Not that things weren’t at least interesting during camp this year. Marchan hasn’t exactly hit well, going .250/.357/.292 in 24 plate appearances so far. It’s just that Stubbs hasn’t been all that much better (.286/.423/.381 in 21 plate appearances) that the team would risk losing Marchan on waivers. With the dearth of catching depth both in the Phillies organization and around the league at large, it would have taken something Herculean for Stubbs to leapfrog Marchan.
How this plays in the clubhouse is still going to be determined. Stubbs is popular there and with the coaches. He’s popular with the pitching staff. That popularity probably would have been something of a tiebreaker at one point, but the roster machinations of the team will have a stronger influence that what playlist Stubbs created this spring. He’ll be back up at some point, what with Realmuto getting a bit longer in the tooth and Marchan not exactly the picture of health over his career. For now, it’s a move that very much makes sense across the board.
It was a move that was long expected once the hourglass ran out on Rafael Marchan’s ability to be optioned to the minors.
It was a battle in the spring that wasn’t a battle. Once Garrett Stubbs re-signed with the Phillies on a split contract that allowed him to be sent to the minor leagues, it was written in the stars as to who would back up J.T. Realmuto on Opening Day.
The move was expected with Marchan being out of options.
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