PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies are scheduled to open Spring Training in just over a month, but they still need a catcher, a shortstop and a slew of relief pitchers.

The club could use some starters and outfielders, too.

A source confirmed an NBC Sports Philadelphia report that Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski met free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto shortly before Christmas in Oklahoma, where Realmuto lives in the offseason and where Dombrowski’s wife is from. The Phils remain in the mix for Realmuto, and seem more optimistic they can bring back the best catcher in baseball than they have in the past.

If Philadelphia falls short, the pickings behind the plate are slim.

The club still hopes to re-sign free-agent shortstop Didi Gregorius, although there are more suitable replacements if they do not, including free-agent shortstops Andrelton Simmons and Marcus Semien.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported this week that the Phillies have expressed interest in free-agent closer Alex Colomé, although the Phils likely need his price to drop. It did not help the club's case that Liam Hendriks agreed to a $54 million contract with the White Sox on Monday.