Sports Media

Phillies Acquire Catcher J.T. Realmuto For Multiple Prospects

Trey Daubert / MLB / February 7, 2019

Finally. Thank god. J.T. Realmuto has finally been traded. I have been sick and tired of hearing his name floated in trade rumors. Realmuto finally found a home. The Marlins will send their catcher to the Phillies in exchange for Sixto Sanchez, Jorge Alfaro, and two other prospects.

#Phillies #Marlins deal agreed upon. 4 players going to #Marlins including Sanchez and Alfaro in return for Realmuto.
— Jim Bowden⚾️🏈 (@JimBowdenGM) February 7, 2019

I can’t believe the Phillies did this. Forget about the ‘Stupid Money’ comment. Pouring Sixto Sanchez into this deal is a wild move. Sanchez is the Phillies number one prospect and has superstar potential. He’s one of the best prospects in the sports with filthy stuff. Someone who I have heard nothing but amazing things at every turn. That seems like way too high of a price to pay for a catcher.

Speaking of catchers, the Phillies gave up their big league catcher in this trade. I’m not sure that he’s not better than J.T. Realmuto anyway. Alfaro, 25, hit .262/.324/.407 in 2018. Alfaro was a 1.2 WAR player. Compare that to Realmuto, 27, hit .277/.340/.484. Realmuto also hit 21 home runs compared to Alfaro’s 10. However, Realmuto comes with just 2 more years of control. Alfaro won’t become a free agent until 2025 and has plenty of room to grow.

That’s Some Cheese – Episode 19 – 4.6.18

I hate this deal for the Phillies. Realmuto is regarded as an average pitch framer which is the most important trait for a catcher. This is about adding offense. That’s it. It was also later reported that International signing bonus money will also head to Miami. This is a big time overpay especially if Sanchez pops as a prospect.

The Phillies have been uber aggressive this offseason. They have now added Andrew McCutchen, David Robertson, and Jean Segura. They also are in the mix for Bryce Harper and or Manny Machado. Are the Phillies the favorites in the NL East? They better be or they wouldn’t have made this trade for Realmuto.