Phillies: The gaping hole to come after J.T. Realmuto

Chances are, the Phillies will lose J.T. Realmuto in free agency. What happens at the catcher position then?

In a few more days, after the MLB non-tender deadline passes, club owners will no longer have an excuse not to sign free agents aside from what has been obvious for weeks: The uncertainty of the next MLB season equals all MLB owners acting like they’re actually poor. This includes the Philadelphia Phillies managing partner, John Middleton, who has been trying to get out in front of a predictable fan backlash.

Middleton’s team reportedly lost $145 million this most recent summer, although a figure as high as $2 billion has also been thrown around. (Presumably, that figure is some totally maximized Forbes Magazine number for an appreciation of the total club value if the Phillies had just won the World Series after a sold-out 162-game season. Or something. Maybe they own a pile of Bitcoin.)

The Phillies did not “lose” $2 billion. Neither are they likely to re-sign J.T. Realmuto, so it’s time for them to think about another catcher. Young Rafael Marchan isn’t ready, and Andrew Knapp, honestly, is still a backup unless he can convince his employer he really is the much better hitter he appeared to be in the 33 games he got into in ’20.

If Knapp continues hitting in next year’s training camp (whenever it starts), that would be nice, but it says here Middleton won’t buy the argument Knapp is “hitting his stride.”

The cigar magnate is growing impatient with his prized possession. He’s on the record, recently, for whining about both a presumed top-flight MLB personnel desire not to change locations in a pandemic and the Phillies dismal history of spotting young talent. So, although Realmuto is likely out, Middleton’s going to want a reasonably good catcher.

The obvious answer is former White Sox catcher James McCann. The lifetime American Leaguer is often listed second to Realmuto as the most desirable catcher available this winter. In the shortened season just passed, he slashed .289/.360/.536 in 31 games. He is considered an excellent pitch framer.

McCann basically moved from prized backup to platoon catcher-first baseman-DH this past summer after an injury to Yasmani Grandal on Aug. 17.

More importantly, his contract demands are surely miles behind Realmuto’s, which brings us to the Phillies having just laid off 80 front office employees…nah, let’s not go there now, but don’t think that move was entirely lost on Phillies fans.

Let’s stick to the catching situation. An outside-the-box alternative to McCann might well be future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina, despite his age (38). After all, Molina got to rest his weary bones a bit this summer, and he could help tutor young Marchan in the spring, allowing perhaps the Phillies to promote him and then deal Knapp for…well, it was a thought.

Molina might still work, even if the Knapp notion might not. That’s if John Middleton can rouse himself out of his depression long enough to persuade Molina to establish at least a second home to help out the Phillies. During the pandemic.

If not Realmuto, McCann, or Molina, however, MLB.com lists 18 other, unsigned free agent catchers before the non-tender deadline (Dec. 2).

To Phillies fans, it all seems like Sisyphus repeatedly rolling that same rock up that same hill forever.