Veteran backstop tagged as the 'best fit' for the Phillies this offseason

Jared Bloom

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Veteran backstop tagged as the 'best fit' for the Phillies this offseason image

The Philadelphia Phillies came into the offseason a bit uneasy. They were at risk of losing Kyle Schwarber until the two sides agreed to a five-year, $150 million deal.

He chose Philadelphia after receiving offers from the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, and Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Now, the front office can turn its attention to retaining some more key contributors on the open market. They would love to see J.T. Realmuto back in Philadelphia, as well as Ranger Suarez. 

Veteran backstop tagged as 'best fit' for the Phillies this offseason 

Pitching and catching will be something the front office focuses on over the next few weeks/months. With not a lot of options for catchers, Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer suggests that Realmuto is the best fit for the Phillies. 

"Dependable everyday catchers don't grow on trees, after all, and least of all on the open market. Realmuto is the best option on this winter's free-agent market by several orders of magnitude, as he was more than twice as valuable than the next-best catcher who's still looking for work."

Plain and simple, there are not many options on the open market. Realmuto leads this class by a wide margin. 

Now, that does not mean the team could not go out and look to see what the trade market is looking like. However, that would cost them prospects instead of just money. 

Realmuto has taken a step back over the years, but he is still considered a solid catcher. He is also a fan favorite in Philadelphia, making the case for signing him even easier. 

This will likely be the club's biggest priority moving forward. Their championship window is closing, and they cannot contend if they don't have a dependable backstop calling the games and keeping balls in front of him.

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