This is a companion piece to our 2025 Dynasty League Rankings. The opinions below are my own and do not reflect the TDG consensus.

When looking at catchers to avoid heading into 2025, I honestly had a harder time identifying candidates at this position. The catcher position seems deeper than ever heading into 2025, and there’s a lot to like up and down our rankings. Also, when talking about “avoiding” players, what I’m really focusing on is the cost to acquire the player compared to similarly ranked players at the position while considering their future outlook. Two of the primary variables I consider when evaluating a player compared to their similarly ranked peers are age and playing time outlook. While I’m sure J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Teel will be happy to prove me wrong, Realmuto’s age and Teel’s move to the south side of Chicago put them on my list of catchers to avoid in 2025.

J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies (AGE: 34, RANK: 16)

It’s no secret that J.T. Realmuto has been a top catcher in baseball, both on the field and for fantasy teams, for a decade now. After moving from the Marlins to the Phillies before the 2019 season, Realmuto decided to make Philadelphia his long-term home, signing a 5 year, $115.5 million contract, and I think it’s safe to say he’s justified the investment and then some. He’s been a stalwart behind the plate for the Phillies while providing 5 category contributions for fantasy managers year in and year out. So why am I avoiding him? Well, the simple answer is that Father Time catches up to us all, and there are enough signs that Realmuto’s best days are behind him.

If we look at the last three seasons from 2022 through 2024, Realmuto has seen a reduction in plate appearances year over year, going from 562 in 2022, to 540 in 2023, to just 413 last year as he managed to play in only 99 games while battling right knee injuries that ultimately required surgery in June. The knee issues, coupled with the fact that he turns 34 just before the start of the season, should make dynasty managers cautious about projecting Realmuto for many stolen bases, which does limit his fantasy upside. Realmuto’s power stayed consistent in 2024 when projected over a full season, but there have been reports that manager Rob Thompson plans to decrease Realmuto’s workload in 2025. This makes Realmuto an intriguing option in daily fantasy leagues where you can maximize his contributions on a per-plate-appearance basis, but it makes him tough to rely on as a top catcher in a weekly lineup format. If you couple all of this with the fact that there are plenty of young catchers to take a shot on in 2025, it makes a veteran presence like Realmuto feel less appealing.

Kyle Teel, Chicago White Sox (AGE: 23, RANK: 19)

Kyle Teel was a part of the “big 4” of the Red Sox farm system in 2024, and he spent much of the season justifying his inclusion in a group that includes fellow top prospects Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell. Teel mastered Double-A Portland over 84 games, hitting .298 with 11 home runs, and adding 9 stolen bases, before getting his first taste of Triple-A Worcester to round out a successful campaign. It seemed all but certain that Teel would be the catcher of the future for the Red Sox before becoming the centerpiece in the trade that brought White Sox breakout pitcher Garret Crochet to Boston. Often when a player gets traded from a more competitive team to one deep in a rebuild it gives them an easier path to major league playing time. Teel had the unfortunate fate of being dealt to a team that already has another top catching prospect in Edgar Quero. For MLB teams, there’s no such thing as having too many catchers, but for fantasy purposes it appears Teel’s best outcome now is a timeshare with Quero in the majors when they are both ready. In this way Teel, like Realmuto, may be a more valuable contributor in daily roster formats when he’s in the big leagues, and it remains to be seen how the White Sox maximize both capable bats into their lineup in the years to come. But for the time being, some of the shine has worn off of Teel’s fantasy outlook, and I am avoiding him going into 2025.

(David Gofman)