Miami Marlins Trade Rumors: Are the Mets interested in J.T. Realmuto?

As if two National League East teams weren’t enough, add the New York Mets to the list of teams interested in Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto.

First, it was the Washington Nationals who made a play for Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto. Then, the Atlanta Braves jumped into the deep end of the pool and proclaimed their desire to make a deal for the All-Star catcher. Now, not to be outdone, it appears the New York Mets, yet another team out of the National League East is on the list of potential suitors to attempt to pry Realmuto from the Marlins clutches.

Every day, it appears another team joins the party and another day goes by that a deal does not get done. The Mets, who will have competition from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, and the New York Yankees, would love to add the power-hitting backstop to their lineup and rotation that could finally reach its potential in 2019.

"Per Steve Adams of mlbtraderumors.com, “The Mets have spoken to the Marlins and are at least considering the possibility of including [Brandon] Nimmo as a centerpiece in a Realmuto deal, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. That said, Sherman cautions that there’s no deal close and that the Marlins are still in talks with multiple other clubs.”"

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The issue in this kind of deal, according to mulitple sources is the Marlins may be more interested in Michael Conforto or Amed Rosario as part of the deal. The Marlins still have control of how a deal would be worked out and who they might want in return. It is certain however, this would not be a deal that includes prospects only. Miami wants a Major League player or two in return, one they can have contractual control over.

Right now, they control Realmuto’s contract this coming season and 2020 before he can become a free agent.

The news of Realmuto potentially playing in New York is old news to some. The New York Yankees and the Marlins front office have had initial discussions about a trade deal. It is believed catcher Gary Sanchez would be part of the package from the American League East team. It is not known if this would be a player-for-player deal or other trade pieces would be involved.

Sanchez has a history of injuries, but hit 18 home runs last season.

I still believe in order for a deal to be made and the Marlins send Realmuto to a division opponent, the trade might be more than the catcher’s worth. Miami should want a ransom in return to make this kind of deal.

"As Adams wrote, “Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM tweets that the Marlins don’t view Nimmo as a potential Realmuto centerpiece and would prefer Rosario or Conforto to headline a package of young players instead. That’s at least somewhat curious, given the fact that Conforto has only one more season of club control remaining than Realmuto.”"