Phillies 2027 catchers outlook: Free-agent options, prospect forecast, and more
The Phillies had three catchers on their playoff roster, but don’t mistake that for depth at the position. Once again, they must find help — and possibly an eventual successor — for J.T. Realmuto.
When the Phillies included three catchers on their 2026 wild-card roster, it was because they had no other options.
A slew of injuries impacting their infield and outfield depth at triple A left them with little other choice than to include both Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchán on the roster for the three games against the Braves. Even though both were hitting well below the Mendoza line, and were not going to see the field against the Braves barring a catastrophe.
But the lack of offensive production at catcher this year was not constrained to the Phillies’ backups. Starter J.T. Realmuto, who is under contract through 2028, had the worst offensive season of his career.
The Phillies need more production from the catching position, which will require internal improvements and external additions.
Here’s a breakdown of the Phillies’ outlook at catcher in 2027:
Realmuto’s workload
One of the first things Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski did this offseason was have a conversation with Realmuto.
“My goal is to try to reduce the number of games you catch,” Dombrowski told him.
The Phillies have thrown around the idea of cutting back on Realmuto’s workload for the past several winters. But it hasn’t translated to real changes. The only other catcher to log more innings than Realmuto’s 1,058⅔ behind the plate this year was 28-year-old William Contreras (1,085⅔).
But this time, the Phillies are regarding this as a priority as Realmuto enters his age-36 season. Dombrowski said Realmuto acknowledged that he had offensive improvements to make and was receptive to the plan.
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Realmuto, who signed a three-year, $45 million contract last winter, slashed .205/.283/.331 in 123 games this season.
“I don’t feel any older. I feel like this year I just mechanically wasn’t right,” he said after the Phillies’ playoff exit. “But as far as my body feels, I feel as healthy and as good as I ever have.”
Most of Realmuto’s value comes from how he handles the Phillies’ pitching staff. The rotation, which is the cornerstone of the team, consistently speaks highly of his impact on them and his play-calling. Defensively, he had a 24.4% caught stealing rate behind the plate in 2026, which was above the league average of 23.3%.
The new automated ball-strike system added another responsibility to his plate this season. Realmuto was effective in his challenges with an 81% success rate, but he did not initiate them as frequently as other catchers.
Realmuto had just 86 challenges behind the plate, well below the 141.3 expected challenges for a catcher receiving the same pitches, according to StatCast data.
During their conversation earlier this month, Realmuto told Dombrowski that one of his goals is to improve offensively to the point where he can also see time at first base, if needed.
But to allow that to be possible, the Phillies need a reliable backup.
The 2026 backups
It’s not a guarantee that either Stubbs or Marchán will be back on the Phillies in 2027. Both backups are arbitration eligible this offseason, but could be non-tendered. If that is the case, one of them could also potentially return on a minor league deal.
Stubbs and Marchán were ineffective offensively in limited at-bats. Stubbs, 33, hit .153 with a .368 OPS in 65 plate appearances, while Marchán, 27, hit .099 with a .302 OPS in 95 plate appearances.
“Both those guys did fine jobs, as far as the receiving defensive perspective of it. Have no problem,” Dombrowski said. “Marchán grades out as being one of the best in baseball. We didn’t get enough offensive contribution from that spot, and that’s something I need to look at.”
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Both missed time with injuries, but the Phillies continued to carry three catchers after rosters expanded on Sept. 1 through the postseason. Still, Marchán only had three plate appearances total in the month of September.
In the second half, the Phillies were more reliant on Stubbs, who occasionally served as a pinch-runner late in games and has the defensive flexibility to play third base or outfield in a pinch. He also worked well with Aaron Nola, who had a 2.82 ERA when Stubbs was behind the plate compared to 4.67 overall.
Stubbs and Marchán are solid defensive catchers. Stubbs caught 8 of 22 total runners attempting to steal on him (36.4%), while Marchán caught 8 of 19 (42.1%).
Stubbs also has the best pop time in baseball at 1.84 seconds, a stat which measures the time elapsed between the catcher receiving the ball and throwing it to the target in the middle of the base. Realmuto is close behind at 1.85 seconds, while Marchán’s 1.88 seconds is still in the 86th percentile of catchers.
But to be able to cut back on Realmuto’s workload, the Phillies must have a backup who is reliable offensively, too.
“For us, we do emphasize defense more in our catching position than we do offense,” Dombrowski said. “A lot of times, if you’re talking about having somebody who can hit and be a good defensive person, they’re probably an everyday catcher somewhere, because they’re not that easy to find.
“But could it be one of the guys? Perhaps. But I also would look to see what other opportunities may be out there.”
Free agent and trade options
Ryan Jeffers is the best available catcher on a thin free-agent market this winter, but the 29-year-old Twins backstop would likely be looking for a starting job. He had a .256 average and .814 OPS in 92 games this season, missing some time with a fractured left hamate bone.
Austin Hedges might be more reasonable for the Phillies’ purposes. He hit .247 with a .702 OPS for the Guardians in 78 games in 2026, serving as Patrick Bailey’s backup in the second half. The right-handed hitting veteran has historically been considered a solid defensive catcher, but was inconsistent in 2026. He caught just 6.7% of base stealers this season, after throwing out 33.3% in 2025.
But signing Hedges, 34, might also leave the Phillies with a similar shopping list for the final year of Realmuto’s contract in 2028.
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To bring in youth, the Phillies might need to search the trade market. A team like the Cardinals, who have a wealth of catching depth, could be a fit. St. Louis has a tandem of Pedro Pagés and Iván Herrera (who also appears at designated hitter), and 22-year-old Leo Bernal is in contention to make the team in 2027.
The organization’s top overall prospect, Rainiel Rodriguez, also happens to be a catcher and hit .328 at double A this season.
With so much depth, the Cardinals might be willing to deal a catcher like 25-year-old Jimmy Crooks. The left-handed hitter batted .300 with a 1.006 OPS in triple A this season, but struggled in 52 major league games. He batted .179 and had a .591 OPS with the big-league club.
If the Phillies could meet the Cardinals’ price, a young player like Crooks could benefit from having more regular major league playing time, and from learning from a veteran like Realmuto.
Minor league depth
The Phillies’ internal options are limited. Paul McIntosh arrived to the Phillies organization as a secondary piece in their 2025 trade with the Marlins for Jesús Luzardo, and since then has been a depth piece.
McIntosh, 28, has yet to make his major league debut, but has been a nonroster invite to the last two spring trainings. In triple A in 2026, the righty hit .244 with a .753 OPS.
He makes solid contact, with a 43.5% hard-hit rate. But McIntosh had challenges defensively with stopping the running game, and had just a 15% caught stealing rate.
Caleb Ricketts split time with McIntosh at triple A until he was reassigned to double-A Reading in June after some early struggles at the plate.
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Ricketts, 26, saw his numbers improve with the Fightin’ Phils. The left-handed hitter batted .252 with 11 home runs in 54 double-A games. He also contributed to Reading’s Eastern League championship victory, hitting a go-ahead grand slam in the clinching game.
Kehden Hettiger is another double-A catcher, but the 22-year-old switch-hitter needs some more time to develop. He hit just .191 with a .665 OPS in 61 games for Reading, but is seeing better results in his current stint in the Arizona Fall League. With the Surprise Suguanos, Hettiger is batting .231 with a .710 OPS.
Hettiger has solid arm strength and caught 24% of potential base stealers in 2026.
Also on the farm
Catchers are underrepresented in the Phillies’ top 30 prospects, and their highest-ranked catching prospect, Alirio Ferrebus (No. 9), also sees time at first base.
Ferrebus has difficulty staying healthy, and various injuries have prevented him from playing more than 77 games in a season across his four-year professional career. Ferrebus, 21, finished 2026 on the 60-day injured list with an undisclosed injury, which he suffered shortly after a promotion to high-A Jersey Shore.
When he is healthy, though, Ferrebus is a bat-first catching prospect, who had a .310 batting average and .856 OPS across single A and high A in 2026. In 328 total plate appearances this year, the right-handed hitter had just a 13% strikeout rate.
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Anderson Araujo is ranked No. 29 in the Phillies system by MLBPipeline, the only other catcher to make the list. The 18-year-old right-handed hitter also had an abbreviated season due to injury, playing only 34 games for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Phillies.
Only four of those games were at catcher, with the rest of Araujo’s appearances coming at designated hitter. Still, he led the team with a .280 batting average, though he didn’t exhibit much power, with no home runs and five doubles.
Another catching prospect in the system is Will Vierling, who the Phillies selected out of Murray State in the 11th round of the 2025 draft. A left-handed hitter, Vierling is cousins with former Phillie Matt Vierling, and in his first full professional season hit .248 with a .741 OPS.
Vierling, 23, played 72 games for Clearwater in 2026, making 54 appearances behind the plate and also appearing at first base and designated hitter.
Tim Mayza was among the best, most under-the-radar Phillies stories this year. And he's coming back for more after signing a new contract last week. The Lancaster County native joined Phillies Extra, The Inquirer's baseball podcast, to discuss his solid season, building a culture in the bullpen, the origin of his "Sheriff" nickname, and more. Watch here.
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