What the Marlins offense will look like without J.T. Realmuto

What does the Miami Marlins offense look like now that the organization has traded away J.T. Realmuto to the Philadelphia Phillies?

The Marlins have finally traded J.T. Realmuto. After an entire offseason dedicated to trying to get rid of their top player, the Marlins bring a nice haul for the trade with the centerpiece of the trade being none other than Sixto Sanchez who ranks as the 27th best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

The trade had to happen even after Realmuto became one of the best catchers in baseball hitting his way to an .277 average with  21 HR’s , 74 RBI’s with a WAR of 4.3. He was above and beyond the best player on the Marlins. So what’s next for Miami?

Well for at least the next couple of years the Marlins will turn the catching duties over to Jorge Alfaro, who was also part of the Realmuto trade from the Phillies. The pressure of carrying the offense will now fall to Brian Anderson who had a terrific rookie campaign hitting .273 with 11 HR’s and 65 RBI’s.

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Anderson has really come out of nowhere to become the face of the team. He was always a top Miami Marlins prospect but never sniffed the coveted MLB Top-100 prospects. His surprise play from last year won’t be a surprise to anyone anymore as teams will key in on Anderson.

The second-year star will need help around him. After a disappointing season last year from Lewis Brinson, easily the most talented Marlins player, will look for a break out season after he only hit .199 with 11 round-trippers. Injuries did play a role in his lack of development, but he did show some improvement at the plate the last month of the season.

The Marlins are hoping he can be more consistent and cutdown on strikeouts and show more discipline at the plate.

Two other players who are trying to make their first opening day roster are Peter O’Brien and Austin Dean. Both of them flex the power as they each hit four homers in the month of September. O’Brien is the front runner for the first base job, and will share time with veteran Neil Waker.

Dean is expected to make a run at one of the outfield spots. Manager Don Mattingly told the media over the weekend at Fan Fest that all three outfield spots are open for the taking.

The Miami Marlins are making a big emphasis on pitching. All of their trades from the last two years, which fleeced the organization of its top MLB stars, have involved pitchers as part of any deal. Sandy Alcantara, Jorge Guzman, Nick Neidert, Jordan Yamamoto, and maybe the most talented one, Sixto Sanchez could make the Marlins one of the better teams in regard to pitching in the near future.

The surprise pitcher out of all the prospects listed above is Yamamoto. who dominated the Arizona Fall League this past year. He posted an ERA of 2.08. The Marlins immediately added him to their 40-man roster.

Neidert could be the surprise of Spring Training and make the Opening Day rotation with success he’s had in the minors . He posted an ERA of 3.24, WHIP 1.13 and showed great command at Double-A Jacksonville last year en route to being named the team’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

Everyone knows Alcantara as he made his big league debut last season and even though his control was a little off he was still impressive. He only started six games but in those games he proved he has the potential to be an ace done the road. He figures to be part of the rotation as the No. 3 starter.