The Phillies have one obvious area to address this offseason, and it sits right behind the plate. J.T. Realmuto is still in place for two more years, but Philadelphia is looking to move on from the Garrett Stubbs/Rafael Marchán pairing it used in 2026 and find a better answer in the backup catcher market.
That market is thin, as it usually is. Catchers who can help even in a part-time role don’t grow on trees, and most of the names available should still represent an upgrade over what the Phillies had last year.
The top tier of free-agent catchers is probably out of Philadelphia’s reach. Ryan Jeffers, Carson Kelly, and Tyler Stephenson would all be upgrades over the 35-year-old Realmuto at this point, but each is coming off a strong season and figures to get starting jobs and meaningful money elsewhere.
That leaves the more realistic options, and there are a few different paths the Phillies could take.
Gary Sánchez fits the bat-first mold. It’s been a while since his two All-Star seasons with the New York Yankees, but “the Kraken” has remained useful as a part-time catcher.
He’ll turn 33 years old in less than a month, and the defense is still a concern, but his .209/.349/.422 line this past season was far better than Realmuto’s. After a solid year and a World Series ring, though, he may be priced beyond what Philadelphia wants to spend.
James McCann belongs in the same bucket. He’s another offense-first catcher with shaky defense, and the 36-year-old has spent the last two seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he posted a .761 OPS in 93 games. That level of production may be tough to trust as he gets closer to 40, but on a one-year deal, he wouldn’t be a bad stopgap.
Kyle Higashioka offers a similar short-term profile. The longtime Yankee used to be a strong defender, but that part of his game has slipped in recent years.
At the plate, he’s been respectable, putting up a .687 OPS across his two seasons with the Texas Rangers. Like McCann, he looks like a reasonable one-year bridge option.
Then there’s Austin Hedges, who brings a very different selling point. He’s not a liability defensively; in fact, that’s the whole reason he’s stuck around for 12 years in the majors.
The 2023 World Series winner is known for game-calling and pitch framing, even if the bat has usually lagged far behind. His career .190/.251/.318 line is rough, but 2026 was his best offensive season yet.
In 78 games with the Cleveland Guardians, he hit .247/.325/.377 with 16 extra-base hits. That kind of production probably won’t last into his age-34 season, but if he’s finally become something more than an automatic out, he could split time with Realmuto and give the Phillies a real upgrade.
If not, he could just turn into another Marchán.
Jonah Heim is the swing-for-the-fences option. He broke out for the Rangers during their 2023 World Series run, posting a .755 OPS and making the All-Star team.
Since then, though, the bat has gone quiet, with a .602 OPS in each of the next two seasons. Texas let him go last winter, and he split 2026 between the Atlanta Braves and the Athletics.
His year-long .627 OPS wasn’t much of a rebound, and his defense has become a problem, but there was a small hint of life in a .721 OPS over a dozen games with the Braves. Heim looks like a low-risk flyer more than a sure thing, but Philadelphia could take a shot at getting that All-Star version back.
In Other News...
Phillies Third Base Picture Is Getting Clearer Than Fans Expected
The Phillies are heading into the offseason with the same basic challenge they have carried for years: keep a contending roster intact while working around a heavy payroll and an aging core. Third base has become one of the more interesting spots on the board, too, with Alec Bohm now being linked to a possible departure after a third party projected him to land a two-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Philadelphia already offered a hint about how it views the position by not extending Bohm a qualifying offer, a move that points toward a different direction rather than a simple reunion. If Bohm is indeed elsewhere next season, the Phillies will have to sort through alternatives, and Aidan Miller has already surfaced as one name in that conversation as the club weighs both immediate contention and longer-term roster planning. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Harper Just Got Bulletin Board Material Phillies Fans Will Hate
Kyle Schwarber is the lone Phillies player in the mix for a National League Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger award, and even that nod comes with a familiar heavyweight in the way. Schwarber is listed among the finalists at designated hitter, where the conversation is really about him and Shohei Ohtani, giving Philadelphia at least one chance to bring home hardware after a season in which Schwarber put together a .232/.354/.503 line with 15 homers and more plate appearances than Ohtani.
The bigger frustration for Phillies fans is what did not happen elsewhere on the ballot, because Bryce Harper was left off the first-base finalist list altogether. Harpers numbers were good enough to stack up with, and in some cases outpace, other nominees, which has already sparked criticism of how the voting shook out. For a fan base that watches Harper closely and expects him to be in these conversations, the omission is the kind of slight that tends to linger. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Have A Rare Offseason Target Who Solves Two Problems
The Phillies are heading into an offseason where roster upgrades are expected, and Teruaki Sato has emerged as an intriguing name because he checks more than one box at once. The Japanese infielder is entering MLBs posting system after a standout run in Nippon Professional Baseball, where he won both the Central League Triple Crown and MVP awards, and Philadelphia reportedly views him as a potential power bat with enough versatility to help in the infield right away.
What makes Sato especially appealing is the way he fits the Phillies current needs without creating the usual roster-building complications. Unlike some other free-agent targets, signing him would not come with draft pick penalties, which gives the club a cleaner path to add talent while keeping its long-term plans intact. For a team trying to stay competitive now while prospects continue to develop, that kind of short-term coverage and positional flexibility can carry real value. [Read more 🡒]