📰 NEWS FLASH: Phillies may shock fans with a wild pivot toward acquiring a promising White Sox catcher in a radical offseason twist ⚡.DD
It would be a drastic change.
One position the Philadelphia Phillies need to address this offseason is catcher. J.T. Realmuto is a free agent, and while the club would like to re-sign him, there is a concern that they won’t.
If Realmuto does not re-sign, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will need to either sign another catcher in free agency (the pickings are slim) or make a trade to acquire one. Between his two options, it’s more likely that Dombrowski will try to acquire a catcher via trade.
One option would be making a deal for young Chicago White Sox catcher Edgar Quero.
Trade candidate Edgar Quero could be Phillies’ solution if J.T. Realmuto doesn’t re-sign
Quero has been mentioned in trade rumors this offseason. According to Cuban baseball reporter Francys Romero, multiple clubs are interested in acquiring the 22-year-old Quero. Chicago will demand a high price in return for the young catcher.
Quero played in 111 contests in his debut season this year, slashing .268/.333/.356, with a .689 OPS, 36 RBIs, 17 doubles, and five home runs. White Sox manager Will Venable praised the young backstop during his rookie season, as reported in August by the Chicago Sun-Times’ Mike DiGiovanna.
‘‘He’s continuing to take good swings, to be on time, to get to some heaters,’’ Venable said, per DiGiovanna. ‘‘Behind the plate, one of the things that stands out is his relationship with pitchers. Guys like throwing to him, the way he navigates games.”
“There’s some work to do with framing and blocking,” Venable added. “His arm strength isn’t off the charts, but he gets rid of the ball extremely well and he’s got a good feel for the running game. So a lot of good stuff from Edgar.’’
The Phillies may be a suitor for Quero, but they do not have one of the better prospect systems. They aren’t going to trade any of their top three-ranked young players, Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller, or Justin Crawford.
There’s even less of a guarantee that any of their other remaining top-ranked prospects, such as Gage Wood, Aroon Escobar, Dante Nori, Gabriel Rincones Jr., or Jean Cabrera, and rumored trade candidates such as Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh or Johan Rojas would garner enough interest for the White Sox to consider parting with one of their former top-ranked young players in Quero.
If Realmuto were not to return to Philadelphia and they were to acquire Quero, the addition would be quite a pivot, from starting an experienced catcher in Realmuto since 2019 to an up-and-coming talent. There would understandably be a setback at the position since the native of Cienfuegos, Cuba, is entering only his second MLB season in 2026. The Phillies and the fan base would need to be patient with him as he continues to gain more experience at the major league level.
Even if Realmuto returns on a new contract, the organization will need to find a new replacement at some point over the coming seasons. The veteran backstop will turn 35 by the start of the 2026 regular season and likely only has a few more years remaining as a starting catcher.
Chicago reliever Jonathan Cannon, who was with the White Sox’s Double-A Birmingham Barons in 2023, where Quero reported after Chicago acquired him in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels, mentioned Quero’s rapid development now that both are in the majors.
“I was at Double-A when he got traded here, and to see his development from then to now is crazy,’’ Cannon said, per DiGiovanna. ‘‘He’s not the same catcher now that I threw to a couple of years ago.’’
What is different about Quero now compared to when he was with the Barons?
“Just his feel for the game,’’ Cannon said. ‘‘Like using your eyes sometimes to read swings, trying to figure out what hitters are trying to do, just the baseball IQ. … He acts like he’s been there before.’’
“If you ask all of the pitchers on our staff, they’d say he doesn’t catch like a 22-year-old,’’ Cannon added, per DiGiovanna. ‘‘He has a stoic demeanor behind the plate. He’s calming, and the way he goes about the game is pretty rare for someone his age.”
From Venable and Cannon’s comments, it is understandable why Quero has plenty of trade suitors and why the White Sox would want a lot in a deal. The Phillies would be receiving a talented young backstop who could potentially be a part of their next generation of young stars, along with Painter, Miller, and Crawford.
