Atlanta Braves: Just how much for Realmuto?

Historical catcher trades

A trade that can perhaps be used a barometer is the Jonathan Lucroy deal at the trade deadline in 2016 when the Brewers sent the All-Star catcher (plus Jeremy Jeffress) to the Rangers for Lewis Brinson, Luis Ortiz, and a player to be named (later Ryan Cordell).

At the time, Brinson was the 21st-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline and Ortiz was ranked 63rd and neither was the Rangers top prospect (that was Joey Gallo).

Grant you, deals made at the deadline are usually different than in the offseason due to the desperation of teams, but I think the Lucroy deal gives us a starting point.

Here are some points to consider in comparing what the Brewers got, to what Realmuto will cost.

-At the time, Lucroy was one of the top catchers in baseball, having been an all-star in 2016 and 2014.

-He had two years remaining in arbitration.

-He was two years older than Realmuto is now.

-There was not the significant need for catching like there is now, where there just are not that many high-level catchers in the game.

-By the numbers, Lucroy’s best season by far was 2014 when he hit 53 doubles and carried a WAR of 6.6. Realmuto is coming off the best season of his career, which has been a steady climb since 2016.

So to me, the package the Brewers received for Lucroy will not be close to enough if a team wants to trade for Realmuto.