November 04, 2026
Kate Frese/Kate Frese for PhillyVoice
Garrett Stubbs said goodbye on social media to the Phillies, who are making personnel changes this offseason.
There will either be a new "chief vibes officer" for the Phillies next season, or the job just won't be filled.
The post, held since 2022 by backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, is open after Stubbs confirmed on social media that he won't be back for a sixth season in South Philly.
Stubbs said goodbye to his former coaches, teammates and Phillies fans in only the way he could, with some cursing, some humor, some Philadelphia innuendo – using "ph" instead of "f" – and some memories of how his time in red pinstripes changed his life.
He reflected on being a Jewish kid from San Diego "who had no idea what to expect" when he arrived on the East Coast and expressed his appreciation for a city that "cares more about their sports teams than any other city in the world."
For those without Instagram, here is his full farewell statement (h/t Luke Arcaini from @crossingbroad):
Garrett Stubbs with a long goodbye to Philly.
— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) November 4, 2026
“We may not have always seen eye to eye, but I gave you everything I had. And for what it’s worth, boos and all, I loved every one of you crazy phuckers whether you liked me or not.” pic.twitter.com/isGImu8J7u
The Phillies are making changes at catcher this offseason and also plan to get more rest for veterans. Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations, said in his end-of-season press conference that J.T. Realmuto could play some first base in 2027 in his age 36 season to ease up on his body and take a break from the constant squatting behind home plate.
Realmuto finished 2026 with the worst slash line of his career at .205/.283.331. The Phillies will need more production from their backup catchers if Realmuto is going to rest more.
Stubbs was never much of a hitter, with a career slash line of .208/.284/.292 in his eight seasons, the first three with the Houston Astros. Their other backup backstop, Rafael Marchán, is another light hitter who's known more for his defense. Marchán batted under .100 last year in 34 games.
Stubbs was known as the guy who kept the clubhouse loose during the Phillies' surprising 2022 run to the World Series, where they lost in six games in Houston, but he ruffled some feathers the following postseason in the NLDS against the Diamondbacks when he joked to the media about a team dip in the outfield pool at Chase Field – home of the D'backs – if the Phillies clinched the series there.
At the time, the Phils held a 2-0 series lead. They lost each of the next two games in Phoenix and then lost the series in seven games.
For that, Stubbs caught some backlash from the fans, which he seemed to address in his farewell.
"We may not have always seen eye to eye," he wrote, "but I gave you everything I had."
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