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Mets, Yankees, Marlins In Talks On Three-Team Deal Involving J.T. Realmuto

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TODAY, 10:36pm: Brian Cashman said Tuesday that the Yankees aren’t involved in active discussions to acquire a catcher, but Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that the Yanks did contact the Marlins about Realmuto on Monday. Moreover, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, the Yankees remain a possibility for Realmuto. Regardless, a trade involving Realmuto going to New York or anywhere else is not imminent, Frisaro adds.

7:20pm: The chances of this three-team deal occurring seem to be fizzling, Martino suggests.

4:23pm: An official involved in the discussions “downplayed” the possibility of a three-team trade involving Syndergaard, Puma tweets. Puma adds that the Marlins do want Rosario and another player from the Mets, likely outfielder Brandon Nimmo.

2:28pm: The Mets are increasingly aggressive in pursuit of Realmuto, sources tell both Heyman (Twitter link) and Sherman (via Twitter).

Interestingly, multiple reporters (starting with Sherman) have now floated the concept of the Mets dealing shortstop Amed Rosario to get Realmuto, then turning around to sign a gap-filling, glove-first infielder. It’s hard to know what to make of this, but it seems like more than the separate musings of these writers. Over the past few weeks, the new Mets front office has seemingly been willing to put feelers out on its possible strategies through the media.

10:37am: Marlins CEO Derek Jeter is “insisting” that a deal involving Realmuto must bring a quality MLB-level piece to Miami, per Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). That lends further credence to the concept of Yankees youngster Miguel Andujar possibly being involved in a three-team arrangement.

Notably, Spencer adds that Realmuto “will” be moved at some point this winter, quite possibly in the near future. Of course, that doesn’t mean he’ll necessarily land with the Mets.

While it’s still far from clear that this particular three-team scenario has legs, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the Yankees have the clear impression that the Mets are willing to engage with them in earnest — even on a deal of this magnitude.

It’s worth noting, too, that there are other possible multi-team arrangements that could be considered to aid the Mets in landing Realmuto. And perhaps it’s not out of the question that the Yankees could pick him up for their own purposes. Sherman hints (Twitter links) that the club could at least in theory do that while modifying the roles of some notable existing players, though he also casts doubt on the possibility.

YESTERDAY, 11:04pm: The Yankees are “pushing hard” to swing a deal with the Mets, and are interested in Mets pitchers other than only Syndergaard, according to Andy Martino (Twitter links).

10:02pm: The Mets, Yankees, and Marlins have discussed a three-team trade that would see J.T. Realmuto end up on the Mets’ roster, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter links).  Making the deal into a true blockbuster, Noah Syndergaard may also be part of the negotiations, according to both the New York Post’s Mike Puma and SNY.tv’s Andy Martino.

As per Martino’s source, however, the Mets are also weighing “10 other scenarios” and it doesn’t seem like this trade or any other is necessarily close.  A “lot of smoke [but] not a lot of fire” is how one person familiar with the talks describes things to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  It would seemingly take more than just Realmuto to pry Syndergaard away from the Mets, as Rosenthal notes that the right-hander has three years of control to Realmuto’s two, unless the Mets were also receiving more in the trade.  The Mets and Yankees have “touched base” on Syndergaard in the past, though the star right-hander’s involvement would certainly make the Yankees much more than a simple “conduit” in such a trade.

Needless to say, this would be quite a surprising result to the long-simmering Realmuto trade scenario, simply because of both New York teams collaborating on a major deal.  As Rosenthal points out, the Yankees and Mets haven’t linked up on a notable trade since December 2004, when the Big Apple rivals swapped Felix Heredia and Mike Stanton.  Still, Martino tweeted earlier today that the Mets were exploring three-team options as part of an overall “very aggressive” approach to the trade market, while Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman reported that there was some speculation that the Yankees could be involved as a “conduit” in a Realmuto deal rather than acquiring the Miami catcher themselves.

At first glance, it would appear as if the Yankees would be supplying some of the minor league talent that the Mets are unable or unwilling to provide in order to meet Miami’s large asking price for Realmuto’s services.  The Yankees seem like one of several teams the Mets are examining as potential partners in a Realmuto trade, as Rosenthal tweets that the Mets are exploring multiple three-team scenarios as well as standard two-teams swaps with just the Marlins.

Mets Met With Wilson Ramos On Tuesday

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  • The Brewers met yesterday with free agent backstop Wilson Ramos and his representatives, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports. Positive vibes seem to have emerged from the sit-down on both sides, which could perhaps spur some momentum toward a match. The Mets met with Ramos today, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post was among those to tweet, though the New York club is seemingly pushing on other fronts first.
  • Eight teams are interested in infielder Wilmer Flores, Heyman tweets. The 27-year-old Flores was an above-average offensive player with the Mets in each of the past three seasons, though he did most of his damage against lefties and dealt with injury issues. The Mets non-tendered Flores last month.

Mets, Rangers Have Talked Trade

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  • The Rangers have engaged in trade discussions with both the Braves and Mets, TR Sullivan of MLB.com tweets. Unsurprisingly, pitching-starved Texas is seeking young and controllable arms, according to Sullivan, who notes that the Braves and Mets are looking for outfield help. However, New York’s seeking a right-handed outfielder, as Sullivan points out, and the Rangers’ most notable outfielders (Shin-Soo Choo, Nomar Mazara and Joey Gallo) are lefty-swingers.

Mets, White Sox Interested In Yasmani Grandal

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The Mets are focused on acquiring catcher J.T. Realmuto, but they seem to have a fallback plan behind the plate if those talks collapse. Free agent Yasmani Grandal has emerged as a “strong possibility” for the Mets, Andy Martino of SNY tweets. Likewise, the White Sox are “looking at” Grandal, per Buster Olney of ESPN.

The 30-year-old Grandal, who has spent his career with the Padres and Dodgers, ranks as the top catcher available in free agency this winter. MLBTR predicts Grandal will receive a four-year, $64MM contract on the heels of yet another strong season in Los Angeles, where the switch-hitter slashed .241/.349/.466 (125 wRC+) and totaled at least 20 home runs (24) for the third straight campaign. He’s also a well-regarded backstop, despite some notable miscues in the playoffs, as Baseball Prospectus ranked him as the premier defensive catcher in the game in 2018.

Any team that signs Grandal would have to give up more than just money, as he rejected a $17.9MM qualifying offer from the Dodgers after the season. In the cases of New York and Chicago, that would mean surrendering their second-highest draft pick and $500K in international signing bonus pool space in 2019. Meanwhile, the Dodgers would receive a compensatory draft pick after Competitive Balance Round B for Grandal’s departure.

For both the Mets and White Sox, it’s easy to see a fit for Grandal. New York’s current catcher trio – Travis d’Arnaud, Kevin Plawecki and Tomas Nido – inspires little confidence, while the White Sox traded 2018 starter Omar Narvaez to the Mariners for reliever Alex Colome earlier this offseason. The White Sox do still have veteran Welington Castillo on hand, though he only has one guaranteed year left on his contract, and general manager Rick Hahn said Tuesday (via James Fegan of The Athletic) that prospects Zack Collins and Seby Zavala aren’t yet ready for the majors. However, Hahn did note that it would make more sense “on paper” for the White Sox to pursue a backup catcher instead of a starter.

Player Rumors: Realmuto, Gonzalez, Roark

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The Marlins are downplaying rumors of a potential 3-team swap that would send catcher J.T. Realmuto to the Mets, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter). The Yankees would also be included in this hypothetical blockbuster, but the Marlins aren’t lending much credence to the idea. They do plan to move Realmuto, it seems, and with only three teams reportedly in the mix, the Marlins could be narrowing in on the market. Still, the rumor mill shifts every few moments when it comes to Realmuto, and it would seem prudent to temper expectations of a deal until word comes from Marlins camp directly. Elsewhere in player rumors…

  • First baseman Adrian Gonzalez hopes to continue his playing career in 2019, and he’s improved his conditioning to do so, per ESPN’s Buster Olney (via Twitter). It’s an unforgiving market for inflexible corner infield types, however, and Gonzalez has not seen a lot of traction since he last saw the playing field with the Mets early in 2018. Still, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets the Diamondbacks could have interest in signing the veteran bat. Gonzalez, 36, has played for the Rangers, Padres, Red Sox, Dodgers and Mets across a long and storied career, but his opportunity to see significant playing time would seem to have passed. The Diamondbacks are a curious fit, if only because Gonzalez is unlikely to develop into much of a trade chip, given the current market interest, and playing time at first base is likely committed to restoring the value of Jake Lamb, a much higher-upside potential asset. Still, adding Gonzalez as a clubhouse veteran and lefty bat off the bench isn’t wholly unreasonable for a transitioning team like Arizona, especially given the exodus of so many veteran leaders. Speculatively speaking, Gonzalez could fit the mold of a been-there, seen-that veteran leader the Cubs are reportedly seeking, and their recent trade of Tommy La Stella did open a roster spot that’s been held by a lefty bat used more-or-less exclusively as a pinch-hitter. At this stage of his career, however, with his slugging numbers cratering in his last two campaigns, Gonzalez is unlikely to be a primary target anywhere, and he may have to earn a spot on a major league team as a non-roster invitee. 
  • Tanner Roark’s name is being floated in trade circles as someone the Nationals would be willing to surrender, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). This jives with earlier reports that the Nationals continue to seek rotation reinforcements, even after the signing of Patrick Corbin. Roark, 32, has been a steady rotation presence for the past three seasons, though he has yet to recapture the magic of a 2016 that saw him post a 16-10 record with a 2.83 ERA over 210 innings. The last two seasons seem more in line with expectations moving forward, as Roark has averaged 30 starts, 181 innings, and a 4.50 ERA (4.20 FIP) over that span. His 2019 salary is projected around $9.8MM, making him a relatively affordable one-year option as he enters his last year of arbitration, though depending on the assets being asked in return, a free agent flyer, in the ilk of Tyson Ross’s recent $5.75MM deal with Detroit, may be just as (if not more) attractive to teams looking to fill out the back end of their rotation. For the Nationals, it’s a little surprising to see them shopping Roark given their lack of established depth in the upper levels of the minors. It’s not surprising that they’d want to upgrade the rotation behind Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Corbin, but to do so at the cost of Roark feels unnecessarily Sisyphean. After dealing Jefry Rodriguez to the Indians in the Yan Gomes deal, top in-house rotation candidates beyond Roark include Joe Ross, 25, Erick Fedde, 25, and Kyle McGowin, 27 – none of whom would necessarily be considered “established” rotation pieces.

NL Notes & Rumors: Mets, Realmuto, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, K. Marte, Lamb, Fowler

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Though earlier reports suggested the Mets’ pursuit of catcher J.T. Realmuto was a “long shot,” MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets that the team is “considered” one of only three teams (with the other two not yet known) “in the mix” for the 27-year-old.  The whirlwind of activity surrounding the star backstop, at this point, seems matched only by the Mets’ frantic pursuit of blockbuster deals in all directions, so the potential intersection of the two remains a fascinating watch indeed.  Frisaro does, however, downplay the plausibility of the rumored three-team deal that would also include the Yankees.

In other news from around the Senior Circuit . . .

  • Per Jon Heyman of Fancred, none of the Dodgers’ glut of outfielders are unavailable in trades, including 2017 NL Rookie of the Year Cody Bellinger. He does imply, though, that 23-year-old Bellinger would be most difficult to get; other options, like Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson, and youngster Alex Verdugo have most often found their names circulating in the swirling winds of trade season, though Chris Taylor, who’s averaged nearly 4.0 fWAR over the last two seasons, is apparently on the table as well. One of Pederson or Verdugo would, as quality lefty bats capable of handling center field, seem the most logical candidate to be moved, but the notoriously coy Andrew Friedman, long a sucker for homegrown talent, may be setting his sights elsewhere. Pederson, for one, has a value difficult to gauge precisely – his frightening platoon splits (129 career wRC+ vs RHP, 61 wRC+ vs left) at times mask a steadily productive output (10.1 fWAR since ’15) in the four years since his debut. LA, of course, is thought to be seeking upgrades at the front of the rotation.
  • The Diamondbacks, who earlier today indicated to blood-smelling clubs that they aren’t interested in a full rebuild, may react to core departures by shuffling current regulars to different spots across the diamond. Indeed, as GM Mike Hazen indicated to MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert this morning, current third baseman Jake Lamb may shift to first, while incumbent second baseman and sometimes shortstop Ketel Marte could see time in center field. The club is still exploring trade-market upgrades in center, and hasn’t completely given up on resigning A.J. Pollock, but Hazen explicitly pinpointed Marte as a legitimate, “full-time” option at the position in 2019. Marte, who signed a 5-year, $24MM extension just days prior to last season, put together a solid, 2.5 fWAR season for the Snakes last year, slashing .260/.332/.437 (104 wRC+) in nearly a full season’s worth of time.
  • The Cardinals appear to be comfortable with outfielder Dexter Fowler opening the 2019 season as the starter in right field, per President of Baseball Ops John Mozeliak via MLB.com’s Jennifer Langosch. Fowler, of course, is owed nearly $50MM over the next three seasons, and just completed a dreadful, injury-marred ’18 campaign with the Redbirds. His -1.2 fWAR, muffled by a career-worst .118 ISO, was among the worst in baseball last season, though the 32-year-old had been above-league-average offensively in each of the seven seasons prior to last. With left field still manned by Marcell Ozuna, and center earmarked for the burgeoning Harrison Bader, outfield additions seem to have been put on the St. Louis back burner for the time being.

Mets Meet With Wilson Ramos

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The Mets had a meeting with Wilson Ramos and his camp today, the New York Post’s Mike Puma reports (via Twitter).  While the Mets are known to be exploring the catching market, some reports characterized Ramos as something of a secondary target for New York due to concerns about his lengthy injury history and his defense.  Still, it can’t hurt for the club to touch base with Ramos to see if there’s a fit, especially since talks between the Mets and Martin Maldonado (reportedly atop the team’s list) had yet to develop as of last week.

Infield Notes: Machado, Realmuto, LeMahieu, Merrifield, Hernandez, Arenado

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Superstar free agent Manny Machado will not meet with teams in Las Vegas, it seems, preferring instead to visit suitors at their home parks, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). That would seem to suggest that his market won’t take off over the week to come, though surely there’ll be relevant developments. If Machado is indeed plotting a course of courtship that will take place over the coming weeks, then perhaps there’s more room for earlier developments in other segments of the infield market …

  • Behind the dish, the Marlins’ asking price on J.T. Realmuto may be creeping back down to more realistic levels, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. The organization has long been said to be asking for an enormous return in exchange for two seasons of the game’s best backstop, which truthfully isn’t an unreasonable starting point. Still, as Sherman notes, the club will ultimately likely be forced to take what the offer will give. For the Mets, pursuit of Realmuto is still seen “as a long shot,” Sherman adds on Twitter. And the Phillies are presently focused on other pursuits, per Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter), such that they haven’t engaged with their division rivals in Miami regarding Realmuto in a few weeks’ time.
  • The Athletics have reached out to second baseman DJ LeMahieu as they continue to explore the market for second basemen, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. That’s not an indication that the Oakland org is out on Jed Lowrie, so much as the latest sign that a reunion is anything but inevitable with both parties seeing other people. LeMahieu himself likely isn’t the only alternative being considered, Slusser notes; she goes on to explore some of the other opportunities that could be pondered by the A’s brass.
  • In a boon to free agents and teams with potential trade chips at second base, Royals GM Dayton Moore tells MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan (Twitter link) that he is not getting as many questions of late about Whit Merrifield. That’s not because of a lack of interest, though, so much as the fact that the Royals have “pretty much made it clear” they will hold onto the late-blooming star. Merrifield will not even be eligible for arbitration until 2020, though he’ll turn thirty before the start of the 2019 season. From an outside perspective, this seems an ideal time to market a player who’d draw wide interest given his excellent recent production, defensive flexibility, and cheap price tag. But the Kansas City org seems determined to try to build around some of its preexisting roster assets.
  • The Phillies are not finding initial success at generating interest in second baseman Cesar Hernandez, according to Jayson Stark of The Athletic (Twitter link). With a robust slate of free agents at the position and a seemingly increasing list of available trade candidates, there’s some imbalance between the supply and demand. Hernandez, 28, has been a fairly steady performer, but he did fall off a bit with the bat last year and is increasingly expensive at a projected $8.9MM arb salary in his second to last run through the process.
  • Rockies GM Jeff Bridich discussed his team’s long-term relationship possibilities with third baseman Nolan Arenado in an inteview on MLB Network (h/t Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, Twitter links). Bridich says the club can afford to carry a $200MM+ promise to Arenado, citing a “responsible growth” plan for payroll. Of course, that number may only be scratching the surface of what Arenado could command in a hypothetical post-2019 free agency, so it’s far from clear just yet whether the club will be both willing and able to line up on a new deal to keep him from the open market. Otherwise, unsurprisingly, Bridich acknowledged that the Rox are interested in improving not only in the outfield but also at first base to boost a sagging offense.

Mets Notes: Ottavino, Robertson, Trades

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  • The Mets have Adam Ottavino and David Robertson on their list of bullpen targets, SNY.tv’s Andy Martino tweets.  It’s fair to assume that the Mets are casting a wide net in their search for relievers, and either Ottavino or Robertson would represent an excellent setup option for newly-acquired closer Edwin Diaz.  Since Robertson would reportedly prefer to pitch for a team in the Northeast, the Mets may have a geographical edge on many suitors, though other clubs in the area (i.e. the Red Sox and Yankees) have also been linked to Robertson’s market.
  • In other Mets news, the team continues to explore possibilities on the trade front, though some of their most high-profile options (both internal and external) don’t seem to have much traction at the moment.  Both Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman and SNY.tv’s Andy Martino report that the Mets and Padres don’t seem close on a possible Noah Syndergaard swap since San Diego refuses to include elite prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. in talks (not to mention some other top minor leaguers, as Heyman reported last week).  On the acquisition front, Martino also notes that there doesn’t seem to be much cooking between the Mets and the Marlins or Indians in respective talks about J.T. Realmuto or Corey Kluber.

Mets Rumors: Conforto, Nimmo, Rosario

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  • Unsurprisingly, the Mets aren’t willing to part with both Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo in a trade for Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto, Jon Heyman of Fancred reports. Moreover, the Mets don’t want to trade young infielder Amed Rosario at all, Heyman adds. As great as Realmuto is, it wouldn’t make sense for the Mets to trade Conforto and Nimmo – their most valuable outfielders – for two years of control over him. Conforto still has another three years of control left, while Nimmo has four more – including a pre-arb season in 2019.
  • More on the Mets, who – along with the previously reported Chili Davis – have added Chuck Hernandez and Luis Rojas to their coaching staff, Heyman tweets and the the team has since made official. Hernandez will be their bullpen coach, while Rojas will serve as a quality control coach. Hernandez worked as the division-rival Braves’ pitching coach from 2017-18. They dismissed him after last season.
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