Philadelphia Phillies Fan Favorite Predicted to Become Offseason Departure

The Philadelphia Phillies will likely move on from one of their fan favorites this offseason.

Jul 21, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs (21) heads to the bullpen to warm up before playing the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

There's still a long way to go for the Philadelphia Phillies this season, but perhaps for the first time all year, it's starting to feel like this team might not be playing deep into the fall.

Maybe that's an overreaction coming out of this extended road trip, but the fact they have struggled so much following the All-Star break is concerning. They keep saying the right things, but there is real fear they won't be able to get everything fixed.

If that turns out to be the case, then the front office is going to have some tough decisions to make when it comes to how this roster is constructed.

Once looking like the most dominant offense in the sport, there are now clear issues throughout the lineup with Brandon Marsh struggling, Bryson Stott taking a major step back, Johan Rojas not consistently hitting, and J.T. Realmuto being hit-or-miss.

It was eye-opening to watch them compared to the Arizona Diamondbacks where everyone on their roster seemingly is able to hit.

With that in mind, Edward Eng of That Ball's Outta Here took a look at five players who might not be on the Phillies next year, and someone he highlighted was their fan favorite backup catcher.

"As one of the Phillies fan favorites, probably never in a thousand years would they want catcher Garrett Stubbs to leave the organization ... However, the Phillies' hand may be forced to do the unthinkable because they have the heir to the backup catcher role waiting in the wings," he writes.

The fun-loving clubhouse glue guy first came to Philadelphia ahead of the 2022 season in a trade with the Houston Astros. He's been a staple during their playoff runs the past two years, constantly providing the good vibes that have surrounded this team in the fall.

But unfortunately, the longer Garrett Stubbs has been with the team and the more he's had to play, his numbers continue to crater.

In 46 games with the Phillies in 2022, he looked like a solid backup to Realmuto, putting up a batting average of .264 to go along with five homers, 16 RBI and an incredible 129 OPS+ for what he was asked to do.

Since then, Stubbs has been brutal at the plate.

Last season, his batting average fell to .204 with an OPS+ of 53 across his 41 games, something that is 47 points below the league average. This year it's been even worse with a .191 batting average and 51 OPS+ in 44 contests.

Because of his issues on offense, and the fact that Philadelphia has Rafael Marchan waiting to take over, there is a chance that Stubbs could be on his way out of town.

He still has two more years club control before hitting free agency, so if they want to keep him around for clubhouse vibes, he wouldn't cost a whole lot, but he has to start performing at the plate or there might not be a place for him on this roster.