Milwaukee Brewers: The Brewers should go hard for JT Realmuto

The price is high and may seems unlikely, but the Milwaukee Brewers should make a big push for Miami catcher, JT Realmuto this offseason.

The offseason is in full swing and the Milwaukee Brewers are looking to improve after coming one win away from a World Series. Fans believe pitching is key for the Brewers this offseason, but there’s also another position that could use an upgrade; catcher.

So far the Brewers have four guys in the system, but they aren’t as trustworthy as other catchers that are out there this season. They have Manny Pina, Erik Kratz, Jacob Nottingham, and Tuffy Gosewisch, who was recently signed to a minor league deal.

There are also guys like Yasmani Grandal, Wilson Ramos, and Jonathan Lucroy who are now free agents going into the 2019 season. But there is someone who’s actually on the trade market, that would be a perfect fit for the Brew Crew. His name is JT Realmuto.

Realmuto is currently a part of the team that gave the Brewers the MVP of the National League, the Miami Marlins. The catcher has solidified himself as one of the best catchers in the National League and one of the best in all of baseball. Also, for the past two seasons, he has been on the trade block. The price is high, but he may be worth it.

Player Information

Realmuto is a 27-year-old catcher who has been in baseball for going on six years. He has been in the Marlins system all his career and was good friends with Christian Yelich. The two played together in the minors and Yelich lived with Realmuto when they both played in Miami. So there is a good connection already with Realmuto and the Brewers.

As a player, he is top five in the National League and top 10 in baseball when it comes to catchers. He is a career .279 hitter, hit a career high 21 home runs last season and has the best fWAR (Wins above Replacement according to Fangraphs) in baseball among catchers. Defensively, he is one of the top catchers in Defensive rating, according to Fangraphs.

Here is a better look at what he did last season:

Batting

.277 BA/21 HR/74 RBI/.340 OBP/.825 OPS in 531 PA

Defensive Stats:

.992 Fielding Percentage/38% Caught Stealing Percentage/826 Putouts

And when it comes to contract, that’ll lower the price just a bit (but not enough) compared to last season. According to Spotrac, he has two years left on his contract, which means he’ll be a free agent in 2021. Also, in those two years, he is arbitration eligible.

The Catch

When it comes to trades, there’s always a few things you have to remember. The biggest catch is the price will be high. No doubt about it. That’s why he’s still on the Marlins. If you think about it, Yelich, Ozuna, and Stanton were given up for prospects that were under what they were worth. Yelich was given up for an overrated outfielder, two prospects that are leaving people questionable about what they are going to do in the majors, and an unranked pitcher that could be the best out of the deal. Jeter wants to make sure he gets this trade right.

How Much?

Once again, the price is going to be high. He’s one of the best catchers in baseball. The Marlins aren’t going to give him up for free. But the big question is, what do they want? Rumors have been swirling that they want a top prospects of course, but also major league talent as well. Obviously top prospect Keston Hiura is off limits and I assume Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff are as well. Here is something that the Brewers could offer them to work around their future:

The Trade

Brewers acquire: JT Realmuto, Starlin Castro (Take most or all of contract)

Marlins acquire: Corey Ray (#2 Prospect), Mauricio Dubon(#7 Prospect), Freddy Peralta, Domingo Santana

The bad thing is, this may not be enough. But here’s the offer. This would give the Marlins a little bit of everything. The Crew would start it off by sending two prospects to Miami. Corey Ray , who had a breakout year and is arguably the biggest trade chip in the Brewers system, would be the headliner. Then there’s Mauricio Dubon, who is rehabbing from a torn ACL and probably would’ve been called up if he wouldn’t have gotten injured. He will be ready for the 2019 season and he could fill the role of Starlin Castro at second.

Then there’s the major league experience. Freddy Peralta is the most difficult to give up, but that’s what it may take to avoid trading Hiura or Burnes. He was up and down, but showed he has a lot of upside with his sneaky fastball and good curveball (when it’s working). And with Santana, he matches what the Marlins are looking for. In the talks between the Marlins and the Mets, they want Conforto, Nimmo, or Rosario. The Brewers can give them someone who have not have as much potential as those three. but someone who is due for a bounceback, hit 30 HR in 2017, can hit to all fields and is a young guy that could help the struggling Marlins lineup out in a big way.

And the best part, the Brewers side. The Brewers fill two spots at once. They get one of the best catchers in baseball that can hit and defend, which is rare in baseball these days. They also would get Starlin Castro, who has a big contract, but the Brewers could take most or all of the $11 million he would get this season. Most importantly, he would fill in at second base for one to two years before Hiura comes up.

Overview

The Brewers were recently seen as a team that was “checking in”, but they aren’t going hard for him. But there’s a lot of offseason left and anything can happen. The price is the biggest problem throughout this whole thing and no one knows how far Stearns will go to trade for a player.

JT Realmuto is one of the best. If the crew trades for him, he’ll finally be off one of the worst teams in baseball, would play with one of his former teammates and would automatically be a fan favorite in Milwaukee. There are a lot of teams going after him, and it’s predicted that he won’t be in Miami on opening day. Hopefully he’ll be in the lineup come March for the Brew Crew.

Stearns…do your thing.