Philadelphia Phillies: 3 affordable free agent catchers to “replace” JT
By David Esser
Austin Romine
2020 Team: Detroit Tigers
2020 Salary: $4.15 million
While the Philadelphia Phillies organization as a whole may be more familiar with Wilson Ramos, the team’s actual manager is more familiar with a different free agent catcher – Austin Romine.
Playing under Girardi with the Yankees between 2011 and 2017, Romine presents a sense of familiarity for the Phillies skipper in terms of calling games, and constructing lineups. Romine has never been the most productive of catchers (career OPS of .639), but he just recently had two solid seasons. Operating in a backup role, Romine recorded an OPS of .713 in 2018 and an OPS of .748 in 2019.
It’s nothing crazy, but it’s a step up from what Knapp will likely be able to provide in an everyday type role.
Similar to that of Ramos, Romine projects to receive a fairly small contract in free agency this winter. He just turned 32, and his 2020 campaign was one of the worst of his career. He’s more so looking for an opportunity, as opposed to hunting a pay check.
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With McCann now officially a New York Met, the free agent catcher market is pretty bare. It’ll be impossible for the Philadelphia Phillies to even come close to “replacing” JT Realmuto in 2021, but they have to add someone alongside Knapp. Hopefully the team is still in on bringing back their All-Star catcher, but their desire to shed salary remains a prominent issue.