Washington Nationals: Finding options at catcher for the stretch run
By David Hill
Ever since the Miami Marlins began their fire sale, it seemed a matter of time until J.T. Realmuto found himself in a Washington Nationals uniform.
It is easy to see why he would be such a coveted player. After two strong seasons, Realmuto has had a true breakout performance with the bat in 2018. Heading into Sunday’s action, he has produced a .306/.364/.543 batting line, with ten homers and 19 doubles. He has also been solid defensively, ranking third in the NL with a 40.7% caught stealing rate and three runs saved thus far.
The biggest obstacle is that the Marlins, understandably, covet Realmuto. Even though they are going through a painful rebuild, they look at their young catcher as one of their key building blocks. It will take quite the offer for the Nationals to land the 27 year old backstop.
And yet, such a move may be worth it. Not only would Washington get the best catcher hypothetically available on the trade market, but they would have a long term piece for the lineup. Realmuto is under team control through 2021, and would give the Nationals another solid player to build their core around.
Every team that needs catching help will be checking in on J.T. Realmuto. Even with the heavy cost it would take to pry him from the Marlins, he would be worth it.