By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia Phillies clearly are committed to maximizing the production of its 25-man roster, even the catcher position to complement the already-existing Jorge Alfaro.
While Wilson Ramos — whom the club acquired last season — remains available, the Phillies are reportedly not considering to re-sign the veteran catcher, amid their explorations to upgrade the position.
Wilson Ramos catching Zach Eflin’s warmup pitches prior to tonight’s game #Phillies.
🎥: @mattrappasports pic.twitter.com/BgyndVKWkH
— Philliedelphia (@Philliedelphia) September 19, 2018
One catcher the Phillies "kicked the tires" and "sniffed around a little bit" on this offseason, per NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury on the At The Yard podcast, was seven-time All-Star, six-time SIvler Slugger Award winner and 2017 World Series champion, Brian McCann. The 34-year-old, however, went on to sign a one-year, $2 million contract with the Atlanta Braves on Nov. 26.
Salisbury believes the Phillies are not "actively pursuing" Ramos:
"He's over 30 now, and I think there's a lot of questions about whether or not he can stay on the field — his health. I think that's a big concern. He's obviously a good hitter, good player, but I don't get the impression that [the Phillies are] on him.
Salisbury added that he thinks the Phillies "want to see Alfaro play," and that they would be more inclined to pursue a backup catcher.
"I think Ramos would probably want to play more than a backup," he said.
Ramos, 31, slashed .337/.396/.879 with eight doubles, one home run and 17 RBI in 33 games with the Phillies last season, but missed before and during he was acquired due to various injuries. And while McCann signed with the Braves, the Phillies are said to be "still in" on trade discussions with the Miami Marlins for J.T. Realmuto, joining the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Braves, and Tampa Bay Rays.
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Realmuto, 27, played with Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins last month at the Japan All-Star Series. The Oklahoma native is in the second year of arbitration eligibility, and cannot become a free agent until 2021.
The 2018 All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner, if acquired, would surely make the Phillies less inclined to want to see Alfaro, even though he was part of the trade package from the Texas Rangers in exchange for Cole Hamels and Jake Diekman.
McCann and Ramos would not have had the same effect as would adding Realmuto to the backstop mix. Nonetheless, the Phillies will stil lpay close attention to Alfaro in 2019, regardless the amount of games he plays or who the second catcher on the 25-man roster will be.
