The Phillies have already checked off their biggest offseason box by agreeing to a two-year deal with Don Mattingly to become their next manager. Now Dave Dombrowski can turn to the rest of a roster that still has some obvious work to do.
A lot of the attention has landed on the bullpen, after several late-season meltdowns, and on the outfield. Philadelphia’s offense was uneven, and adding another outfielder is one way to try to smooth that out. The situation with Trea Turner also matters, since he is not being guaranteed the starting shortstop job.
But there is another area that has not gotten nearly as much attention: catcher.
The Phillies want J.T. Realmuto back as their starter, but they also want to cut down his workload after he posted the least productive offensive season of his career.
That sounds easy in theory. In practice, it is not.
Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchan handled the backup duties in 2026, and together they hit just .120/.169/.160 in 160 plate appearances. Both are well-regarded defensively, just like Realmuto, but that kind of production simply does not get it done.
As a group, Phillies catchers produced a .539 OPS, the lowest mark for the position in franchise history since 1986, when “Irish” Mike Ryan, Clay Dalrymple and John Sullivan combined for a .502 OPS, according to Charlotte Varnes and Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
Dombrowski said it is something the club will have to examine this winter.
“Both those guys did fine jobs as far as the receiving, defensive perspective of it,” Dombrowski said. “Marchán grades out as being one of the best in baseball, actually.
We didn’t get enough offensive contributions from that spot. And that’s something I need to look at.”
Realmuto also told Dombrowski he needs to be better offensively and said he feels more mentally drained because of the added responsibilities. He said he feels good physically and could possibly play some first base as well.
The challenge for Philadelphia is that it is already a poor defensive team and cannot afford to slip much further there. Still, if the payoff is a steadier bat in the lineup, it is at least worth serious consideration.
A left-handed backup would make the most sense, since Realmuto hits right-handed and a platoon setup could help behind the plate. The problem is that the free-agent market is thin, and the Phillies may have to settle for what is available.
Gary Sanchez, now with the National League pennant-winning Milwaukee Brewers, is one name that could fit as a proven power option behind the plate. At the top of the market, Ryan Jeffers and Tyler Stephenson look likely to find situations that offer more playing time than Philadelphia can provide.
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