2:15pm: The Phillies have announced the trade, acquiring Realmuto in exchange for Alfaro, Sanchez, Stewart and international funds. It seems, then, that the bonus money was the fourth component of the deal, rather than an additional minor league talent.
1:30pm: One of the winter’s biggest storylines has finally drawn to a close, as the Phillies and Marlins have agreed to a deal that will send star catcher J.T. Realmuto to Philadelphia, according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic (Twitter links). A four-player package will go to Miami in return, headlined by young backstop Jorge Alfaro and top pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez. Southpaw Will Stewart is one of the other pieces in the deal. The Marlins also acquire an international signing slot worth $250K, per ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan and the New York Post’s Joel Sherman (Twitter links).
The course of negotiations surrounding Realmuto took many twists and turns. At various times, it seemed he’d end up at a variety of different teams, with the Dodgers, Padres, Reds, Braves and Astros all rumored to be involved to varying extents. Ultimately, the Phillies emerged late as the winning suitor, with their willingness to include Sanchez, one of the game’s top-ranked pitching prospects, seemingly pushing things over the finish line.
With the move, the Phils will add two seasons of Realmuto, a player who has established himself as the game’s best backstop. He’s earning just $5.9MM in 2019 with one more season of arbitration eligibility still remaining. It’s certainly possible that the Phils will pursue extension talks with the 27-year-old, though there is no indication that the possibility of a long-term contract is an element of today’s transaction.
Some may wonder whether this represents an alternative to the Phils’ longstanding pursuit of top free agents Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. Odds are, it only enhances the odds of such a major outlay. Parting with the years of cheap control over Alfaro and the upside of the two pitchers clearly positions the Phillies as a win-now club. And Realmuto is an affordable piece who won’t remotely clog the still-wide-open current and future Philadelphia balance sheets. His addition only further underscores the Phillies’ desire to win, which one would figure to be an appealing trait for either Machado or Harper. Of course, both are still expected to go to the highest bidder, but Philadelphia’s aggressive commitment to winning this offseason could be a tipping point in its favor should either top free agent be weighing similar offers from the Phillies and another suitor.
Future maneuverings aside, Realmuto himself provides a significant boost to the Phillies’ 2019 playoff chances. The 27-year-old missed the first few weeks of the 2018 campaign due to a minor back injury but came storming back with a terrific .277/.340/.484 batting line, 21 home runs, 30 doubles and three triples in 531 plate appearances. Realmuto’s OPS+ (which is adjusted for home park and league) checked in at 139 — effectively indicating that he was 39 percent better than a league-average hitter. That’s all the more impressive when considering that catchers, on the whole, were about 10 to 15 percent less effective than a league-average bat. Put simply — there are few, if any catchers in baseball who could upgrade a lineup more than Realmuto.
Defensively speaking, Realmuto is solid across the board. He’s thrown out would-be base thieves at a 35 percent clip across the past three seasons and has turned in average or better pitch-blocking marks, per Baseball Prospectus, throughout his career. While Realmuto’s framing efforts graded out poorly early in his big league tenure, he drew above-average marks in 2017 and average marks last season, so the Phillies can likely expect at least average output in that regard. Realmuto isn’t the framer that Alfaro was in 2018, but he’s a better blocker, and it’s not unreasonable to think that he could be a three- or four-win upgrade over Alfaro on his own.
As one would expect for a player of Realmuto’s caliber, the cost of acquisition was hardly cheap. Alfaro will step directly into the Marlins’ lineup as the team’s primary new backstop. While his bat is a work in progress, his framing in 2018 was excellent, and scouting reports on him as a prospect often pegged him with an 80-grade arm (top of the 20-80 scale).
Alfaro hit .262/.324/.407 with 10 homers in 377 PAs last season, but there’s reason to doubt his ability to replicate that output. Specifically, Alfaro whiffed in 36.6 percent of his plate appearances and benefited from an eye-popping (and clearly unsustainable) .406 average on balls in play. The 25-year-old will need to improve on his contact skills if he’s to carve out a career as a regular, but the tools he possesses are undeniably enticing — particularly for a rebuilding club like Miami.
Sanchez, meanwhile, has rated among the game’s top pitching prospects for the past couple of seasons thanks to a triple-digit fastball and the potential for three average or better secondary offerings. The biggest question with him is health, as the righty was limited to 46 2/3 innings last season thanks to arm troubles (though none that required surgery). Sanchez reached the Class-A Advanced Florida State League as a 19-year-old last year — making him about four years younger than the average player in that league. Despite facing more advanced and experienced hitters, Sanchez pitched to a pristine 2.51 ERA with a terrific 45-to-11 K/BB ratio and a 52.3 percent ground-ball rate in those 46 2/3 frames when healthy. He’s likely at least a year away from MLB readiness, but he’ll immediately become not just the most highly regarded pitcher in the Marlins organization but their clear-cut top prospect.
The addition of Stewart, 21, isn’t a throwaway note for the Marlins, either. A 20th-round pick back in 2015, the lefty has elevated his status with a strong showing to this point in his pro career and was ranked 18th among Phillies farmhands by Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs just last month. Stewart was two years younger than his average opponent in Class-A last season but nonetheless worked to a 2.06 ERA with 7.1 K/9, 1.7 BB/9 and a sensational 62.9 percent ground-ball rate in 113 2/3 innings as a starter. His sinker is complemented by a trio of potentially average offerings, and his significantly improved walk rate in ’18 is reason for further encouragement. The ceiling on Stewart is certainly lower than on Sanchez, but as ground-ball oriented pitcher with solid control, he could function as a nice back-of-the-rotation piece in the Marlins’ spacious home park if all pans out well.
In all, the Marlins have certainly positioned themselves to come away from the trade with a fair bit of value. While there’s certainly risk to the assets which they acquired — as is the case when trading any star player for unproven talent — Alfaro was long one of the game’s top catching prospects before debuting, and the most optimistic scouting reports on Sanchez peg him as a potential top-of-the-rotation starter. It’s feasible that by mid-to-late 2020, both could be on the Marlins’ big league roster, and the addition of a solid arm such as Stewart, even if he’s more “high floor” than “high ceiling,” deepens the farm and presents another potential rotation piece.
The Phillies traded a pair of high-upside players, Alfaro and Sanchez, who could prove to be dynamic pieces for a division rival down the line but did so at a time when the NL East could legitimately be seized by any of the division’s top four teams. Realmuto will join new additions Jean Segura and Andrew McCutchen alongside holdover Rhys Hoskins in the top portion of the Phillies’ lineup, and with the potential addition of Harper or Machado looming, his presence should be a key element in a dramatically improved lineup. The Phillies are aggressively looking to atone for last season’s late collapse, and the moves they’ve made, to date, seem quite likely to help the organization achieve that goal.
Finally
Hallelujah. Just got Manny and Bryce for the next few weeks now.
I’m eagerly awaiting the Jose Iglesias decision myself
Great defender. Would be a great fill-in for Didi Gregorius.
Yankees have already acquired the fill ins for Didi. Gleyber and Tulo can play short while DJ and Gleyber can play second (Gleyber gives DJ rest while Tulo can give Gleyber rest) until Didi gets back.
Nicholas Castellanos now.
Castellanos ain’t getting half of what JT return was.
Marlins did well on the prospects they got and considering Realmuto only has two yrs. prior to FA, time will tell but I give the edge to the Marlins
Thank goodness Realmuto trade possibilities are out of the news!!! Now if the media will just quit talking about Harper and Machado possibilities until they actually sign, listening and reading baseball sports columns will be a joy to read and listen to again. I’ve quit listening to MLB radio or watching it on television. All the want to talk about are Harper, Machado and the East Coast and West Coast teams. News Alert…..There are some very good teams in the center of the country!! There are teams other than in the New England and California
Well at least THIS saga is out of the way, finally. Now to wait another 3-4 months to see where Machado and Harper sign.
Yes sir
i hope those turds sit out the season
Hummmm……
Reading the comments here, I thought that dumb Marlins front office and that lost Derek Jeter (he really wasn’t a very good ballplayer) waited too long and wouldn’t get anything back for Realmuto.
But hey…..that’s what happens 80% of the time here.
You don’t actually think that he wasn’t a really good ballplayer unless you eat paint chips. I always loathed him myself but I can’t deny that he is an all time great. Get off the endust!
@ descroato;
lol
I think Derek Jeter has been the best and most effective player in MLB since he came up to the Yankees.
Have you read the posts here?
The Marlins front office is a joke (Jeter stole those people from the Yankees and elsewhere) and constant comments about how Jeter wasn’t all that good a player.
For the last month I’ve skimmed hundreds of comments saying the Marlins should have traded Realmuto a month after the season ended, and they wouldn’t get much back for him.
I love reading the comments here. They’re hysterical. A pack mentality of what have you done for me lately.
Is that the Derek who holds the record for most errors in Yankee history?
Higher OPS than Cal Ripken Jr., top 100 in all time WAR, one of only 5 shortstops with 200 home runs and stolen bases. One of the 5 is Alex Rodriguez who spent nearly half of his career at third base too, so I don’t see how he wasn’t a good player.
So Nolan was a bad pitcher because he led in walks.
Logic!
Must be Samuel L Jackson from the Chappell’s Show. He’s drunk.
All these Johnny Superscouts. Go back to your Yahoo leagues.
Miami didn’t do anybody any favors extending Stanton’s contract 50 year/$500 million dollars. Now it’s the new gold standard the next guy wants to beat. Teams,most anyway, aren’t going to sign a player to 10 years regardless of the money when they, the Harpers and Machados haven’t taken their current/past teams to a championship, I still have to go with LA’s philosophy of going for depth. It hasn’t paid off yet but they’ve been getting close without breaking the bank for years to come. Okay, they are overpaying Kershaw a bundle but not adding much in the way of years.
Just wait until next year & Trout becomes a FA then you’ll see a 10 year deal over 400 million! Because he’s 10x better then the 2 clowns were waiting on right now to sign!
I believe Trout is under contract through the 2020 season, but I agree with you nonetheless. He seems to be the only player in MLB worth signing to a 10-yr deal in today’s MLB. Especially when considering how ridiculously high the AAV of contracts have reached and consistently doled out to average/slightly above average players around the league over the past several years
It’s over, its finally over.
Thank God. At least it will keep the Padres’ Preller from making a huge mistake.
Congrats to the Phillies. You filled a position of need with an above average player and made your team better.
The Phillies are better now.
Oh thank god
Something real happened!
Something real(muto) happened!
Something (J.T.) Rea(l) happ(muto)ened!
this made me laugh. thank you
Didn’t need parenthesis around the l
And so it finally ends. Your move Bryce and Manny
Honestly this might push one or the other to sign with the Phillies, they’re looking like a 2nd place team and a challenger for the WC now. Landing one of Harper or Machado puts them in line with the Braves IMO.
Who knows, if one signs with Philly the other might decide they can win the WS immediately and sign there as well.
No this puts them in line with the Mets and Nats. Braves will be 4th.
The Braves finished 8 games ahead of everyone else last year got Donaldson and all there young players are a year older.How are they fourth now. If they sign Kimbrel they have just as much chance as anyone else to win the division.More importantly how does adding Realmuto when the Braves added Donaldson pick up 10 games for the Phillies to make them better than the Braves
Phillies added Realmuto, segura, and McCutchen. No way the braves finish in 4th but they won’t win the division as easily. Phillies could’ve ran away with the division last year but had that collapse
Donaldson is 33 and declining fast.
Phillies could’ve run away with the division last year….. but they endedup in third 10 games behind. At what point were they running away with the division. A twhat point did the 10 game run away become 10 games behind the Braves. A lot of teams are good for 3 months.In baseball you have to be good for 6 months.Last year the Phillies were no better than a third place team.Period
I agree with you but I just think it is crazy the way so many people assume the Braves will be terrible because they haven’t done that much in the off season. The Braves are a good young team and all there young players are a year older and a year more experienced this year. No one should count them out
No he isn’t actually. His time with Cleveland made him look really good after his injury. In 2017 he had a 944 OPS with 33 home runs.
And McCutchen is a spring chicken huh
last year your second best pitcher was Anibal Sanchez…there was a lot of luck in ATL last season
Yea… Donaldson is never injured
No one is counting out the Braves, at least I’m not. One thing to ponder: Albies and Acuna are really good young players, but have pitchers made adjustments to them, and have they adjusted back? Albies struggled in Aug/Sep, did best in March/April..
It’s going to be a fun season.
Nationals are better
No question the Braves overachieved last season and look to be on the rise with all the young talent. But assuming that all the young players will continue to improve in their 2nd season, carry the team to another division title, or even to the playoffs without taking a step or two back is a big assumption. There are too many factors involved with young players and a long 162 game season. The future in ATL does seem to be bright, but there are no guarantees in baseball
2nd place? I dont see a reason they cant win the division. The team is a lot better then it was last year.
So is every other team in the division. And people tend to forget that the Phillies had an awful last portion of the season while the Mets finished strong.
And people also tend to forget that the Phillies fall at the end of the year was after they brought in players like Bautista,Bour,Ramos,and Cabrera.And they’re all gone.
Yeah…. I still have the Nats in this division.
– Braves added Donaldson
– Mets made a lot of moves getting Diaz and Cano, along with keeping their pitchers
– Phillies added Realmuto, Cutch, and Segura
– Nats have added Corbin, Dozier, and Sanchez.
I think you’re still looking at a division finish of Nats, Mets, Phillies, Braves. And that’s without Harper signing anywhere. You’re looking at him with either the Nats or Phillies in that division, but even if he signed in Philly, I’d keep things where they are. I do think Philly has a great chance to get Machado though.
moron
In my opinion the Nats need a veteran manager like Girardi more than anything else. Dave Martinez is a good manager and has a bright future running clubs. But, the Nationals are a team full of veterans. They should have been to at least 1 World Series by now but they seem to choke in the first round whenever they make the playoffs. I would like to see what Girardi could do with them. Martinez would be the perfect manager for today’s Yankees. I think the Yankees won 100 games last year despite of Aaron Boone not because of him.
Mets 4th, garbage lineup
Those questioning the Marlins GM’s or Jeter’s strategy in this deal just got owned. Sounds like they did well in this deal
Here comes the haters to bash the deal.
Those are the same people who post things like “it’s finally over”, like it was that important.
The writing is on the wall sixto will be a relief pitcher when all is said and done.
Well you are the prospect guru
no, he just does research
Sign him up…
Hmm..people who do research have things like references for their information.
@proof2006 i’ve seen multiple of your posts now. you’re straight garbage
I agree that this was a good deal for the Phillies, but I also agree that the haters were justified based on the pathetic deals of Ozuna and Yelich. The Ozuna giveaway was one of the worst trades ever. Yelich was a pretty bad deal even if Brinson can become league average rather than sub-Mendoza. But again, I agree that the Realmoto deal was a good deal for the Fish.
Marlins got fleeced on the Yelich deal.
Not at the time.
The jury is still out on the Yelich trade. Although, Brinson was the headliner and hasn’t lived up to expectations (most prospects don’t) Diaz and Harrison were ranked #1 and #2 in the Marlins system by Fangraphs before they acquired Sixto. Before last season Yelich had put up some good seasons but had not come near being an MVP caliper player. Getting 3 top 100 prospects including 1 top 15 was more than expected. Ozuna had shown to be a MVP caliper player and without Stanton had shown to be the best offensive player the Marlins has. St. Louis definitely fleeced the Marlins for him. He had an injury shortened year last year but should bounce back this year. Regardless, the Cardinals gave up hardly anything to get him. Gordon was by far their worst trade though. Everyone seems to think Stanton was and on paper it definitely looks that way. But, he had a no trade clause and was making $30m a year. The Marlins kinda had their hands tied and had to take what they could get for him.
Yelich deal was the worst. Marlins were about to lose Ozuna anyway and I consider the Marlins winners in the Stanton trade regardless of what Castro, Guzman and whoever else was in that trade does.
Ok dude. Yelich is and always was way better then Ozuna!
I’d say the Marlins came out on top, unless the Phils can extend this guy in two yrs.
The Marlins are in for a long rebuild. Hard to say they came out on top when they have massive holes throughout the organization.
I have to admit, I was getting worried that we’d get about the same as we could’ve gotten months ago, but the Marlins got what they wanted. And the addition of international slot money instead of a low level prospect on the back end was very good so that additional money can go to a prospect that we want.
Did Jeter kick Mike Hill out of the negotiation room or did Mike Hill hustle everyone by acting stupid, losing trades for years, just to start pulling good ones under a new ownership regime?
I think they got a good package for JTR but it didn’t have anything to do Jeters strategy. That is the package he would have gotten tomorrow, yesterday and two months ago from the Phillies or the equivalent from the Braves or which ever team had what it took.
I am quite willing to acknowledge that I am one of those people who questioned the strategy of the Marlins throughout this process. The Marlins were rewarded by the Phillies and they and other teams selling off soon-to-be FA talent in the future will be incentivized to hold out for what most FOs will consider absurd demands.
Sanchez is a premium prospect and the Phillies paid dearly. Sanchez is the overall #13 rated MLB prospect according to Baseball America (ahead of players such as Brendan Rodgers, Keibert Ruiz, Michael Kopech, Luis Urias, Joey Bart). The teams that control these and other top 50 prospects were not willing to deal them for a guy with two years of control–with the exception of the Phillies. The Marlins got very lucky in my opinion.
As a Dodger fan, I am very pleased that Ruiz, Verdugo and Lux (all top 50 propects) were not dealt for Realmuto. Just as I am happy that Seager, Bellinger and Buehler were not dealt in previous years for premium, short-term fixes. Perhaps fans of the Reds, Padres, Astros, Braves feel similarly about keeping their top prospects–maybe not. We’re all entitled to an opinion.
The Phillies know Sanchez better than anyone. Maybe they know he’s hurt? Maybe they are convinced he will not develop the way most scouts predict. Time will tell.
A few years back, the Twins wanted Bellinger and Buehler for Dozier. Dodger front office said “nope,” some Dodger fans complained, front office proven right.
“Sounds” is a weak retort. A switch hitter is being announced shortly.
Glad to see this over. Nice pickup for the marlins
Off Baseball…Slipknot is a great band
Yes, they are
‘Wait and Bleed’ could be a good description of this year’s offseason
I was actually thinking this trade would never happen. Then you could use ‘all hope is gone’.
Whitechapel profile picture?
Yep.
never thought I’d see the day. Hopefully this kicks Harper and Machado into high gear and we can all move on with our lives
No lives should ever be held up by Machado/Harper.
Another piece to the puzzle
And now the Phillies bow out on Harper and (possibly) Machado…then go in for the kill with Trout next year or the year after.
Why would they bow out for either because of this? They can and most likely will get one of those two AND still play for Trout in two offseasons.
No way, they get Harper unless he re-ups with Nats, if so, then they get Machado. But getting one of those two takes them out of Trout, who likely resigns with Halos anyway. Phillies will get one of three but not more.
No way does getting Harper or Machado make signing Trout in free agency less likely. Trout lives with the thought that he will never see the playoffs with the Halos. I’m convinced that Trout will sign with the Phils after 2020 unless the Angels become a dynamic team in the next 2 years. Everything the Phils do to boost their prospects for contention in the meantime helps. If you think the Phils can’t afford Trout on top of Machado or Harper, then what can I say? You clearly haven’t been paying attention.
If anything, it becomes more likely that the Phillies sign one of Harper or Machado. They got Realmuto with prospects, not money. The cash is still there. This was meant to entice those guys.
“This was meant to entice these guys” According to who?
Outside the rumor Harper and Realmatu are friends, it seems obvious that going out to get an Allstar player at a position neither of those guys play, would entice them to come to the team that just got better.
How’s that worked out for the White Sox?
According to Ken Rosenthal, with both Harper and Machado interested in playing for contender, this acquisition makes the Phillies a more probable contender, thus more enticing for the two FAs.
We don’t know how that has worked out for the White Sox yet…
You gotta be a White Sox fan…condolences
No proof, but I agree with it. It’s a quality lineup with realmuto
I missed where Jon jay and Alonso were the best at there positions as realmuto is. No comparison
Did I miss Machado signing somewhere?
You lost me at “according to Ken Rosenthal.”
The White Sox didn’t get an all star, they got yonder Alonso and Jon Jay. Not exactly earth shattering
It’s very clear nowadays that players chase the paycheck. Realmuto will not entice one of these guys to go to the Phillies. If they get paid the most by the Phillies they will go there if not they won’t. As I remember Corbin wanted to be a Yankee. How did that work out
Couldn’t be said better..+1
If you want to play on a contender you sign with a team that was there without you, not one that hopes to be contending. Yes, the money sings but what will $300 million buy that $200 million won’t for most of us.
It should be more than “very clear” that players are individuals and sign for different reasons. Cliff Lee signed in Philly for less than max dollars. Mid-westerner Jordan Zimmermann wanted to pitch for a mid-west team.
If every player was Patrick Corbin, then yes, you would be correct. How does that work out when they aren’t?
AJ Burnett turned down a player option and left 5 million or so on the table to resign with the Pirates.
JT will be a free agent in two years. He won’t be around when the Phils take a shot at Trout.
Trout won’t be availible. Keep dreaming
thanks for the laugh. its fait accompli he will test FA. he doesnt want play for your garbage halos
He won’t be around when the Phils make the playoffs either
Extension discussions are occurring, I’m sure.
extending a 30+ old catcher?…good plan.
Phillies will fork over dollars to extend Realmoto, they gave up enough so they will be skewered by fans if they let him go.
They should still be skewered by fans even if they do manage to extend him. They didn’t have to give up Sixto to a division rival to be able to give stupid money to Realmuto.
Looks like the Pads lost out again, I don’t if the Pads will get anyone worth a nickel all talk from Preller
Even money Realmuto gets extended before this year’s trade deadline. The last time the Phils lost a valued player to free agency was Jayson Werth who was vastly overpaid by the desperate Nats in 2010. I don’t think you know what you’re talking about.
For real. What in Realmuto’s history (or anything he or his agent have said) indicates that an extension is likely? And he’s exactly the type of player who would get “vastly overpaid” by some desperate team like the 2011 Nats so…
Do your own homework. Read up on the Phils’ salary situation compared to what it’s been in the past. I could do the research to answer your simple question but it will mean more if you make your own discoveries.
Their salary situation has no bearing on how amenable Realmuto would be to an extension. It has a bearing on how much they would be able to pay him, but you don’t have to trade for guys to be able to overpay them.
You are clueless, as in doggedly clueless. Realmuto put himself in play by asking for a trade because he saw the Marlins making moves that made them less competitive. The Phils are the exact opposite, a team making moves to make the team competitive now.
You’re a Padre fan — thank God they still have them. You should concern yourself more with the guys on the Padres whom they will lose control of before the Phils are at risk of losing control of Realmuto. Guys like Richard, Stammen and Makita. But you knew that because that’s what you do — know stuff.
Just FYI – no Padres fan will lose any sleep if Makita were to make a wrong turn and get lost on the way to camp. Many of us are still trying to figure out the “one year” Garrett Richards signing. And Stammen? He pitched his way into being a middle reliever, but it’s doubtful he stays for a number of reasons. And it won’t matter.
Some of us really can be objective about “our” team. Especially when they appear to be dazed and confused.
And you know this how?
Jesus. About time.
Great, now have teams sign Harper and Manny so we don’t have to see posts on them every single day.
“It’s over. It’s done” -Frodo Baggins
Nah, we still have Bryce Smeagol and Manny Sauron to deal with.
at Least the fellowship of realmuto is over now
First time Ralph Bowden has broken a real trade?
As a blue jays fan not a Philly fan. I think Harper/machado wants to see if this move took place before they signed with philly. Harper is my guess
Likewise, but I’m leaning Machado.
hopefully both
Nah I’m guessing the other way. With Realmuto they’re stacked with righties and are really only subpar in RF, Harper is almost a perfect fit in that lineup
they will regret this..
Why?
F’ing a Cotton! Jeter finally make smart moves! #finallygettinstarted
LOL! I’m thrilled with this return.
I’m confused why the Phillies would do this.
What the heck could possibly confuse you about this?
no kidding, they just got 2 years of the best catcher in baseball
Sixto and Alfaro is a lot. On the other hand, they just upgraded one of their weakest positions to the best catcher in the game, and their rotation is pretty stacked and pretty deep.
You do know thatf or pitchers to be good they do actually have to pitch good in the major leagues right? Nola is great Arieta is good the rest of there starters have proven nothing
Yep, this commitment to “now” forces the Phillies to spend stupid money on starting pitching. Keuchel is a must. A nice off-season, but they still have work to do. And they won’t be getting any bargains.
Alfaro has one of the worst approaches in the game (18k:138bb), and only had a palatable OBP due to 14 HBPs. Sixto has red flags with his health. I think the Phillies did well here.
you mean 18bb:138k
Thank you!
Is moniak not included?
Awesome! Sign me up for season tickets.
It’s finally happened. How many weeks/months after today till all of Harper,Machado,Kimberl and Keuchal are signed ?
Phillies could have just signed Grandal or Ramos and not trade a big part of their future.
yeah. they promised to spend stupid money and instead spent premium prospects. At least at the catching position.
Agree. Ramos would have been the best option. Grandal could have spelled Rhys at 1B on occasion or been a late game situational option. I’m not mad though. They cashed in some long terms stocks for some short term liquidity!
I’m confused as to why they didn’t just re-sign Wilson Ramos. He’s probably going to be on par with Realmuto the next two seasons.
I can think of 4,000,000 reasons, when you’re trying to get Harper and/or Machado, every dollar matters.
Also, while they will be on par offensively, Realmuto is by far better defensively.
Well if the owner is concerned about every dollar then he wouldn’t have said they’re going to spend “stupid money”
Well, Realmuto is twice the player Ramos is, so there’s that as well.
Wow, pretty good reel-in for JTR
Nice haul for Miami. Definitely adds to their future.
The NL East is going to be a great division to watch this year.
In four years we will do this all over again if this pitcher pans out
FINALLYYYYYYY
Bryce Harper complained about the Nationals front office not trading for this guy. I have to imagine this is part of the pull to bring Harper in as well.
Not a compelling reason to spend $300 million.
But stupidity is.
Bryce Harper needs to worry about hitting above .250 before commenting on front office moves
He can hit .250 the rest of his career if he carries a 18% walk rate and a .530 slug. That’s still Elite offensive production.
How many guys hitting .250 are in the HOF
Who cares about the HOF?
According to what I saw, there are currently 24 non-pitchers in the HOF who hit under .270 for their career. Carlton Fisk, Pee Wee Reese, Johnny Bench, Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt, Gary Carter and Reggie Jackson are among those names. The lowest career batting average for a non-pitcher HOFer belongs to catcher Ray Schalk with a careet .253 average.
Between 250 and 270 we have…
Harmon Killebrew .256
Ozzie Smith .262.
Reggie Jackson .262.
Gary Carter .262
Mike Schmidt .267
Brooks Robinson .267
Johnny Bench .267
Guess he just needs to hit 260 to give his input…
Great research, but it is ok for a HOF at catcher or shortstop to hit 0.250 or 0.260, but not so much when it is an outfield or first baseman. Reggie made up for it by being Mr. October. But I do expect Bryce to hit for slightly higher averages in the future.
That would make him the next Adam Dunn. You wouldnt give Dunn $30mm per.
A) He’s going to finish his fine career with an average well over.250. And B) The people voting for the Hall of Fame for most of baseball history have been a bunch of stupid Murray Chass-types who have no business voting for the HOF. But since Bill James came along and started the Saber revolution, the voters are ever so slowly becoming a smarter group who realize, unlike you, that batting average just ain’t that big of a deal.
His batting average isn’t a problem.
His abysmal fielding is..
You taking the under on him hitting .250 for the rest of his career? Lol
Okay, they brought in Corbin, Dozier, Sanchez, and traded for Yan Gomes. I’m thinking that will have quite a bit more pull than the Phillies getting Realmuto, Cutch, and Segura…
This is the best the Marlins could do? That front office is underwhelming…
They got the blue chip prospect they were seeking
What are you talking about?
This is a very strong return……
You clearly are clueless.
you’re dumb as they come
I guess the Marlins didn’t overplay their hand.. looks like a nice return.
Phillies fan here. I just might throw up on my keyboard. Stay tuned.
I don’t feel that bad about it. Alfaro was projectable but he strikes out too much. Sixto lost some luster with the injury and apparently his conditioning and work ethic is in question.
But before this trade you liked them both don’t give us that crap they are both very good prospects going to Miami.
It’s finally over! *faints*
Kudos to the Marlins for being this patient. Steep price for the Phillies.
so I guess Knapp remains as backup. didn’t realize that Stewart had some good stats. I know it’s in low minors but seems good. I’m surprised that its only a four player deal. was expecting 5 or 6 with Phil’s sending another top prospect from top 5 list. thank goodness they didn’t.
Our long national nightmare is over
President Nancy??
WWG1 WGA
Bah God that’s Bryce Harpers music playing in Philly!
Mike Hill lives to see another day
Hope that international slot money goes to SS Yolbert Sanchez.
Why?
it’s only 250k
I was thinking the same thing about Mike Hill. LOL!
Will Stewart is a Huntsville boy! That’s pretty cool. Maybe they’ll sign Relamuto to a big extension and spend the big money they were wanting to use
Thank goodness this saga is over!!
Big Mistake. Huge.
I’ll take the catcher!
Damnit Dodgers.
And the Dodgers underwhelming off-season continues…
It was clear weeks ago that the Dodgers were never serious about Realmuto. The only reason they kept coming up in the rumors is because he was such a natural fit for the roster, and the Dodgers had everything they needed to make the trade. But he wasn’t going to be a bargain, so they weren’t interested. Now we get to see if either of our catchers can hit above the Mendoza line. It’s the stuff championships are made of.
It’s hard to know for sure, but the Dodgers seemed to definitely be serious about trading for JTR. From all the reports, the Marlins were simply asking for too much from LA in return though. Bellinger and top prospects?!? Verdugo, Ruiz and Santana?!? I heard even crazier than those proposals! Realmuto would have been an awesome addition to the Dodgers lineup in more than one way, but for only 2 guaranteed years with him? Personally I’m happy the FO didn’t take the bait on a crazy deal like one of those or one similar. I want to see a Dodgers WS Champ back in LA but It’s also nice to have a legitimate chance to win every year and not mortgage the future. I guess we’ll never know what could have been now though
Just saw the post from this morning that said the Marlins wanted any 2 of these 4 players from the Dodgers for a Realmuto deal…May, Lux, Ruiz, Smith. Its tough to know for sure whether or not these proposed deals are 100% accurate after a deal has already been made, but if this really was the case…
I would have pulled the trigger for Smith and Lux. LA has a deep and highly talented group of catching prospects so giving up one of the 2 wouldn’t have hurt much. Lux is a solid prospect on the rise, but if I had to throw in one of the other three remaining players, I would have taken my chances giving him up. Only giving up 2 top prospects would have been a gamble worth taking IMO.
Cue Harper or Machado to the Phillies in 3…2…1…
A bit disappointed as a Marlins fan. I would have preferred a couple top prospects from the Dodgers, Astros, Reds, Braves, or Padres. At this point i just wanted it to be over though, i’m tired of hearing about Realmuto everyday.
Anyways, this feels like another Yelich or Ozuna type of return. I’m not excited about any of these guys.
Sixto should be a solid starter.
I think the Marlins got some pretty nice prospects out of the deal…no other team was going to give that up for Realmuto. Also sorry to hear you are a Marlins fan!
A a Padre and a Marlin walk in a bar…hahahah
Sixth is a legit elite prospect better than the other returns, you should be happy.
Ya’ll are getting a guy named “Sixto.” If he were in the NBA he’d be a perennial Sixth(o) Man of the Year!
I’ll see myself out, sorry.
Well done sir
Well, then you aren’t paying attention. Plenty of people are really high on Sixto. I’ll take their opinion over yours. I’m sad to see him go, but trying to be equally excited about the upcoming season.
Dude. You got a possible top-end starter and one of the best catching prospects for a rebuilding team in trade for a dude who was 100% leaving in two seasons Great return.
Pretty steep price for two years of Realmuto…Phillies better hope they can get an extension in. Nice haul for the Marlins
The Realmuto wars are over
welp. here goes nothing!
Marlins now relying on Sixto to become at least a no 2 starter and/or Alfaro to become a borderline all star C. Possible, but no guarantee.
Omg the #getrealwithmuto saga is over ? !!!!!!
I wonder if the Phillies try to extend him long term rather than sign Machado or Harper.
*floodgates open*
This is HUGE for the Marlins farm system. They finally have a blue chip prospect, and someone who has the potential of becoming an ace. Lots of potential #3’s, 4’s, and 5’s in their system. Hopefully Sixto reaches his ceiling.
well JTR wont be wearing number 11 so what would he be wearing…number 12?
Don’t understand this for the Phillies, unless their play is literally just to deny Realmuto to other contenders (Dodgers/Braves). Alfaro is really good (2.1 fWAR last year), is a better rated pitch framer than Realmuto and is controlled for cheaper/longer. There’s a chance he’s a better catcher this year! So for this slight upgrade at catcher, they’re going to pay more, give up long term control, and also deal their top pitching prospect. Also they’ll lose a couple of other minor prospects. Doesn’t look like a good deal for them.
They did say they were going to get “stupid” with money. I guess prospects fall in that too. Lol. Honestly, makes them a better team today, which is why they need to try to lure Harper or Machado. I doubt they want to be the only All Star caliber everyday player on whatever team they sign with. That’s what puts White Sox and Padres begins in the pursuit of the big fish in the market.
Maybe the Phillies don’t think Alfaro is ready to handle a big league pitching staff. Or maybe they’re not happy with the way he’s handled the minor league staffs he’s worked with. The Phillies know Alfaro’s strengths and weaknesses better than anyone.
if they thought Alfaro was the guy they probably dont trade for Ramos last season. clearly, they have concerns about his contact and defense, outside of his arm.
I wouldn’t consider Alfaro even close to Realmuto status especially not this year…but the Marlins did well and have some good pieces to build around. I do think the Phillies overpaid on this one
Horrible trade for Phillies,I wish Texas still had Alfaro cause he’s turning into a good player, but to also give up a A+ starter was way overpriced not counting the third player and money.
I agree,Bad bad trade on the Phillies part,Alfaro will and is proving to be a good catcher,Plus an A+ pitcher,WOW
huh? I guess you didn’t watch any of his games
I think this is both and overpay by the Phillies and an underwhelming return for the Fish.
Very little chance Alfaro will ever be more than a league average catcher. He has bad catching mechanics. Very strong arm, not a great release. He’s shown very little with the stick. Doesn’t go to the plate with an approach in mind. Doesn’t move runners, doesn’t change his approach with 2 strikes. Hasn’t improved notably in any area during his time in the show. If the Phils thought he has plateaued, now was the time to move him.
They paid dearly for him, but he obviously improves them right away. Alfaro has a nice future himself, as does Sanchez.
One down…two to go.
Gotta be Machado next, right? Doesn’t sound like Harper wants to play there.
Neither of them do
Harper will definitely play in Philly if they meet his demands.
I think the Phillies will have to overpay. It is said he doesn’t want to live there and would prefer Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs if he’s not on West Coast. Since those 3 are out, I think LAD, SF, SD all get him before Philly or CHW if the offers are silimar.
I think if they wanted to play in Philly they would be there already…especially with all that “stupid” money they had
They’re waiting for the best offers on the table. No one has hit their demands yet. Rest assured if Philly hits their demands, they’re playing there.
I mean that’s just an assumption. We can also assume neither of them want to play anywhere.
At this rate you might be right about that
and you know that how exactly?
Phillies gave up waaaaay too much. They’re vastly improved but so is every team in the division. I could realistically see this Phils team finishing in 4th place and they traded away 4 young players for this? Ridiculous.
Harper or Machado is a must now. Not to mention starting pitching.
I thought the Dodgers were landing everybody?
Long national nightmare is over.
… But not the National’s nightmare.
Really thought the Dodgers were gonna get this guy. Glad it’s over with though. Hopefully we see some signings now.
Never thought they would, honestly. Asleep at the switch again.
Asleep at the switch? The current Dodger roster is better than the 2017 team that won 104 games. No Grandal, but Martin/Barnes both with solid defense and OBP. (.338 and .329 in 2018). Martin had 10 HR and 56 walks playing part-time.
Here’s a 2017/2019 roster comparison.
2017 World Series roster:
C: Barnes, Grandal
IF: Bellinger, Culberson, Forsythe, Seager, Turner, Utley
UT: Hernandez, Taylor
OF: Ethier, Pederson, Puig
SP: Darvish, Hill (L), Kershaw (L), Maeda, Wood (L)
CL: Jansen
RP: Cingrani (L), Fields, McCarthy, Morrow, Stripling, Watson (L)
2019:
C; Barnes, Martin
IF: Bellinger, Freese, Muncy, Seager, Turner
UT: Hernandez, Taylor
OF: Pederson, Pollock, Verdugo, Toles
SP: Buehler, Hill (L), Kershaw (L), Maeda, Ryu (L)
CL: Jansen
RP: Six of these 10 — Alexander (L), Baez, Cingrani (L), Ferguson (L), Fields, Floro, Kelly, Santana, Stripling, Urias (L)
I listed Bellinger under IF in 2019 for comparison sake. Pederson much better now, Ryu injured in ’17. Look at that lefty pitching depth in ’19! Which roster would you rather have?
I think that roster is good enough to win the division. But it’s going to be much harder getting into the WS than previous years.
I know Friedman hasn’t traded top prospects before, but if he really wanted to, he could easily turn the dodgers into a WS favorite, a juggernaut like the Red Sox or Astros if Friedman trades some prospects for let’s say, Kluber. He could have easily acquired Realmuto as well, but that’s over with.
Friedman has a secret plan to win the World Series. It’s so secret even he doesn’t know what it is.
Why would it be harder to reach the World Series? Best pitching staff by a wide margin, improved defense, the return of Seager, and a solid core of young players who figure to keep getting better. .They didn’t have to make many outside moves because “new” talent was already on hand. Having Buehler, Ferguson and Urias from day one will be huge. Ferguson (49) and Urias (4) pitched a combined total of 53 innings in 2018. What they can provide in ’19 is potentially a major upgrade on Wood. The Cincy trade was otherwise a masterstroke by Friedman as it created room for utilizing better players. Granted, they still have to go out and win the games. But overall, this is the most talented roster I’ve seen in 52 years as a Dodger fan. And it was assembled without parting with Verdugo, Ruiz, Lux, May, or Smith. Still plenty of room to make moves by the July 31 deadline. Good times ahead.
The team has won five playoff series’ in three years, and is just getting started. Friedman is as good as it gets.
It has been stated over and over again that the Indians were looking for major league ready players as well as prospects. It has also been stated many times that Cleveland has saved enough money in other offseason transactions that they don’t have to trade Kluber unless they are overwhelmed by the offer. Some prospects won’t get you Kluber.
The Dodgers also won pennants under Colletti with a payroll budget less than half of what it is now, bankrupt owners, and a decimated farm system. So if Friedman is as good at it gets, then the getting can’t be very good. I look at what Boston has accomplished over the last 15 years and I see that isn’t the case, though. Friedman building a maximally sustainable profit model for investors should not be seen as the same as building the world championship team this fan base has every reason to expect. Did you happen to catch that interview with Stan Kasten a couple of weeks ago? He basically told the fans to butt out. Nice.
Bring on the downvotes, because we know it’s true.
The Dodgers won zero pennants under Colletti. What alternate universe are you living in? Do you know what a pennant is? The Friedman-Roberts regime has won two in a row. Colletti also made some foolish trades and free agent acquisitions. The Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett nightmare was Colletti’s doing. Payroll half what it is now? Colletti raised the payroll by overpaying for players. By the way, you contradict yourself by not giving Friedman credit for improving a farm system that was in shambles under the previous administration .
2005: NLW pennant
2008: NLDS pennant
2009: NLDS pennant
2013: NLW pennant
2014: NLDS pennant
So, that “alternate universe,” where the things that happened actually happened. Yes, the farm is in much better shape now. Always given the current ownership credit for that, as much as I give the previous two ownerships the blame for ransacking it (not Colletti’s fault BTW, he just had to figure out how to work around it). Where I don’t give ownership and management credit is where they don’t deserve it and making the necessary moves to put the team over the top is where they don’t deserve it.. So no “contradiction” whatsoever, just a point of view you don’t seen like.
There are no baseball fans in Florida. Florida teams get Welfare checks from baseball. Beggars can’t be choosers.
Didn’t realize the Marlins had the same trade deadline as the NBA
Marlins did well
Meh – I’d rather have realmuto. Phillies did well.
I dont see this as an alternative to signing machado/harper, I see this as adding another piece toward contending making a superstar deal more attractive. Phils now have one of the best catchers in all of baseball! Nice trade.
I knew it! Harper signs tomorrow. World Champs.
Good move by the Phillies, although considering that Alfaro is a pretty good catcher too, it might be an overpay for them. However I’m sure the fish left more on the table
Naaa
Seriously…not even close to a good catcher..major upgrade in Philly
Cue all the Phillies fans who suddenly know Sixto will be a bust when he was “untouchable” an hour ago.
I’m very sad to see him guy. The one guy I’ve liked and didn’t want to see go in the last few years.
*go.
Agree. Sad to see him go, I was really looking forward to seeing him pitch for Phils one day. But, it’s hard not to get excited about the move, so I’ll just focus on that. Hopefully he doesn’t own us on the mound for years to come!
Phan here..Sixto throws 100mph..has everything it takes to be a top of the rotation piece..will hardly be a bust..stop labeling everyone
Phew
Look at it this way … it is close to the equivalent of Hedges, Paddack and Reggie Lawson.
I don’t see a big enough upgrade to Hedges/Mejia to justify giving up on Paddack
Really glad the Phillies stepped up. Also think it makes sense for the Phillies, good job snatching proven talent for prospects. So long as they aren’t Padres prospects!
One more big move and the Phillies will be legit contenders
I think the Marlins got a better return just in Realmuto than what they got for Ozuna, Yelich ane Stanton together.
teal, good luck to you miss…
man, Elton Brand and Matt Klentak having a crazy day/week. Howie Roseman has to do something to keep up in Philly.
J.T. should go by Jacob now.
I guess its Maldonado to the Dodgers!
ugh, they really traded Sixto and Alfaro for a rental, didnt they. Oh, and they got punked into trading away two more players and stot money too. I really question the FO’s ability to negotiate…
Welcome to the machine.
2 more years and the ability to sign him to an extension. Hardly a rental right now
And if you question their ability to negotiate, ask them how they did on the Carlos Santana trade
A “rental” is NORMALLY reserved for someone who is going to be gone in 1 season or less. Since JTR is under contract for 2 years, NO he’s not a rental.
As Nats fan, I’m glad to see Sixto will be a Marlin for six years rather than Phillie.
i bet you’ll be happy when JT actually has runners who got on base ahead of him when he homers against you now.
Right?? 74 RBI on a Marlins team that couldn’t get on base much. Hopefully with this re-tooled lineup he will have many more RBI opportunities
Barry, you weren’t going to see Sixto pitching against the Nats this year or next in any case. This guy has averaged something like 45 innings a season over the last 4 years. When he couldn’t answer the bell to pitch in the Arizona Fall League following elbow rehab this year red flags went up. Sanchez is a high risk/high reward prospect.
Not bad, just seems they could have got a better package.
Obviously they couldn’t or they would’ve taken it before now. This is also pretty solid return. Sixto is a top prospect. Alfaro is MLB ready replacement that can slot in behind the plate.
That’s a lot for a catcher I don’t care who it is. Good for the Marlins.
After all this time the Marlins finally got someone to overpay lol. I guess Philly fans are pissed about losing Sixto
Phillies gave up a catcher that was good last year and will be better this year,They gave up way to much for someone with only 2 more years of control, Alfaro and Sixto are gonna make this trade look like a John Daniels trade of past, all one sided in the end.
Great trade for the Phillies for an All star Catcher.. did I say all star for non proven talent. Prospects are exactly what they are prospects. All you wanna be GM’s need to stop. This trade made the Phillies 10 times better with the best Catcher in the National League. Your welcome
The Phils have been absolutely masterful this off-season first buy churning the hot stove with links to Bryce and Manny ultimately putting other teams on hold all the while they add 3 all star caliber players to the line up through free agency and trades
With the Marlins trading history, I’m looking forward to Sixto becoming a Red in a year or two
Sixto out with TJS this year. You heard it hear first !! LOL Jeter
This is the deal Miami has been waiting for!?
smh.
How are you shaking you head at this return? Sixto Sanchez literally just became the Fish’s #1 prospect. He’s ranked anywhere from 16th to 27th in national rankings. He is a very solid return
Actually， Baseball America ranks him as #13 overall MLB prospect
This is only the second Marlins deal that made sense in the Jeter era. I give the fish a “C+” on the Stanton deal as it was a pure salary dump of a superstar. Obviously, on their budget, the fish could not keep Stanton. I give the fish an “A” on the Realmoto deal. Sanchez and Alfaro would be a good return by themselves, and Stewart and the slot are a little gravy. The Ozuna deal was an “F” the Yelich deal a “D”. (I give them a “D” rather than an “F” because at least some experts had high hopes for Brinson.)
It’s hard to grade the deal right now because the pieces the Marlins are getting still need to develop…a lot.
Jorge Alfaro has the strongest arm among catchers in baseball but he was only league average in throwing runners out. He led baseball last year in passed balls, has bad footwork, and struck out nearly 37% of his at bats. In short, he’s incredibly raw, a lowpressure environment in Miami may help him but Alfaro’s ceiling would be what J.T. is now.
Sixto is what swings this grade; he has high upside and easy 100m, but so does T. Guerrero. The issues with Sixto is his elbow concerns from last year and his lack of conditioning. The Phillies had issues with Sixto’s lack of conditioning; which may have led to his injury. Like I said previously, the one comp I hear a lot is Neftali Feliz with Sixto. If Sixto develops into a 1-2 starter that makes this deal favorable for the Marlins but if not then it is what it is.
Will Stewart was a throw-in; he had a decent year in Single A but he’s what he is, a finesse lefty with an average arsenal. He’s an old school crafty lefty, I think for Marlins Fans, he’s a good comp to Dillon Peters. That’s most likely Will Stewart’s ceiling.
The exchange of what they got was definitely not what they wanted from the outset. Especially what they asked of the Dodgers, Mets, Braves, Rays, etc. but we don’t know what those teams were offering. In the end, the Marlins probably made the best deal available to them at the time. It probably behooved them to move him last year but this return is probably the best they could get at this time.
This is a good take. JTR is not as strong as he’s made out to be, even though he’s the #1. MIA was asking for too much trying to get somebody to bite, but this return is respectable and about what I think 2 yrs is worth.
I think both ends did just fine and I would not be surprised if any of the four outcomes manifest (PHI busts, MIA busts, both do fine, both bust).
Well the Marlins certainly got a better deal for two years of JT then the Dbacks did for a year of Goldie.. You have to remember that it is two years of JT as he would never have resigned with fish. Sanchez could be awesome as a # 1 starter or an often injured reliever with heat. Alfaro I think is solid medium value who will fit well the fish pitching staff. I definitely would have made this trade for both sides, Philadelphia and Miami. Then again, I would have rather traded Realmoto to Padres for Gore and Morejon, but that was never going to happen.
How is Realmuto established himself as the game’s best backstop?? Didn’t Yadi win the gold glove last year? Is Realmuto respected in his handling of pitching staffs like Yadi? Come on. And at 36, Yadi is still at a very high level. Same cannot be said for other challengers such as Posey and Contreras.
You’ve obviously never watched him play
I have. My point is that if he is so great why did he not win the gold glove?
Inside his 2018 numbers:
First in pop time, 1.90 seconds
• Second in catcher arm strength, 87.8 mph
• Sixth in caught-stealing percentage, 38 percent (minimum 30 attempts)
• First in catcher Sprint Speed, 28.6 feet per second
• Second in slugging percentage, .484, of 27 catchers with 300 plate appearances
• Second in catcher wRC+, 126, of those 27 catchers
• First in catcher WAR, both with framing (5.8) and without (4.8)
Who cares about the “best catcher in baseball” nonsense.
The point is he’s elite
Just glad the reds didn’t get him. They are one of the most improved teams in baseball.
Not hard to improve from terrible to painfully average.
The reds will most likely be 2nd in the division right behind the Cardinals.
Here comes the stupid money for Harper!
Yep
What about the other pitcher Miami received,Seems like decent stats last year, enough to start this year ?
Will Stewart is a single-A lefty. Profiles as a back of the rotation lefty at best. Dillon Peters is probably the ceiling of what Stewart is. Good peripherals but he’s arsenal is just average at best.
Sixto is the potential gem but he had elbow issues all last year. He fell out of favor in Philly because he came into camp out of shape and apparently didn’t prioritize his conditioning which may have led to his injury. According to Passan, the Phils didn’t view Sixto in their top 4 prospects now. I’ve heard a lot of comps to Neftali Feliz; big power arm but health and secondary offerings will determine what he becomes.
Not trying to throw cold water on Marlins fans but it’ll be a few years before you get a real grade on the deal. This package from Philly is far less than what the Fish wanted from LAD, NYM, or ATL; but we don’t know what those teams seriously offered.
“The Phillies are aggressively looking to atone for last season’s late collapse…”
Cover up their tracks, more like.
Marlins got a good replacement Catcher and 60 rate prospect+ Stewart Helluva a deal
No way to replace Jose but Sixto should be the most exciting pitcher for the Marlins since him.
Lets just hope he doesnt do drugs too.
As a braves fan, you can be nothing but mad about this trade! They asked for way more talent from us than the Phillies per rumors. We could and should have beaten this deal easily, without question. This would harm our farm at all. This is just an absolute joke and slap in the face. Mets and Phillies building really good teams around us and we are sitting back when we could have easily made this upgrade and spent some money upgrading our freaking bullpen!!! LETS GOOOO!
Who wants to win a championship anyway? Winning the top prospects lists gets all the girls now.
And maybe this flood of prospects will put together an elite team. But gosh, I thinking signing some elite free agent bullpen pitchers would have been smart
Sooooooo happy the Padres stayed away! Or at least, weren’t dumb enough to meet the Phillies asking price. I guess technically they didn’t stay away…
WOW! What a haul for the Marlins! They receive a top 10 pitching prospect in Sanchez, a replacement starting catcher in Alfaro, an impressive LH pitching prospect in Stewart and some spending money for scouting abroad. It’s a big gamble for the Phillies considering the injury hazards of the catching position.
You’re delusional!!! Miami got fleeced in this deal. They got NOTHING!!!
Miami got fleeced?? They ditched a player who already said he won’t be resigning and extension in Miami…. and they received a highly rated pitching prospect, starting caliber (though not great) catcher, cash, etc. for a player who would be useless to them after next year (Realmuto does nothing for the marlins since they are nowhere near ready to compete in the next 2 seasons)….
So how exactly did Miami get fleeced?
Aw man those single A prospects are going to lead the Marlins to the division title in 2024 I can see it now
@David Makai they might. But we know for sure that Realmuto wouldn’t have.
You certainly know how to look on the bright side. “Welp Alfaro’s still young….that means I can ignore his horrific strikeout rate and below average production at 25 years old.” “Welp, sure he’s only in single A and threw 50 innings and got hurt…..he could be the next Pedro!” “Wow! A southpaw lefty with a good year in single A! Sounds like the next Randy Johnson to me!” “Realmuto didn’t lead the Marlins to the championship so him being THE BEST catcher in the game is barely an improvement over the up and coming soon to be all-star Alfaro!” Nobody’s saying the Marlins didn’t get a good deal, but if you think more than 1 of those prospects will amount to the level of talent Realmuto is, I think you’re a little crazy!
That’s only the “bright side” by default. We Padres fans don’t have much to get excited about besides all those “sure thing” prospects.
Dude, you’re obviously clueless if you think Miami got fleeced. Any team in baseball would be excited to add Sixto to their farm system. He was the Phillies #1 prospect and is now the Marlins #1. But obviously you know better than professionals.
In my opinion, the prospects the Phillies gave up, were B level prospects. This deal is a total steal.
A pitcher with arm issues, a catcher that cant hit, and a single A talented pitcher.
Phillies won big.
SD fan who knows nothing about baseball. Par for the course.
These people are in love with the fact that they are prospects, young and controllable. Elite major league production means little to nothing to a lot of these people.
Welcome to my world.
yeah Alfaro does not have “high upside” by any stretch fo the imagination…
Are you kidding? He’s great behind the plate. Already better than Realmuto defensively. Offensively, he was mediocre in a young lineup full of mediocre hitters. He has plenty of time to grow into a start player. Do I think he’ll ever be Realmuto’s caliber? No, but giving up a top pitching prospect and a pretty valuable catcher hurts. The Marlins made out like bandits here.
Now if the Phillies add Harper to the mix? Now we’re talking.
Lets not put Alfaro in the same conversation as Realmuto
They were just traded for each other and this is the thread for that trade. They will be together in the converation.
Lol!
Talent wise
And is Alfaro great behind the plate? Why? Because he has a cannon for an arm? If I’m not mistaken, didn’t he lead the NL in passed balls in 2018?
“He’s great behind the plate.”
Really? Except for a great throwing arm he is a brick back there. He never missed an opportunity for a passed ball he didn’t like and tuned block-able/catch-able balls into WP’s.
At the plate he sees every other pitch as a chance to “show off his HR swing”. Instead he just created a lot of breeze.
Does he have a chance to be better? Sure, if he listens. I was actually hoping the Phillies would bring in a decent veteran catcher to mentor, and hopefully get through to, him because the coaching staff sure couldn’t.
Alfaro better than Realmuto defensively. Wow. Incredible imagination you have. Sorry, a great arm is just 1 tool.
Wonder if this is what pushes Harper over to Philly. He’s already friends with Rhys Hoskins. Harper really wanted the Nats to sign Realmuto. Does this turn the tide? Was this move a precursor to another move?
Phillies need to start spending that stupid money. Not happy with this one unless it leads to something else.
Alfaro wasn’t bad. Marlins made out well.
Seems like a fair deal. But JT, in that lineup/ballpark is now the #1 offensive catcher in MLB. And I never heard any pitcher think “framing” is anything more than saber silliness; umpires influence framing metrics more than catchers do. So JT is also among the better defenders.
A concern is definitely Sixto’s work ethic, which, interestingly, was also a concern with Brinson. Could it be that players are more than their statistical value? What a concept!
But Alfaro is getting undersold; he’s not bad at all. And “pitchability” lefties (Stewart), especially coming out of High School, are getting a lot more respect these days (see Yarborough, Ryan).
Seems that if there’s any edge, it’s to the Phillies. Besides, as the great philosopher Whimpy said. “A hamburger today is worth more than the promise of two hamburgers tomorow”.
Framing is why Perez caught for Maddux and not Lopez
Haha!!! Dumba@$$ Jeter. Could have had either Amed Rosario, Michael Conforto or Brandon Nimmo including a couple of Top Prospects from the Mets but got too greedy. I’m happy that this is the return they got and that nobody overpaid.
Really? That’s all the Marlins got for “the best catcher in baseball”? Wow! After asking for the moon, they settled for only top 100 prospect, a defensive minded 25 yr old catcher (past prospect age), and a Class-A throw in!
Way to go, Jeter! After trading your all All-Star outfield and ending up with not one top 100 prospect, you really out did yourself on trading JTR. Even the only real prospect you got from this deal missed most of this season with a elbow injury, which makes Sixto incredibly risky as the main return. Jeter clearly didn’t learn much about deal making or value in all those yrs with the Yankees.
Okay you can fire Klentak now.
for doing what the owner wanted him to do?
Go sign a catcher.
For upgrading the roster with an elite talent?
This is not the guy you put all your chips in on. Best catcher in baseball is like dating the hottest chick at Fat Camp.
And why’s that?
And what chips are you talking about?
You may be dense, but Sixto is ranked 13th best prospect by BA. You trade for elite pitching, you pay for hitting. Much harder to find and develop elite pitching than it is to find a guy that can hit 20 hrs from behind the plate.
Any year a single catcher doesn’t have +5.0 WAR is a down year for backstops (6x since 2000).
They could have gone out and bought Grandal for 2 years and traded for 3 years of Kluber, 2 years of Bauer/Ray and probably not have had to give up Sixto.
Sixto is the highest ranking SP the Phillies have had that I can recall. Ranked higher thank Cole, Carrasco, Drabek, May, Biddle, Nola,
Okay, so you show me the franchise that’s doing it better.
Z-A
Grandal could have been deadly in that ballpark.
The Realmuto trade forces them to go all-in on 2019. Otherwise, they have given away their elite prospect for nothing of substance. In fact, it would set them back. As their roster currently stands, much work to be done.
A starting pitcher or two is a must. They need a #2 guy who is better than Arrieta. Options are limited, as execs and player agents know the Phils’ situation. Kluber/Bauer likely out of reach. I’m thinking they throw stupid money at Keuchel while also making a run at Ray.
Other needs are a major bullpen piece and, let’s face it, one of the two big remaining FA hitters. They cannot leave this to chance after letting Sixto go. More quality players are needed — and no one will be looking to give them a bargain. Whatever they planned spending on some combination of Machado, Harper, Kimbrel and Keuchel, those offers must be increased. It’s stupid money or else, with not much time to get it done.
Disagree. With the signing of Robertson they’ll have plenty of bullpen, and along with Seranthony the back end could be really nasty if Neris can keep his late season 2018 form. They traded for Pazos from Seattle, and add in the decent middle innings guys they already had (Neshek, Hunter, Morgan, Arano, Ramos) they have the makings af a pretty good bullpen.
They have more immediate needs elsewhere.
Makings is not a given. It is an iffy bullpen.
Alfaro reminds me of a top Toronto catching prospect a few years back. The name eludes me. A ton of power but lousy contact. I really thought Kingery would be the other guy. I give the nod to the Phillies on this one. They have upgraded OF, SS, 1B and C this offseason on offense and defense. I would like to see them deal for another good starter.
JP Arencibia?
That’s him. Thanks Dave.
I thought the same thing after watching him strikeout half the time he was up last year. He’s got a great arm and that’s about it.
I think. Travis D’arnard.
Phinally. Pitching prospects are a crap shoot if they are going to stay healthy or not. If six toes Sanchez is a star, you can always trade for him in 3-4 years at Marlins firesale 2023.
what does everyone do with the end piece of bread in the loaf??
stick it in the freezer till you get another or just butter it..still very good
Okidokie pholks…The Phillies got a catcher who can actually make contact..also, just the idea of a catcher who you know, can actually catch the ball..How many times did we all write olé with each passed ball…should also be a bunch less wind in The Bank without all those strikeouts..
it was fun however watching Alfaro throw..the guy has a cannon attached to his shoulder
The worst defense last year is getting better with each deal…
Sixto is a great get by the Guppies..should be a good one
Congrats, Phils. They showed they wanted to win more than any other team in the mix. Including my Reds, who, if pitching was what the Fish wanted, could’ve offered a number of highly regarded guys as well. It’s sad that our FO didn’t follow through after the great moves they’ve already made.
Prefer this trade from the Marlins’ POV. Philly basically has to win a NL pennant in the next 2 years for this to be worth it. Miami just put a nice dent in a division rival’s farm system which can only make them weaker during the Marlins’ next contention window.
A top 100 prospect, a graduated top 100 prospect with 5 more years of control who has looked pretty good in the Majors thus far and some other non-marginal pieces is pretty good for two years of Realmuto who the Marlins had essentially no leverage on. Glad my Padres didn’t outbid the Phils.
And you didn’t need to. Nice to have Hedges and Mejia
Exactly. I never understood the Padres interest in Realmuto. Not only is catching an organizational strength, but we have more urgent needs at the big league level. Preller’s running out of time to prove he can build an actual big league roster that can do more than serve as a scrimmage team for the rest of the NL.
everybody is thinking way too 1 sided about this. it’s great for both sides. Marlins weren’t going anywhere with 2 years of control remaining so they flipped him for 2-3 potentially big league contributors. also from phillys side, they’re clearly in win now and have so much money and clear future paybooks that losing an unproven but very talented potential starter 2 or 3 years down the road was an acceptable price. as for alfaro he seems to have a power arm but his over 30 percent strike out rate is concerning regardless. strikeouts and not timely hitting with RISP contributed to their collapse in the 2nd half so alfaro was deemed expendable. everyone saying that they had 5 years of cheap control of him was the disappointment. well we are talking about the big money phillies not OAK, TB, etc… all said and done phillies have 2 years of the best all around catcher in baseball and the marlins got the blue chip they needed.
Hate it as a Mets fan…but good on Philly..Sanchez…while electric…is coming off an injury and in my opinion may end up in the bullpen..but a lower tier ace is possible. Alfaro is….meh….i mean he can still breal through…but i just dont see it. Im not too keen on the 3rd prospect…and its always good to get $$ for international signings…still….
Im sorry….but the Marlins got fleeced. Or they came waaaay down in the demand department…because 2 of Nimmo,Conforto and Rosario PLUS another top prospect…anf slot $$…jeeez…
Mets did good by dodging that 4yr Grandal deal…Ramos is just as good for almost 1/3 of the cost. Now we see where Harper and Machado land…Philly gets one and the NL East is gonna be something to see
Ramos can flat out hit..I hope his hammies hold up..
None of your Mets prospects are worth it buddy. You fans are way too high on your young guys they ain’t worth crap
Turn the page….PLEASE!!!
Now get Harper or Machado , then top it all off with keuchel
Don’t know if the Phillies get either Harper or Machado, but I agree that Dallas is a real need..gotta get that lefty in the rotation..
Agreed. Adding a lefty to the rotation would be big now
They will probably get both. I guarantee they get Harper
The Phillies are one of the teams it makes more since to acquire JTR. They stand a better chance to extend him because they have the money to do it, justifying then more so in paying a steep price in talent. If the Braves had done this trade they wouldn’t have much of a chance to extend or resign him come free agency.
The Phillies having the money to sign Realmuto doesn’t make this trade make more sense. You could just as easily argue that it makes this trade make less sense because they could have signed him in 2 years and kept their prospects. For the Braves, who don’t have quite as much money, there is more of an urgency to get him in house and gamble on him liking Atlanta enough to give them a discount. The Phillies, on the other hand, can just offer him “stupid money” to sign there.
Yeah because who needs the best catcher in baseball for 2 years now while he’s cheap?
In a few years Alfaro and Sanchez will get flipped
The NL east is going to be fascinating to watch this year.
I agree…all these NLE teams are much closer to each other.
I think that saga went on longer than this website existed.
Overpay.
The Marlins would have gotten a lot more from the Padres if they had allowed them to discuss an extension with JTR first.
That would have required JT to actually agree to an extension
Possibly. I earlier made the equation of Hedges, Paddack and Lawson. Looking at the cumulative rankings, it’s probably closer to Hedges, Gore and Lawson (plus the money). That’s as close as I can come to a comparable package.
Now you’re saying they (Miami) would have gotten more? Would you give up more than deal part 2 (above)?
That’s gonna be a hard pass from me. Extension or otherwise. Good thing Klentak saved Preller from himself here.
Still don’t have the pitching needed to win it all.
The Phillies don’t have anything close to competing for anything.
Based on what empirical data?
They filled out the bullpen and guys like Pivetta and Eflin have a year under their belt. Time will tell
Sixto for Realmuto, straight up, would’ve been equitable. Adding Alfaro is crazy overpay. Good job Jeter. He waited, and waited, and finally found a sucker.
What’s so special about Alfaro again?
A prospect for a legit star isn’t “equitable”
If you’re the marlins and the Phillies offer you ONLY Sanchez, you hang up
Marlins only had two catchers on their 40-man roster. Of course you give them a catcher in return.
Sanchez could become something, but it seems like every young flame throwing starter that comes along these days winds up having to have TJ surgery before their 23rd birthday.
Does it really seem like that? Because, in fact, the vast majority of pitchers DO NOT wind up having TJ surgery before their 23rd birthday.
Gave up way too much. Can’t believe they gave up Sixto.
What’s way too much? A below average catcher and a few prospects for a proven talent?
It’s like Sixto threw 200 ip of sub 3.50 era baseball over the past 4 years the way they are reacting to this kid…..just like completely ignoring the red flags and the fact he got injured last year after throwing like 50 innings. Oh yeah, huge overpay for the BEST CATCHER IN THE MLB who makes under $6M for 2 whole seasons in his prime. These are the same people who would have held onto prospects instead of trading for Cliff Lee.
David do you give prospects any value? You know the majors are made up of former prospects that’s how the process works you know. Some will make it some want but to not put a value on each prospect and what their potential could be as well as how low their floor could be. Some guys you will have knowing they’ll just be cost controlled bench or relievers in the majors but that has value when you don’t have to pay a veteran more. Some prospects are the next starts of baseball possibly. They are lotto tickets yes. But the team with the best tickets and a good amount will ultimately come out with some really good players or stars from those prospects that will be under team control for many years. That’s how teams survive with a mix of controlled youth and veterans on extensions or free agent deals for big money. If the Phillies go nowhere while Realmuto is there which is very possible and Sixto turns out to be a legit ace making peanuts for 4-5 years it might not feel so good
Thanks for explaining “prospects” and how they get to the major leagues to me. I didn’t know that. Do you mind also explaining how these prospects turn into the best catcher in baseball…..for $6m a year? Do you not value the best catcher in baseball for 2 years at $6m?
Realmuto, I believe, is third year arbitration eligible in 2020. He’ll get a lot more than $6 million. Like triple that.
And some people over-value their prospects at the expense of their ML roster. The seem to forget the idea is to win in the big leagues.
Yay. And now I don’t have to see any more rumors about him. By the way Phillies, it looks like a ‘someday overpay’, especially when it reels you in no titles. Not even the division. Pitching. Yeah. That.
After all the winter finagling, NL East looks the same as last year.
Braves. Nationals. Phillies. Mets. Marlins. Gaps between teams also about the same.
They said Sixto Sanchez throws the easiest 100 MPH in baseball .Hes like 5’9″ 160 lbs but the ball comes out of his hand like a laser. No one understands it. Should be fun to watch for Marlins hope he can stay healthy. Alfaro has a bright future but still raw. Reflexes not the best behind plate.. One of Phils relievers threw a 98 mph b.b. that nailed the ump right in chest before Alfaro even raised his mitt, ump dropped like a redwood. … No brainer for Phils obtaining Realmuto , trying to load up on winning assets to lure Harper or Machado.. Realmuto/hoskins a huge carrot and nice protection for Phils to wave out there.
Man, Philly gave up a lot! They had a good catching prospect, Sixto is extreamly young and philly needs pitching now and in the future. I think they gave up too much for an overrated catcher. I think he’ll have a decent year, but way to much hype for the guy they got
Overrated? Who is overrating him? Take a deep look at his numbers
I did look at his numbers, he’s a good player (not a great player) he’ll most likely have a decent/good year. But there was way too much talk about this guy since the last two months.
5 tool player as a catcher. He’s a monster. Look at his 2nd level stats.
Phillies got themselves a stud
Your post started solid, but then the “overrated catcher” comment really took you down. It’s like the first half of the season you hit .320 with 21 HR and 63 RBI’s, but then the second half you hit .187 and led the league hitting into DP’s……..
I wasn’t trying to impress anybody with my “second half” of the comment. That’s how I feel about the Phillies new catcher. I think he’s a good player not a (great) player. He had a few good seasons and people are acting like he’s Ivan Rodriguez or mike piazza. I think there’s a good chance that he won’t live up to the hype this season that everybody thinks he’s going to be. How was that?.. Would you say that was about a 250 avg with 17 home runs?
The wordiest, most comma filled post ever. It’s like these writers take every chance to write lengthy sentences and throw meaningless adverbs or words like “then” in as much as possible. This post could be half as long.
If Realmuto has a career like Yadier Molina I may applaud this trade. But It just doesn’t happen too often where catchers remain all around good hitters and backstops for the length of their careers. Furthermore if Sixto really does turn out to be the next Pedro Martinez it may be hard for the Phillies to win this trade even if Realmuro maximizes his potential.
Realmuto is a stud. His home/road splits were lopsided due to Marlins Park ranking 30th as the most hitter friendly park. CBP ranks 4th. If healthy, this guy is going to take
If it turns out Yadier Molina for Pedro Martinez its a win/win for both Phils and Marlins. Well let me fix that ,A win for the Phils and a Win for the team that obtains Sixto Sanchez when he becomes the Marlins next salary dump.
“Turns out?” He’s THE BEST already at 27.
The Phillies now have no choice to go for it for these next two years or more. I like Realmuto and would love to have his two years of control. But when you give up Sixto and a catching prospect with high upside in Alfaro you can’t let these two years go by and not be fighting for a championship in October. I think it was a mistake for the Phillies with where they sit currently. If they had a deep post season run last season and had one or two holes needing filled to get over the hump this might be worth the risk. But they aren’t in any position to call themselves even contenders at this point. They have too much work to do that isn’t guaranteed to work out. This move almost forces them to outbid or overbid to be certain they get the guys they need and they need more than a couple. Even then it’s hard to predict with so many new additions how it’ll all come together. Most times that a teams set out to turn themselves into contenders with multiple big signings in a single offseason it turns out really bad. You aren’t being as selective targeting a guy or two every year you feel is worth signing. Now it’s we need to sign like three of the top four remaining free agents and hope it all comes together when they take the field together for the first time. You haven’t has enough success to predict what it will take to make a push.
Then what are they really supposed to do? Sit by and not try and improve their team now while the rest of the division is?Sell their fans on another losing season?They’ve been in a rebuild for the past 8 years. With the moves they have made this offseason, they clearly addressed areas of serious need. Their offense was lacking and the defense was bottoms in the majors. They didn’t just sign these guys and make the trades they’ve made just for the sake of doing it
Farm systems are so deep in baseball and there are so many players. You never really know when someone may come out of nowhere. Is it hard to give up young pitching with potential? Sure it is. But it’s not like they got a stiff in return.
With the moves they’ve made, it puts the Phillies as contenders to win the division and if they land either Harper or Machado, it puts them that much more over the top
Nice old fashioned win-win trade for both sides
Realmutto is a solid addition to ANY roster, cant fault the Phills for pulling the trigger. Time will tell if they overpaid or got a steal. In prospect capital the price was steep, and just two years of control would make me nervous as a GM. But hey, if it all comes together he may fall in love with his new team and sign an extension. And I have to think that if the Phills are anywhere in the ballpark on Machado or Harper this deal makes them a much more attractive option than they were a couple days ago.
Saw a poll..which NLE team has the best chance to win the division..As a Phan, I wanted to pick the Phils, but I chose to make it an honest pick. I stuck with the Nats, They have the best combination of pitching and offense without Harper.
After that, I lean slightly to the Bravos because they have young talent in a lot of positions..
The Mets have great pitching also..
The Phillies right now have Nola and Arrieta and after that, a lot of promise..They need Dallas Keuchel ..he would elevate the Phillies to a very good rotation.
I like Nick Williams, for a single season, the Phillies would upgrade just as much with both Keuchel and Kimbrel as with Harper. The problem is that neither Keuchel nor Kimbrel will be available on a two year deal and they are both likely to fade thereafter whereas Harper is younger and as a pitcher likely to be a plus-WAR player for another decade barring injury.
Both Keuchel and Kimbrel COMBINED
Harper . . . as a non-pitcher
My prediction is still Harper to Nationals ten years 300 million crazy opt-outs every couple years.. My prediction is Machado to Phillies, 8 years 250 million fewer opt-outs. Kimbrel to Red Sox for three years and 60. Keuchel could end up anywhere, I will guess back with Astros on shorter deal. Moose to Padres two years 30 million.
If the red sox won’t upgrade their bullpen, why do you think they’ll shell out $20m a year for another lefty sp?