Aug 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) before action against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Bill Streicher
Both president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and manager Rob Thomson suggested in their year-end press conferences Tuesday that they believe J.T. Realmuto could benefit from getting rest a little more frequently moving forward.
The challenge? Getting Realmuto — who will turn 34 next March — on board with that.
When Realmuto was asked during this past Spring Training about whether he believed he could benefit from more rest, he pushed back against the idea. Thomson knows he's got his work cut out trying to make the three-time All-Star realize more rest might be what's best for him at this stage of his career.
"I'm not sure yet," Thomson admitted with a smile when asked about how he'll get Realmuto on board. "He's a tough guy. He's a guy like a lot of our guys, they want to play every day. I'll have to do some convincing, I guess."
There is a balance here. You don't want to take your foot off the gas pedal too much in the regular season, which some believe the Phillies may have done after getting off to a hot start. At the same time, you need your stars healthy in October to win a World Series.
Realmuto went 0-for-11 with three walks during the four-game NLDS, which is obviously suboptimal. It's difficult to say whether he was worn down. He missed about five weeks in the summer after undergoing right knee surgery. He hit .286 in regular season games between September and October. You're more inclined to think Realmuto just went cold in the NLDS than he ran out of gas.
At the same time, since joining the Phillies in 2019, Realmuto has caught a staggering 5,548 1/3 innings during the regular season. The next closest catcher over that period is Christian Vázquez at 4,707 1/3, a distant second. In Realmuto's 11th full MLB campaign, there probably does need to be some scaling back of his workload.
For the Phillies to do that, though, they need to feel good about their backup catcher.
Garrett Stubbs is an excellent bunter, who is capable of handling the pitching staff. But since hitting .264 with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 2022, Stubbs has hit just .206 with two home runs and 23 RBIs over the past two seasons. He is a great clubhouse presence, and Dombowski acknowledged it's very difficult to get in an offensive rhythm when you don't get consistent at-bats.
Rafael Marchán hit .294 with three home runs and one defensive run saved in 17 games for the Phillies while Realmuto was injured this summer. He will be out of minor-league options next year, which means he'll likely either be on the Opening Day roster or traded because he can't be optioned back to Triple-A without clearing waivers, which he wouldn't. His biggest issue has been staying healthy.
The best strategy for the Phillies might be to bring both Stubbs and Marchán to Spring Training next year and have them compete for the backup catching job. If Marchán is healthy, he will likely win the job. Stubbs does have a remaining minor-league option, although it would seem strange to send a 31-year-old who has been on your big-league team for three years to Triple-A. Who knows.
What is clear is that Realmuto — who is entering a contract year — probably needs to play less in 2025. Thomson and Dombrowski might have their work cut out trying to both convince him and set up the backup catching situation so that there isn't a precipitous dropoff when Realmuto is out of the lineup.
