What the JT Realmuto Trade Means for the Marlins
February 9, 2019
Since the Miami Marlins rebranded their franchise in 2012, eight Marlins players have been selected to the All Star game. This past Thursday, the Marlins lost the last of these players as they dive deeper into rebuilding.
The Marlins traded catcher JT Realmuto to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for catcher Jorge Alfaro and minor league pitchers Sixto Sánchez and Will Stewart, as well as $250,000 in international bonus slot money. Realmuto’s time in Miami lasted longer than expected, as Realmuto has requested a trade several times, the first request coming in late 2017 after the Marlins traded away almost all of their star players. Realmuto was the last elite player in Miami after the Marlins infamous 2017-18 offseason and was named to his first All Star game the following season. After signing a $5.9 million contract to stay with the Marlins this past January, it appears Realmuto is finally getting his trade requests granted.
In the 2018 season, Realmuto led the Marlins in home runs, slugging percentage and runs batted in, while also rounding out the team’s top three in hits, batting average and on-base percentage. The Marlins finished with the worst record in the National League and the fourth worst record in the entire MLB, finishing at 63-98. This season just added on to the misery of Marlins fans, as it has now been 16 years since the Marlins last made the playoffs.
Although the Marlins will receive Alfaro to likely fill Realmuto’s spot at catcher in the rotation, the focal point of this trade for the organization will be the two prospects acquired in the trade, Sánchez and Stewart. Sánchez was ranked the 13th best prospect in baseball during the 2018 season by Baseball America. Most of the Marlins trades involving their star players have included numerous young prospects in the return packages. Realmuto will help Philadelphia contend for their first playoff appearance since 2011, while the Marlins will continue to develop their young prospects in the hopes that they will develop into stars in a few years.