There’s been plenty of talk about how the Phillies’ front office will address their club this offseason. Rumors, which should be taken with a grain of salt, have been swirling for weeks. In general, outfield and bullpen are two clear areas of need right now.
An under-the-radar position the front office will try to sort out before the start of next season is backup catcher. It’s not the most important spot on any team’s roster. But it is important to have a good one. And with the idea that J.T. Realmuto could play less in 2025, there’s more emphasis on backup catcher in Philadelphia than there’s been since Realmuto joined the Phillies before the 2019 season.
Some clarity regarding the position was provided on Friday when the Phillies announced they agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Garrett Stubbs. He’s been the team’s backup catcher for the last three seasons and was thought of as a potential non-tender candidate.
Stubbs isn’t guaranteed anything at the big-league level next year. Signing him means the Phillies want to keep him around. He’ll likely be involved in a competition come Spring Training to be the team’s secondary backstop.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski didn’t anoint the backup catcher job to anyone last month at his end-of-year press conference. “I think we have some people capable of doing that internally,” Dombrowski said. “But I can’t tell you that they’ll be for sure given the job. We just have to keep an open mind as we explore that this winter.”
Speaking after Dombrowski, manager Rob Thomson had the same sentiment. “We’ll put a plan together,” Thomson said about Realmuto’s 2025 workload. “And whoever that backup is, we don’t know yet.”
Stubbs is one internal option. Rafael Marchan is another. Both come with question marks.
Stubbs’ offense isn’t ideal. In his three seasons with the Phillies, he’s posted a .628 OPS. He hit .222 with a .558 OPS across 187 plate appearances in 2024. The average catcher posted a .678 OPS last season.
Marchan’s offense in the majors has been better than that of Stubbs. The switch-hitter hit .294/.345/.549 in 56 major-league plate appearances in 2024. His .811 OPS in the majors has come in a small sample. Marchan, 25, has a .611 career OPS in a larger sample in the minors. He also has a lengthy injury history.
Both Stubbs and Marchan are solid behind the plate. “Defensively, we’ve done very well. I don’t have any concerns about that,” Dombrowski said about the internal candidates’ defense.
In regards to Marchan, the veteran executive said, “We like Marchan a lot; we think he’s a real good catcher, and he’s shown some offensive prowess also.”
Dombrowski also noted the 25-year-old doesn’t have a minor-league option remaining. That could certainly come into the decision-making process in the spring. Stubbs does have an option left. And, given his less than five years of service time, he can’t refuse being sent down.
The Phillies value both Stubbs and Marchan. Realmuto will get a bulk of the playing time next season. But as he ages — Realmuto turns 34 in March — it makes sense to lessen his playing time. It would keep him fresher throughout the season. Realmuto missed a little more than a month in 2024 after undergoing knee surgery in mid-June.
If the Phillies play Realmuto less in 2025, the backup catcher will become more important than in previous years. There doesn’t seem to be a frontrunner for that spot right now. But, at the very least, keeping Stubbs shows the Phillies see the 31-year-old as an option.
