Dodgers don’t deal for J.T. Realmuto

The long-awaited trade of the MLB offseason has finally happened. Everyone can take a collected breath.

On Thursday, the Miami Marlins announced they had traded their All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto to the Philadelphia Phillies.

All offseason, the Dodgers had been linked to the 27-year-old catcher. LA had the arsenal to pull off a trade, but didn’t want to comply with Miami and their steep asking price. Though a deal never appeared close, it looked as if the Marlins would expect a package centered around the likes of Cody Bellinger, Alex Verdugo, and more prospects.

The Dodgers stayed put, and now the Phillies have arguably the best catcher in all of baseball.

So, did the Dodgers make the right move?

Let’s take a look back at what Philly gave up. The prize for Miami will be acquiring Sixto Sanchez, the No. 1 prospect in the Phillies’ organization. All along, the Marlins repeatedly said they expected a teams No. 1 prospect in return.

The Phillies also traded away Will Stewart, whom didn’t appear in MLB’s Top 100 prospects list, or even in Philadelphia’s top 10 list per Baseball America.

Finally, Miami will get their starting catcher, 25-year-old Jorge Alfaro. In 2018, Alfaro hit .262 with 10 homers.

Taking a full look at this deal, it appears the Marlins didn’t get quite the haul they were expecting all along. Sure, they got a No. 1 prospect out of it, but in regards to a proven big-leaguer and multiple prospects, it makes you wonder if this was the only current offer sitting on the table.

There’s still no answer to how close the Dodgers were to making a deal, or what their offer would have been. As mentioned, it likely would have involved Alex Verdugo or Keibert Ruiz, but it looks as if they wouldn’t have needed to part ways with one of their young stars.

Maybe the Dodgers are content with what they currently have in Austin Barnes and Russell Martin. They have some really good young pieces in their farm system, and maybe they believe they can make impacts as soon as this year.

Obviously, we’re not going to get answers tomorrow on whether or not this was the right move. We still have to see how Realmuto thrives with a new team, as well as see how Verdugo and Ruiz develop with LA.

There’s no question that the Dodgers have what it takes to compete for the division, let alone compete for a World Series. However, it’s not every day the best player at a position becomes available. We’re just going to have to wait and see.