Marlins Trade Rumors: J.T. Realmuto to the Dodgers gains more steam

The Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers continue to discuss a trade that would send catcher J.T. Realmuto out west. The Marlins are still interested in players/prospects in the deal.

Multiple sources have confirmed the trade talk between the Miami Marlins and the Los Angeles Dodgers for catcher J.T. Realmuto continues to pick up steam as both teams prepare for Spring Training in less than two weeks.

The news of a deal is not imminent, but the talk between the two front offices has made progress over the last couple of days, with the team zoning in one prospect Keibert Ruiz and potentially other players involved.

We discussed a possible deal involving the Dodgers catching prospect on Marlin Maniac earlier this week.

The news of a possible trade continues to engulf the Marlins organization. No moves have been made this offseason to bolster the bullpen, or to find a power source for the middle of the lineup.

The organization also could be in the market for bench depth and a first baseman.

Realmuto’s status, where he signed a one-year, $5.9 million contract with the team earlier this month, appears to be the hot topic in MLB, with other free agents, Bryce Harper, and Manny Machado, still on the market.

"Per  Katherine Acquavella and Matt Snyder of CBS Sports, “Even after acquiring Russell Martin and A.J. Pollock, the Dodgers might not be done yet this offseason. The team has been in trade talks with the Miami Marlins about catcher J.T. Realmuto basically throughout the winter and now it appears the team’s full focus is on acquiring the All-Star catcher.”"

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Both Bob Nightengale of USA Today and  Jon Heyman of Fancred talked about the intense interest in a deal by both teams on their Twitter accounts.

With the news of the Dodgers in hot pursuit of Realmuto, it should be noted other teams are still believed to be involved in trade talks with the Marlins. The Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and San Diego Padres continue to be mentioned with the Tampa Bay Rays an organization that is falling behind the pack.

When the news broke after the 2018 season that the All-Star catcher did not want to sign a long-term deal with Miami, at least 12 teams were listed as contenders to make a deal.

Those teams started to back off trade talk as Miami’s asking price was considered too high for some organizations. The front office has stood still on its demand for an MLB player or two with contractual control and/or top-level prospects.