The hot stove season is just a few days old, but the rumors of J.T. Realmuto to the Braves are already flying…kind of.
I wrote a piece last week about what the Atlanta Braves should offer to acquire arguably the games’ best catcher, J.T. Realmuto, and like many commented, it was a significant prospect package.
Reports came out today from Craig Mish, who is a MLB host on Sirius XM Radio and host of a Marlins podcast, that said the Braves have made a significant offer for Realmuto, but Miami was reluctant to make the deal inside the NL East.
Sources indicate the Braves have a strong offer on the table for Marlins All Star Catcher J.T. Realmuto. MIA may prefer him dealt outside of NL East, but at this point team is operating as though a trade is likely to happen.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) November 7, 2018
This news comes just 1 day after the Braves were said to be taking an interest in free agent catcher Robinson Chirinos.
The report is consistent with what MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported last month about the Marlins interest in Mike Soroka and Austin Riley, when the Braves called Miami at the trade deadline.
Sources also indicate Marlins are asking price on Realmuto is a high end young pitching prospect and a position player. A potential two for one.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) November 7, 2018
Counterpoint
Not long after Mish tweeted out his report, Jon Heyman responded with his own news on Realmuto to the Braves.
Regarding report braves made “strong” offer for realmuto, source says braves have yet to make any offer for realmuto. They do make some sense as they seek a catcher and have big prospects, but no legs to this story now.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 7, 2018
Conflicting reports… which were later backed up (on Heyman’s side) by multiple beat writers connected to the Braves. Ah, welcome to the hot stove!
What do we have here?
I vividly remember Alex Anthopolous saying at the trade deadline that if there are any reports about the team’s interest in a player or the team has made an offer for a player, that those are probably inaccurate.
Anthopolous has long been known for running a tight-lipped operation and his deals often times come out of nowhere.
So while Heyman and other industry reporters have their ear close to every organization, I would tend to believe people like Mish, who are much closer to an organization – and in this case, he would be hearing things from the Marlins’ side, not the Braves.
Also (and this is important), it should be noted that Mish first reported the Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich trades last year.
Of course, there will be competition, too:
Am hearing 8-10 teams have touched base with #Marlins regarding J.T. Realmuto.
— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) November 7, 2018
So take all that for what it’s worth.
Is that really all for J.T.?
More from Tomahawk Take
- Braves News: Dansby goes to the Cubs, prospect rankings, more
- The Paradox of Dansby Swanson
- Report: Dansby Swanson to sign seven year deal with Chicago Cubs
- Braves News: Braves add multiple new players, Max Fried extension?, more
- Ronald Acuña Jr Donates Venezuelan League Salary to Charity
If Mish’s reports are in fact true and the Braves only have to part with two prospects for Realmuto, then that would be an absolute steal.
Losing (hypothetically), Soroka and Riley would barely make a dent into the young plethora of players the Braves have.
Soroka would be a contender for the Braves rotation next season and Anthopolous said yesterday he is completely healthy and will be ready for Spring Training. But there are eight or nine other options.
Riley was supposed to be the everyday third basemen, possibly as early as mid-2019, but with the emergence of Johan Camargo last season, Riley might be expendable, too.
It’s only November 7th and the rumors are coming fast. Repeat: it’s only November 7th.
Buckle up, folks.