It's the blockbuster news that has captured the attention of the baseball world. On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Phillies announced that Kyle Schwarber agreed to a $150 million, five-year reunion deal.
This past year, Schwarber put up MVP-like numbers. Altogether, he batted .240 with 56 home runs, 132 RBIs, and 145 hits. Ultimately, Schwarber finished second in the MVP voting behind Shohei Ohtani, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.
In the process, the Phillies won the NL East before losing to the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.
Now that the Phillies have taken care of that, there is one other crucial move they must make. That is to retain the services of catcher J.T. Realmuto. Currently, Realmuto is a free agent after his five-year contract with Philadelphia expired.
Recently, the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers have been eyeing Realmuto. He batted .257, had 12 home runs, 57 RBIs, and 129 hits. Even though his batting average dropped, Realmuto remains a high-quality catcher.
As a result, he has high value. Furthermore, Philadelphia has very few current players to replace him if he leaves. The two remaining backup catchers are Rafael Marchán and Garrett Stubbs.
All in all, it is in Philadelphia's best interest to ensure that Realmuto stays.
The reasons why the Phillies need to keep J.T. Realmuto
There are myriad factors to explain why it is in Philadelphia's best interest to have Realmuto behind the plate. For starters, he is one of the best pitch-calling catchers in the game. He is also one of the best at controlling the game.
Plus, Realmuto has obvious postseason experience and complements the likes of Schwarber well in terms of plate and clubhouse presence.
Then, from a macro standpoint, there aren't that many catchers of his caliber on the market to replace him with. Those factors combined, and there is a good reason for the city of brotherly love to show Realmuto some love.
