The epic saga of J.T. Realmuto finally came to a close today, as the Philadelphia Phillies acquired the backstop for three players and international signing money.
After over a year of rumors about his future, J.T. Realmuto finally has a new home, though it’s not one that really was rumored at all until the last week, as the Philadelphia Phillies stepped in and made a giant offer to snag the catcher.
Expressing his discontent with the moves the franchise made last offseason, many expected that Realmuto wouldn’t begin the 2018 season as a member of the Miami Marlins, but the team instead held onto him, reportedly entertaining trade offers throughout the season on him, coming close in July to moving him, but not pulling the trigger.
That set up the firestorm of rumors that became this offseason in Miami around the 28-year-old catcher coming off a career year where he hit .277/.340/.484 with 21 home runs, making his first All-Star team. At times, it seemed every player in the league was in on Realmuto, depending on which beat reporter you listened to.
Seemingly not finding the right deal for them, the Marlins finally pulled the trigger when the Phillies offered catcher Jorge Alfaro, pitching prospects Sixto Sanchez and Will Stewart, and a reported $250,000 in international spending bonus money.
Realmuto
Some have called Realmuto the best catcher in baseball, and by some measures in 2018, he was that, producing the top WAR among catchers, according to Fangraphs. He’s known for being an excellent gap hitter that makes consistent contact and shows impressive athleticism behind the plate.
While he had a brilliant 2018, there are shortfalls to Realmuto’s game. He does not walk a lot, especially for a guy that currently looks to sit in the middle of the Phillies lineup. He also is not well-regarded as a pitch framer, typically ranking roughly league-average.
Realmuto is under contract for $6 million for 2019 and has another year of arbitration that will likely end up in the $10-15 million range. Teams that wanted to have extension talks were told no by the Marlins, but it’s expected that Realmuto will ask for a deal that reaches Yasmani Grandal‘s annual salary for 2019 by the 2nd or 3rd year of any extension talks.
Now let’s take a look at the return for the Marlins, starting with the big piece they got back, Sixto Sanchez.