JT Realmuto Could Spurn Phillies for Head-Scratching Team

The Philadelphia Phillies have multiple of their own free agents they need to attend to this winter, and while Kyle Schwarber is the biggest name of the bunch, catcher J.T. Realmuto is also on the market.

Realmuto is expected to be a very popular option in free agency, and while the Phillies would surely like to retain him, they may not have the money to bring him back.

In fact, Ken Rosenthal and Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic have reported that a very odd team is interested in signing Realmuto: the Boston Red Sox.

"Acquiring another catcher is not among the Sox’s top priorities, or so it has seemed. But the Red Sox are showing interest in J.T. Realmuto, according to people briefed on their discussions," Rosenthal and McCaffrey wrote.

The Red Sox's apparent interest in Realmuto is weird considering that they already have Carlos Narvaez behind the plate, and both Realmuto and Narvaez are right-handed hitters.

Realmuto is being projected to land a contract in the neighborhood of three years and $45 million in free agency, and it would be strange for Boston to pay that much for a backup. But Rosenthal and McCaffrey listed some reasons why the 34-year-old might fit.

"As a right-handed hitter. As part of a tandem with catcher Carlos Narvaez, who declined offensively in the final four months as he played through a knee injury. And as a clubhouse leader who would provide a strong veteran presence to a young position-player group, ideally in tandem with Bregman," Rosenthal and McCaffrey wrote.

Realmuto slashed .257/.315/.384 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI over 550 plate appearances in 2025, with his .700 OPS marking his lowest output since his second big-league season in 2015.

The Del City, Ok. native spent the first six years of his major-league career with the Miami Marlins before being traded to the Phillies in 2019. He has been Philadelphia's starting catcher ever since, making a pair of All-Star teams while slashing .265/.328/.450.

Realmuto's bat is declining and he is no longer genuinely elite defensively, so the Phillies may choose to let him walk. But signing with the Red Sox would definitely be a rather peculiar move for the veteran backstop.