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Phillies rumors: Team acquires All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto

By John Town

TOKYO, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 11: Deesignated hitter J.T. Realmuto #11 of the Miami Marlins hits a solo home run in the top of 4th inning during the game three of Japan and MLB All Stars at Tokyo Dome on November 11, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 11: Deesignated hitter J.T. Realmuto #11 of the Miami Marlins hits a solo home run in the top of 4th inning during the game three of Japan and MLB All Stars at Tokyo Dome on November 11, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images) /
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The Phillies have acquired All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto from the Marlins in exchange for Sixto Sanchez, Jorge Alfaro, Will Stewart, and slot money.

The Phillies have acquired all-star catcher J.T. Realmuto in exchange for top prospect Sixto Sanchez, catcher Jorge Alfaro, minor league pitcher Will Stewart, and international slot money.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic was first to report the deal was final, and multiple media outlets have confirmed the deal is complete, including Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic.

Realmuto turns 28 in March and is under team control for two seasons. He will earn $5.9 million this season and will hit free agency after the 2020 season. He is a huge bargain given his salary.

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The Phillies were able to keep several of their top prospects to get the deal done with Miami, holding onto big names like Adonis Medina, Alec Bohm, Adam Haseley, and former number one overall pick Mickey Moniak. The Marlins were pushing to add one of those few to the deal, but it the combination of Stewart and slot money must have been an equal value for Miami.

Realmuto slots right into the middle of the lineup as an impact bat who is coming off a 21 home run season for a bad Miami team. Two years ago he hit .303 and his 21 home runs last year were a career-high. His away numbers were much better in 2018, indicating his offense should improve by leaving Miami.

There have also been reports that free agent superstar outfielder Bryce Harper likes Realmuto a lot. This move could be viewed in several ways for the club. One is that they don’t think they can get Harper or Manny Machado and that Realmuto is the shiny superstar to show the fans that the front office did a good job.

Another way to view it is that Realmuto will attract Harper and Machado to come to Philadelphia. It’s another sign the Phillies are ready to win right now, unlike the White Sox.

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Trading Realmuto did come at a notable cost. They had to give up their golden goose in Sanchez, a potential frontline starter. Alfaro also has considerable potential, but it’s unlikely he develops into the kind of catcher Realmuto is.

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