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Phillies trade rumors: J.T. Realmuto deal possible, but “a longshot”

By John Town

TOKYO, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 10: Catcher J.T. Realmuto #11 of the Miami Marlins hits a three-run home run in the bottom of 8th inning during the game two of the Japan and MLB All Stars at Tokyo Dome on November 10, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 10: Catcher J.T. Realmuto #11 of the Miami Marlins hits a three-run home run in the bottom of 8th inning during the game two of the Japan and MLB All Stars at Tokyo Dome on November 10, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images) /
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The Phillies have inquired about a possible trade for Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto, but they remain a longshot to actually acquire him.

The Marlins made it their priority last offseason to trade away anything not nailed down to the floor as new ownership took over. They did just that, sending away Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, and Marcell Ozuna. They have one more asset left to trade, catcher J.T. Realmuto, and the Phillies are interested.

Craig Mish of Sirius XM reported that Philadelphia has indeed inquired about a trade for Realmuto. However, he notes that they remain longshots to acquire the young backstop as there are other teams interested in Realmuto.

Andy Martino of SNY reported that the Mets are still looking into a potential trade for Realmuto. After pulling off a blockbuster with the Mariners, new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen is still looking to make another splash. Mish stated that a trade to an NL East team is quite possible given New York and Philadelphia’s interest.

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Just because the Marlins are in sell-off mode doesn’t mean Realmuto will come cheap. Realmuto still has two more years before he hits free agency, keeping his cost low in the short-term. Plus, it will likely take a little more for Miami to trade Realmuto to another NL East team, especially after seeing another former player in Yelich win the NL MVP award.

Similarly, Philadelphia would be hesitant to trade their top young talent to the Marlins in the event that they turn into strong players in Miami for years to come. That disconnect is what could keep the two sides from coming together on a deal.

Realmuto’s price is also driven up as he is coming off a career year. He earned his first All-Star appearance and the Silver Slugger award after finishing the season with a .277/.340/.484 line, 131 OPS+, 21 home runs, and 74 runs batted in. Realmuto finished the season with 4.8 Fangraphs wins above replacement, the most among all catchers and 27th-most in the league.

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If the Phillies were able to put together a deal for Realmuto, the team would get another boost to their lineup after acquiring Jean Segura earlier this week. Given a lot of factors around the trade, don’t hold your breath for Realmuto to become a Phillie.

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