Phillies Sign Catcher Drew Butera, Check in On Realmuto

The Phillies added veteran backstop Wilson Ramos last season to complement catcher Jorge Alfaro, who remains the likely catcher of the future. But the Phillies keep pursuing options behind the plate. The Phillies signed one catcher, while they kicked the tires on the one frequently called the best catcher in the game.

The Phillies signed catcher Drew Butera to a minor league deal, reports Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. The veteran Butera has been in the majors since 2010, serving mostly as a backup catcher to the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals and Colorado Rockies. Butera backed up Salvador Perez on the 2015 World Champion Kansas City Royals.

While the Phillies have both Alfaro and Andrew Knapp behind the plate, the Phillies might be interested in a veteran catcher to mentor the younger Alfaro. The Phillies have not dipped too deep in the catching market thus far, which included Ramos, Yasmani Grandal, Matt Wieters and Brian McCann. But the Phillies have at least looked into the big fish on the market.

J.T. Realmuto:

Realmuto has been long rumored to be traded prior to the start of Spring Training, particularly after demanding a trade. Realmuto is one of the holdovers of the latest Marlins rebuild. Realmuto has two years of control remaining and several teams are interested. Pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater next week.

UPDATE: Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports suggests there might be a little more to it:

We surely will keep an eye on what transpires.