Phillies urged to move on from $1.1 million six-year veteran

The Philadelphia Phillies aren't in the position they hoped to be right now.

Philadelphia was knocked out of the playoffs by the surprising New York Mets despite racking up 95 wins in the regular season. The Phillies had six more wins than the National League East rival Mets, and yet they fell in the postseason.

The Phillies now need to reevaluate the organization and find ways to improve around the edges. The Phillies have stars in place, but they need to add more depth throughout the organization if they want to get over the hump in 2025.

Because of this, FanSided's Zachary Rotman urged the Phillies to move on from veteran backup catcher Garrett Stubbs this winter.

"One thing that feels abundantly clear now is that J.T. Realmuto is not the player he once was," Rotman said, "He's still among the best catchers in the league, but he's not the best. He's declining, and that trend should only continue due to the fact that he'll be 34 years old by Opening Day. He was decent when healthy but was limited to just 99 games due to injury and really struggled in October, going hitless in their four games.

"Realmuto should still be the team's starter, but he should not be relied on to give 130+ games of elite production as he had for so many years. With that in mind, getting a solid backup is important. Garrett Stubbs is a great clubhouse guy and has had some fun moments in his time with the Phillies, but he's also far from impressive as a hitter. We saw that very clearly when he attempted to step in as their No. 1 catcher when Realmuto was injured...They'll miss him in the clubhouse, but even if it's Rafael Marchan, the Phillies would benefit by adding a better backup catcher."

Could a change be coming? Rotman seems to think so, and he's right. Philadelphia should look in free agency for a way to bolster the catcher position.

More MLB: Phillies predicted to part ways with projected $4 million veteran