end up leaving.
Kyle Schwarber has been the talk of the town, but he's not the only guy out there. Three-time All-Star catcher JT Realmuto is also a free agent right now after spending the last seven seasons in Philadelphia.
Realmutuo had another solid season in 2025 as he slashed .257/.315/.384 with 12 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 26 doubles in 134 games played. He remains one of the top overall catchers in the big leagues. It would be tough to replace him, but Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly predicted that it won't be necessary.
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"Team Prediction: Phillies," Kelly wrote while predicting landing spots for the top free agents. "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. While his offensive numbers have dipped and he posted a minus-7.0 framing grade this past season, there are still aspects of his game that he's really good at.
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"He throws out would-be basestealers at a high clip, runs the bases much better than the average catcher and can still hit a three-run home run from time to time. He's also a tireless preparer who is consistently lauded by the pitchers who work with him, which is a quality that's hard to quantify statistically. 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."
Now, this is just one person's opinion. But, it's one that the Phillies should heavily consider. The Phillies didn't make as deep a playoff run as they wanted, but they were among the top overall teams in baseball. Realmuto was a big part of that.
MLB: Could Phillies Pivot From Kyle Schwarber To 5-Time All-Star?
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