Philadelphia Phillies acquire J.T. Realmuto from Miami Marlins

In an offseason where they have been in the middle of many rumors, the Philadelphia Phillies have reportedly landed J.T. Realmuto in a trade with the Miami Marlins.

According to reports, the Philadelphia Phillies have acquired All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto from the Miami Marlins for fellow catcher Jorge Alfaro, prospect pitchers Sixto Sanchez and Will Stewart and international signing money.

After months of rumors, Realmuto has been dealt. Teams had been calling the Marlins on the price of attaining Realmuto’s services all offseason, but the Phillies prevailed in the end.

This is a win-win for both teams. While some may speculate that the Phillies gave up too much, you have to give up talent in order to get talent back.

What are the Phillies getting?

Perhaps the best catcher in the MLB today. Realmuto is the real deal. The dynamic catcher can do it all: He plays good defense, runs well and he is a Silver Slugger winner. He is turning 28 years old in March, and he had his best season in 2018.

Last season, Realmuto was named to the All-Star team. He hit 30 doubles and had career-highs in home runs (21) and RBI (74). His slash line was .277/.340/.484 with an OPS of .825. His WAR was 4.3.

Now that the Phillies have traded for Realmuto, they can focus on trying to extend him. He has a salary of $5,900,00 for 2019, and he will be entering his third year of arbitration next offseason.

What are the Marlins getting?

According to Baseball America, Sanchez was the Phillies’ top prospect. MLB.com had him as the 27th overall prospect on their 2019 prospect watch list.

The hard throwing right-handed pitcher is 20 years old. In four seasons in the minor leagues, he has gone 15-12 with a 2.48 ERA in 221.1 innings pitched. He punched out 191 batters in that time, playing in the lower levels.

Last year, he pitched in the A+ level where he went 4-3 with a 2.51 ERA and 45 strikeouts over 46.2 innings. He is the headlining piece going to the Marlins.

Alfaro is a 25-year-old catcher who has played parts of three seasons in the majors. He is a steady bat who provides sustainable defense in the backstop. His arm is his greatest asset defensively.

In 143 games at the major league level, he has a slash line of .270/.327/.422 with an OPS of .749. In that time, he has hit 22 doubles, 15 home runs and 51 RBI. He’s a suitable major league starting catcher.

Stewart is a 21-year old left-handed pitcher. Since 2015, he has spent most of his time playing in rookie and low-A ball. Last year was his breakout season, as he went 8-1, had a 2.06 ERA in 20 starts. He pitched 113.2 innings with 90 strikeouts and 21 walks.

The Marlins walk away from this deal with Sanchez, a pitcher who oozes potential, Alfaro, a starting catcher with a bit of upside and a pitcher in Stewart who may be able to develop into a decent pitcher in the MLB one day. They picked up the international signing money, as well.

What’s next for the Phillies? Maybe they will shift focus to Bryce Harper or Manny Machado. Either way, this was a good trade for both sides and the Phillies got a prized player.