Mar 14, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs (21) celebrates after scoring a run against the New York Yankees in the second inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
It looks like Garrett Stubbs will remain with the Phillies in 2026.
According to a report from Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies are in agreement with Stubbs on a split contract ahead of the tender deadline.
A split contract means Stubbs will make $925,000 in 2026 if he's on the major league roster and $575,000 if he's in the minors.
This is an interesting decision for the Phillies, as Stubbs is out of minor league options. So is Rafael Marchán, so if the Phillies re-sign J.T. Realmuto, the duo will duel it out in Spring Training once again.
It's also possible the Phillies signed Stubbs to this contract as insurance in case they don't sign Realmuto, as the organization is lacking catching depth that could wear a Big League uniform. That's not to say that they would go with a tandem of Marchán and Stubbs, but most teams like to have a third catcher who is Major League caliber to fill in in case of injury.
On top of that Stubbs, 32, is well-liked and respected in the organization both in game-planning and also in working with pitchers. He was rewarded with a callup in September for his work all season in Triple-A with both Mick Abel, before he was traded, and Andrew Painter, among others.
Still, whichever one of Stubbs and Marchán the Phillies would want to send down would have to clear waivers to go back to the minors.
Stubbs had a solid offensive season with Lehigh Valley, slashing .265/.352/.402 for a .754 OPS. He hit eight homers and had 50 RBIs.
Marchán and the Phillies also agreed to terms on a contract for the 2026 season, ensuring he remains in the organization alongside Stubbs.
The Phillies announced that they tendered contracts to all seven of their arbitration-eligible players: infielders Alec Bohm, Edmundo Sosa and Bryson Stott, outfielder Brandon Marsh, right-handed pitcher Jhoan Duran, and left-handed pitchers Tanner Banks and Jesús Luzardo.
None of those names are exactly a surprise. Due to his lofty projected 2026 salary of $10.3 million, Bohm was the only member of that list that had real potential to be non-tendered. Bohm, 29, is now in his final year of arbitration eligibility, and even though he was tendered a contract, he will not be exempt from the Phillies including him in trade talks.
Sosa and Luzardo are also in their last year of arbitration eligibility. Dave Dombrowski has expressed serious interest in offering Luzardo an extension to keep him in red pinstripes for years to come.
Marsh, Stott and Duran all have one year left of arbitration eligibility after 2026. Banks has two years left after 2026.
The Phillies did not tender contracts to right-handed pitchers Michael Mercado and Daniel Robert, both of whom are pre-arbitration eligible. Those moves bring the Phillies' 40-man roster down to 32 players.
Also, the Phillies claimed outfielder Pedro Leon off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles.
Leon, 27, has just 21 career plate appearances in the majors (all with Houston in 2024). He was claimed off waivers from the Astros by Baltimore two weeks ago before being waived by the O's on Thursday.
In other news from around the league, Adolis García was notably non-tendered by the Texas Rangers. García was a 2023 postseason hero; his eight home runs and 22 RBIs led the Rangers to their first franchise World Series victory. However, his production fell off a cliff after that; he posted a .684 OPS in 2024, and it worsened to .665 in 2025. Still, García is a right-handed outfielder with pop in his bat. That fits the Phillies' bill.
