Phillies Acquire J.T. Realmuto From Marlins
The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto from the Miami Marlins, the team announced on Thursday.
Miami will recieve catcher Jorge Alfaro, pitching prospects Sixto Sanchez and Will Stewart and international bonus pool money in exchange for Realmuto.
Sanchez is a 20-year-old right-hander and is considered the Phillies' top pitching prospect. Alfaro hit .262 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs in 344 major league at bats in 2018.
The Marlins were engaged in trade discussions with multiple teams for most of the offseason before completing the deal. Other teams that were interested included the Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres.
Last season, Realmuto hit .277 with a career-high 74 RBIs and 21 home runs. He also started 111 games behind the plate and earned his first All-Star nod. The 27-year-old avoided arbitration with the Marlins this offseason by agreeing to a $5.9 million salary for 2019.
Realmuto will join Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp who made his major league debut in 2017. Last season, Knapp batted .198/.294/.316 with four home runs and 15 RBIs.
