Philadelphia Phillies Offseason Stay Or Go: J.T. Realmuto
J.T. Realmuto in 2025: Stay
97.5 The Fanatic will look at key players on the Philadelphia Phillies who will impact the organization’s offseason decisions entering 2025.
2024 Season Evaluation: J.T. Realmuto
A midseason knee surgery limited J.T. Realmuto to 99 games in 2024. While the absence from June 9-July 20 affected his season ranks among MLB catchers, he improved his offensive slash line after his return to the lineup.
- March 29-June 9: .261 / .309 / .411 (51 games)
- July 20-September 28: .272 / .337 / .451 (48 games)
Catchers age quickly with greater wear and tear. A knee operation at age 33 isn’t the most encouraging sign, especially considering the former high school football star has excelled during his career with superior athleticism compared to most of the players at his position.
Realmuto still ranked in the 97th percentile of MLB catchers in 2024 in pop time, a key measure of how athletic ability contributes to throwing out baserunners. However, he dropped from throwing out an MLB best 54% of runners in 2022 to 22% in 2023 and 26% in 2024.
He also stole only two bases himself in 2024 after averaging 17 his previous three seasons.
Realmuto still provides a formidable right-handed bat hitting in or around the sixth spot in the lineup. However, his days as a threat in the heart of the order who finished seventh in MVP voting in 2022 with a 130 OPS+ are likely over.
His 0/11 performance in the NLDS also contributed to the Phillies going down with a whimper offensively.
Future With The Phillies
The Phillies will enter the 2025 season with J.T. Realmuto as their starting catcher barring extreme circumstances.
His usage and long-term future provide bigger questions, however.
Realmuto will earn $23 million in the final year of his contract in 2025. Dave Dombrowski and Rob Thomson both spoke after the playoff exit about how they hope to limit the starting catcher’s innings more effectively next season.
They believe a lighter workload can help Realmuto stay fresh, which could help his offensive numbers improve from the past two seasons. Is it reasonable to expect a 34-year-old to replicate the success of his prime seasons though? Probably not.
The organization has kept Garrett Stubbs on the roster the past three seasons largely for his clubhouse presence. He hasn’t provided a strong option to entice the manager to give him additional starts to get Realmuto off his feet.
Rafael Marchan has durability issues of his own. Backup catcher is a legitimate offseason priority for the Phillies entering 2025.
Dombrowski shot down the notion that the franchise’s window of World Series contention is closing.
“I don’t feel like our window’s closing. I keep hearing that, but I think what happens is sometimes it closes with the current players you have. But that doesn’t mean it closes overall.” -Dave Dombrowski
The statement applies to J.T. Realmuto arguably more than any player on the Phillies roster. It’ll take a strong season in 2025 to convince the front office that he still has a future behind the plate at Citizens Bank Park.
