Attention shifts to J.T. Realmuto after Kyle Schwarber signing: ‘I’m hoping at the end of the day, he’s back in Philadelphia’

Kyle Schwarber was in and out of Philadelphia on Tuesday. He underwent a physical examination to dot the i’s and cross the t’s on a new five-year contract with the Phillies. Everything had to move fast. Schwarber’s wife Paige is due to give birth to the couple’s third child, a girl, in a matter of days. Ironically, Paige gave birth to the couple’s first child, Kade, the day Kyle agreed to his first deal with the Phillies in March of 2022. 

“Now, I will be here (in Ohio) to make sure whenever our little girl comes into the world that I will be here,” Schwarber said over Zoom on Wednesday afternoon. 

During his quick visit to Philly, Schwarber sent a few of his teammates text messages, including current free agent catcher J.T. Realmuto. Schwarber said that he tried to “coax” Realmuto into signing back.

But Schwarber knows that Realmuto doesn’t need a recruiting pitch. Realmuto has been the Phillies catcher for seven years. The Phillies want him back. They will put in a strong effort to retain him. 

“I’m hoping at the end of the day, he’s back in Philadelphia, but I know that there could be a lot of different circumstances that come in,” Schwarber said. 

Schwarber and Realmuto are veterans of free agency. Schwarber’s third time around brought him back to the place he wanted to be all along. After hitting 56 home runs in his walk year, Schwarber, over the next five years, will get a chance to chase individual glory (500 home runs?) and a second World Series ring.  

“There were a lot of things that stuck with us through our last four years in Philadelphia,” Schwarber said. 

The Phillies are hoping for a similar outcome with Realmuto, who is a free agent for the second time in his career. Philadelphia has an offer on the table for the veteran catcher, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. The ball is in his court, but Realmuto’s market should be strong with the lack of catching available on the market. 

“Selfishly, I think that we would all like to have J.T. back because we know what he brings to the table and how important he is to not just our clubhouse and the team, but what he means to Philadelphia, and how he’s carried himself, how he prepares and how he makes sure that he’s going to be available to catch as many games as he can,” Schwarber said. “Knowing that the catching position is such a demanding position and how he’s done it at such a high level for years, he should be highly sought after.” 

The Phillies got a big piece of business done in retaining Schwarber. A Realmuto deal could be next.