What is most concerning about him, however, is that he only participated in 99 games last season.

His injury issues could potentially worsen as he ages.

There could be a case for exiting the final year of his contract before it's too late, while exploring other options at catcher.

The issue is that the alternatives may not be better.

Despite appearing in just 99 games, Realmuto still ranked in the top-15 for catchers with 2.0 fWAR. None of the players ranked above him are expected to be available for trade.

Garrett Stubbs is the only other catcher on the roster, and he posted just a .207/.296/.262 slash line last season. Their top catching prospect, Eduardo Tait, is still a few years away from being ready.

This leaves Philadelphia with the options of signing a free agent or trading for a player and hoping they can perform adequately in Realmuto's absence.

The best candidate among these options would likely be former Colorado Rockies All-Star and San Diego Padres catcher Elias Diaz.

Diaz, now a free agent, has recorded a .266/.315/.298 slash line over the past two seasons. This wouldn't be a significant decline if he can maintain that level of performance.

Unless they find a great deal, however, retaining Realmuto is worth the risk.