Washington Nationals: Should they include Victor Robles in a trade for J.T. Realmuto?
By Jason Evans
Should the Washington Nationals trade for J.T. Realmuto by using Victor Robles as the main trade chip?
The Washington Nationals are in a tricky spot. They currently sit at 48-48, 5.5 games out of the division and five games out of a Wild Card. They have Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy on expiring contracts. Anthony Rendon is a free agent after next season. They have a ton of money invested in Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg moving forward.
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One position they haven’t gotten a lot from is the catching position. Matt Wieters has only played in 28 games and has a .205 average with a .631 OPS. Pedro Severino was even worse in 65 games with a .171 average and a .510 OPS.
So what can they do? Well, the Washington Nationals can try and make a deal for Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto. The issue is, they will have to give up a top prospect in Victor Robles.
"The Nationals, who checked in with the Marlins several weeks back, have been looking to upgrade their catching situation as they struggle to play to expectations in the surprising NL East. Some think they might consider including top outfield prospect Victor Robles in a package for Realmuto. If true — and that’s unconfirmed— that might change the Marlins’ willingness to move the newly-minted All-Star backstop."
For the Washington Nationals, former catcher Wilson Ramos is on the DL so he isn’t able to be a target for them right now, someone they aren’t going to have to give up Robles for.
One thing that that Washington Nationals have is some outfield depth. If they lost Harper in free agency and used Robles as a trade chip, next year they would have Michael A. Taylor, Adam Eaton and Juan Soto in the outfield. Not a bad group if they are all healthy. They could also take money that they were going to use on Harper and spend it on someone else. Outfielders like Carlos Gonzalez, A.J. Pollock, Andrew McCutchen and Adam Jones will be free agents if they so chose.
With the emergence of Soto and the fact that Realmuto won’t be a free agent until after the 2020 season, they may have to roll that dice and include him or their other top prospect in Carter Kieboom.
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The Washington Nationals probably have to go all in this year. If they are still in contention as we reach the trade deadline, they should offer either top prospect for Realmuto and get that upgrade at catcher. The National League is wide open and if they stay close, especially if the Philadelphia Phillies or Atlanta Braves make upgrades (Manny Machado) then add Realmuto and go from there.