All-Star Realmuto traded to Phillies
Marlins decide to deal veteran catcher for highly-touted pitching prospect, 2 other players
After months of speculation and trade rumors, what seemed like an inevitability has finally come to fruition — the Miami Marlins traded J.T. Realmuto.
Less than a week before spring training begins, Miami dealt the All-Star catcher to the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday. In return, the Marlins will receive highlytouted pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez, catcher Jorge Alfaro, pitcher Will Stewart and international bonus pool money.
“We never really lowered in our minds what we thought was fair value for J.T.,” Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said on a conference call with the media. Hill added there were “a number of suitors” in the mix for Realmuto.
“Ultimately as the talks intensified with Philadelphia, we saw the opportunity to turn two years of control in Realmuto into 17 years of control when you think of the five years of Jorge Alfaro and the two front-line starting pitchers. And on top of that we added to international bonus pool — an area we will continue to focus on and add talent to our organization.”
A 20-year-old right-hander, Sanchez was the Phillies’ top-rated prospect and the 21st prospect overall in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. Sanchez spent last season
in High-A Clearwater, posting a 2.51 ERA, .224 opposing batting average, while notching 45 strikeouts to 11 walks. Sanchez utilizes an exceptional fastball, which Hill said clocks at 100 MPH.
“We saw a front-of-therotation starter,” Hill said of Sanchez. “Electric stuff, three-pitch mix. [He’s] a pitcher we think can develop and lead a championship rotation.”
The 27-year-old Realmuto was coming off his best season, hitting .277/.340/.484 with 30 doubles, a career-high 21 home runs and 74 RBI in 125 games. In addition to earning All-Star honors for the first time, he nabbed a Silver Slugger Award.
While Realmuto has two years left on his contract, a divorce between him and the Marlins seemed inescapable. Miami reportedly engaged in trade talks with the Washington Nationals for Realmuto before the July 31 deadline last season, but those discussions didn’t produce a deal.
With the Marlins coming off a 98-loss season and still seemingly a couple of years away from playoff contention, Realmuto’s agent, Jeff Berry of CAA, said in October the catcher wouldn’t sign an extension with the Marlins.
Realmuto will make $5.9 million next season after agreeing to settlement terms with Miami before the Jan. 11 arbitration deadline.
With Realmuto gone, Alfaro will likely become the Marlins starting catcher. The 25-year old hit .262/.324./.407 with 10 home runs and 16 doubles in 108 games. Miami still has backups Chad Wallach and Bryan Holaday as options for 2019 as well.
Will Banfield — the Marlins’ Competitive Balance Round B selection in June — is considered the team’s catcher of the future, but at 19, he’s likely a few years away from contributing in the majors.
A 21-year-old left-hander, Stewart pitched for Low-A Lakewood last year, posting a 2.06 ERA and .218 opposing batting average in 20 starts. He compiled 90 strikeouts against 21 walks. Hill said the lefty has hit 95 MPH with his fastball and shown the ability to command the strike zone with his breaking ball and change-up as well.
“We see an aggressive, young starting pitcher who commands the strike zone, commands his three pitches, works fast, great tempo, greet feel for pitching,” Hill said. “Those qualities in our evaluation allow him to project as a future front-of-therotation starter.”
The longest-tenured Marlins player, Realmuto had spent his entire career in the Miami organization. Selected out of Midwest City, Oklahoma in the third round of the 2010 draft, Realmuto made his MLB debut on June 1, 2014. He spent the next four seasons as the team’s starter, blossoming into arguably the game’s best catcher.
Last season, he led all catchers in WAR with an average of 4.8. The figure was significantly higher than the second-rated catcher (3.7) and third (2.8). In addition to his hitting prowess, he was strong behind the plate, throwing out 38 percent of base runners. Realmuto also provided the team with strong, veteran leadership, guiding the Marlins young pitching staff, which finished last season with three rookies in the starting rotation.
In 540 career games with the Marlins, Realmuto slashed .279/.327/.442/ with 114 doubles, 16 triples, 59 home runs and 243 RBI.