Marlins Trade Rumors: The San Diego Padres step to the plate

The San Diego Padres could be a late-inning surprise to not only land Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto, but the team is also interested in slugger Manny Machado.

Another National League West team appears to be in contention to land Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto and possibly add slugger Manny Machado as well. Let’s all welcome the San Diego Padres to the list of teams left in the Realmuto sweepstakes.

Per multiple sources, the Braves, Astros, Dodgers, Reds, Rays and now the Padres are all believed to be the remaining franchises looking to add Realmuto while putting together a package for the Marlins front office that meets their demands of players and/or prospects. Landing one superstar would be a huge coup for the west coast team.

Adding both players would help tighten the NL West considerably.

"Per Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com, “As the Padres wait for their talent-rich farm system to bear fruit, the club is reportedly exploring a couple of big-name additions that could significantly expedite its rebuilding process.”"

There have been talks in recent days of a “surprise” team in contention to sign Machado. The cat must be out of the bag, as a trip out west might make things a bit interesting at Petco Park.

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"“According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, San Diego is pursuing free-agent infielder Manny Machado while also discussing a trade for Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto,” Harrigan added."

Miami has been in steady discussions this week with the Los Angeles Dodgers about a deal for Realmuto. Since the two sides have worked on a trade involving catching prospect Keibert Ruiz, the belief amongst many is the Marlins could take the top catching prospect and other players in a package deal.

No word yet about who the Dodgers were will to part with from the 25-man roster. A holdup in talks from previous weeks was believed to be because Miami wanted Cody Bellinger as part of the deal. The Dodgers front office has balked at the request.

Dealing with the Padres might be a matter of which domino will fall first in acquiring top-level talent. San Diego has the minor league prospects to make this happen with the organization.

Jon Heyman of Fancred posted on his Twitter account the trade for Realmuto may come down to the two California teams, as they both have increased their interest in recent days. He included the Braves, Astros, and Reds as other potential suitors.