Unwilling to part with either Victor Robles or Juan Soto in J.T. Realmuto talks with the Marlins, the Nationals are instead open to centering a package for the star catcher around prospects Carter Kieboom and Erick Fedde, reports MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. The pair rank third and fourth among Nationals farmhands per both Baseball America and MLB.com, though neither Kieboom nor Fedde are considered among baseball’s 100 best prospects per those same publications. Emphasis on acquiring such players can at times be overstated, but many would be surprised if the Marlins didn’t pull at least one premium talent back for Realmuto. Meanwhile, Frisaro lists the Diamondbacks as another “potential suitor,” though he doesn’t specify the extent (if any) of the talks between the two sides, and the D-backs have a rather thin farm system overall.
More chatter from the East Coast…
- While some in the Nationals front office saw signs of sustainability within Matt Albers’ performance for the club last season, others weren’t convinced of his likelihood to repeat that performance for the entirety of a two-year contract (Twitter link from Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post). Since Albers sought (and ultimately found) a two-year agreement, Washington decided to hedge its bets elsewhere. The 35-year-old right-hander enjoyed an excellent 2017 season, pitching to a 1.62 ERA with 9.30 K/9 against 2.51 BB/9, but the risk in signing him to a multi-year deal probably lies in a .203 BABIP that seems likely to regress somewhat. On the other hand, he was one of the best relievers in baseball at inducing soft contact and preventing hard contact, so that’s at least a point in favor of low BABIP sustainability.
- Orioles reliever Zach Britton said that he’s “feeling really good” during a conference call at the O’s Fanfest (via Paul Folkemer of baltimorebaseball.com). The lefty recently had his second of three follow-ups with his doctor after rupturing his Achilles tendon during a December workout. “He was really happy with where I’m at,” Britton said. “Maybe a little ahead of schedule. Not skipping any steps, but just picking up the pace on things that I’m doing now. More walking, getting comfortable in a tennis shoe again, and things like that.” The soon-to-be free agent will reportedly be at spring training with the Orioles in Sarasota, Florida, though he won’t be at “full go.” An early return for their closer would be a huge boost to Baltimore whether they’re contenders or not. He’d dramatically improve the club’s chances to make the playoffs if he can replicate anything close to his 2015-2016 form down the stretch, but if the O’s are out of it before the trade deadline he could very well net a solid prospect return.
Kieboom was #90 on MLB.coms updated list
Just trade Soto. Keep Robles as Harper insurance to go with Michael Taylor and Eaton. How many times can you win 95 games and get bounced in the divisional round?
‘Harper insurance’ is an oxymoron.
Nobody can replace Harper, unless your name’s Trout.
This guy Robles, must be pretty high-ceiling prospect.
Regardless, they’re either going to pony up to pay him or replace him with a prospect (or FA).
I know. I figured they’d sign the top FA OF available (not named Harper) in the worst-case scenario.
I just think it’s Pretty cool, for a prospect to be considered ML-ready, worst-case Harper walks. (Forgive my ignorance, I’m Not really familiar with the Nats’ farm system)
BS
he’ a top prospect: per mlib.com: Robles showcases all five tools along with elite athleticism on a daily basis. He has ingredients to become a plus hitter from the right side of the plate, with a compact but explosive swing and a present feel for using the whole field.
Ask the astros
Whenever you have Dusty Baker as your manager !!
Carter is SS. Spencer is catcher
Looks like the Braves are letting another one go away!
BUT #1 farm system though! : /
AA is just too unfamiliar with the system to trade from it. Even though Realmuto fits a rebuilding team, you don’t want to give away someone who becomes better than the guys you kept. Internal scouting is necessary and real. But it takes more time to accomplish than AA has had.
You mean to tell me the Braves have someone in the farm at the catchers position to fit their arbitrary 2019 contention year? Good luck finding good hitting and good defensive catchers in the market today.
Detroit Tigers have an “above average” starting C .250 15 homers and a gun for an arm. His “framing” is below average but he’s only 28 and he can improve on that overused term for catchers. Tigers have stockpiled 3 good young catchers but are at least two years away. Thus they signed Bryan Pena who can play at the MLB level for a year in which the TIgers will suck. Nats would only have to give up #3 and #4 organizational guys rather than #1 or #2 guys. CALL THE TIGERS!!
or the Nats will just settle with Severino instead of the trash you mentioned. They will not trade their top 5 for that!
Yep, the Braves are too slow with this rebuild,they have the pieces to make the move to get Realmuto. They need position players. They are waisting good years by Freeman by not putting good players around him. They need at least 3 more great position players to be contenders. Right now they are like the Mets were 5 years ago, pitching heavy position player weak.
There’s certainly no rush to move JT for prospects that are a year or two away. The urgency is all with the Nats.
You move realmuto for the best package you can get regardless of mlb readiness.
I would agree except that the GM said they are looking for MLB ready OF in any trades they make. He said that before the Yelich trade and he said it in interviews after the Yelich trade.
What the Marlins want is MLB ready OF. Go look at the list of top 10 OF prospects, subtract any that are not MLB ready, and pick one. That is what the Marlins asked for for Yelich and that is what the Marlins are asking for for Realmuto
They won’t get that for Realmuto tho. They will probably have to take a MLB OFer that is decent and then prospects.
They got that for Yelich and catchers are more valuable than OF.
Taylor, Kieboom, and Read. Get er done.
I’d do that as the Nats but the Marlins would want more. I’d throw in Johnson and Baez to get it done. But they may want an elite prospect and have to look to another team. I just think everyone is overestimating the value teams place on catchers. There is a reason they rarely get huge FA deals or traded for elite prospects. And when either happens teams usually regret paying such a price.
Disagree.
I’m a Marlins fan, and J.T. will never have more value (in a return) than right now.
2 reasons why this needs to get done…..
1. Marlins get the best return for him
2. J.T. get to play on a better team. He deserves that.
You may be right that Realmuto won’t have more value than he has right now, but an injury to a catcher for a contender could make him more valuable mid-season. To trade him for less than the Marlins feel he is worth and without any need to trade him makes no sense. He is cheap and under team control for 3 seasons so they can keep him if they don’t get what they want.
Law of Supply and Demand. Similar production and less supply = greater value. Marlins should get as much for Realmuto as they did for Yelich.
Realmuto deserves nothing. He deserves to serve out his team control with the Marlins. The Marlins are being nice in working on trades for him. It’s not like he will throw a tantrum and tank if he stays. His pay in arbitration and in FA in 2021 depends on his production, so he will do the best he can wherever he is.
I guess nows as good as a time as any to explain my Realmuto to Houston theory
So anyway, with Beltran retiring, the Astros could theoretically move McCann to the DH position, and create a package for Realmuto.
While I don’t think that they would be giving up Tucker or Whitley, I could see a package of Bukaukas, Armentaros, a smaller piece (like maybe Arauz) and Evan Gattis (as like a major league flip candidate).
I mean, after a potential Realmuto trade, the Marlins have Tomas Telis and Chad Wallach, Telis has some decent potential (especially offensively), however it should be taken with a grain of salt seeing as how he has spent the majority of the last four seasons in the Pacific Coast League. Meanwhile, I like Wallach’s glove, and I think he could be a very good defensive back-up, but a tandem with just those two is……well, rather grim. Gattis gives them a major league option who they can try to flip for a bit more.
Also, seeing as how Realmuto is controllable, it could help the Astros keep the window open a bit longer.
I don’t see the Astros not using McCann as their primary catcher in 2018. Astros don’t need a productive bat added to their lineup that would serve as a major upgrade that would take talent out of their pipeline. McCann or Stassi batting 8th or 9th is fine. McCann proved to be invaluable in last year’s postseason. Astros will need to figure out 2019, but for 2018 I don’t see the need to make a move at the C position.
“While some in the Nationals front office saw signs of sustainability within Matt Albers’ performance for the club last season, others weren’t convinced of his likelihood to repeat that performance for the entirety of a two-year contract”
Dude signed for 5mil over 2 years. I’d like to see who they are going to sign for that kind of price who is a lock to be a solid performer over 2 years. For that price it seems worth the risk of some regression. Good jobs Brewers, bad job Nats.
Nats are one of several teams who have fairly significant bullpen needs that have not yet been addressed. The shelves of the reliever market are getting a little bare at this point, so I don’t understand why so many teams are waiting out a market where quality players are still going for $2-3M per year. If you’re a contender you don’t want to be left at the bargain bin of relievers priced for minors deals because the majority of them ultimately don’t work out.
What’s the significant need there? Doolittle, Madson, and Kintzler are all back to handle the late innings. Solis and Romero ended the year pitching very well. Koda Glover should be back from Spring Training. Could probably use an upgrade on Kelley, but I wouldn’t call that a significant need.
The Phillies really should be checking in on Realmuto if he’s not going to require a top 100 prospect. I don’t see Alfaro as the answer to their future catching needs.
If he’s not going to require a top 100 prospect, he’d be on his way to a different Spring Training city already.
Nah,
Knapp looked great last season, and I really like Alfaro’s power potential enough for him to be a good 7 hitter. Plus the arm is amazing.
Furthermore, they have Rupp already, who while not special, has enough trade value to get them back something.
Right now, the Phillies should look for a starter, but wait to pay their price.
ummm He’s gonna cost a ton of not a top 100 guy it will be 3 guys who are close to top 100 and that might not be enough
As for the Nationals, I seriously just don’t see a scenario where it is wise for them to give up prospects right now. Robles is their only impact prospect, and while some of those other kids could be solid, there’s it’s not like they are just loaded with solutions in keeping the window open. Personally, I think they should just say screw it and try to get Lucroy on a pillow contract (as the Catching Market has been rather anemic) and swallow the Wieters pill. Yes, it might hurt against the luxury tax, but at this point with Philly and Atlanta right on the cusp, and Miami finally looking to right the ship, they need to try to balance keeping themselves afloat now, without having to go through a long and painful rebuild , especially with their contracts (Scherzer, Strasburg) and impending free agency cases. It’s really just a matter of getting creative.
They’ve got Harper playing in a contract year, and then he could walk. They need to win now. They should trade Soto for Realmuto and add Holland…go for broke.
Why do people think the Nats window closes after Harper leaves? They will still have a nice rotation plus Turner, Rendon, Robles, Eaton as lineup staples as well as Zimmerman and Taylor as solid contributors….plus a ton of money to spend.
The window isn’t closing shut but, assuming they lose Harper, 2018 will be their best team on paper…why not go for it?
i agree….especially if they get JT and Difo gets a chance at second with all that money theu can build the rotation behind Strasburg Max and Roark …
No pen no catcher going forward. Oddly enough the exact same things that haunted them last year.
But how many teams have lockdown bullpens under team control for the next 2-3 years? Plus elite bullpens are historically up and down from year to year. Look at the Royals. Elite pen for 2 years then injuries and underperformance hit them. Still were a good pen but not elite. And the Nats will have lots of money to address holes on the roster.
And I am all down to go for it and try to win a ring, I like JT but he isn’t the power bat the Nats have been missing in the playoffs. Wieters sucked last year but losing to the Cubs was a lineup issue not a Weiters issue.
it was a DC sports are cursed issue, nothing else can explain what happened in that series…
The biggest culprit was the inflexible ride or die with Jayson Werth manager….
How is Soto not an impact prospect?
Also this whole window closing thing is being blown out of proportion. Yes, Harper is an excellent value at 21mil as is Murphy at 17mil, but its hardly like they are free. If/when they dont resign, they will take that 38mil and sign someone else. They still have a many young talented players and 2 of the best pitchers in the game locked up for the next several years. Their window doesnt really close until Scherzer slows down which (hopefully) wont be for a few years. Harper has proven he alone is not the key to winning the playoffs.
In regards to not trading prospects I mostly agree with you EXCEPT the outfield. As it is they have too many outfielders + AAA OF prospects. They can afford to deal from there in order to up their catching game or rotation.
White Sox need to get involved. I get that they’re in a rebuild. But they have a ton of prospect redundancy and no real long term answer at catcher. While Collins ranks high in the system, he doesn’t project to anywhere near good enough defensively to stick at catch. Realmuto would be a great young piece under cost control long enough to be a major part of a rebuild like the Sox are undertaking. A deal with Burdi and Dunning is better than any potential Nats package not including Robles and Soto.
I agree, that could be a real good get for the Sox. Getting a young, cost controlled proven stud catcher is REALLY hard to do.
You are aware the Sox just guaranteed Castillo $15mil and have him under team control ’til ’21, right?
And you’re aware the Marlins would never make a trade centered around a reliever who has yet to throw off a mound after having TJ, right?
The Marlins just got Yamamoto as a fourth piece in the Yellie trade. A year younger than Dunning, pitching in the same Carolina League, Yamamoto was definitely better.
Kieboom, the home run call for this guy writes itself.
That said if I am the Marlins I want more than a barely top 100 prospect.
The Nationals are the Dodgers. They can try all they want and be the best teams in the majors, but they aren’t going to do anything.
Marlins need to bring back a Yelich type package for JT. Young controllable catchers are very valuable today. If the Nats are unwilling to deal Robles then move on. CLE is an intriguing spot for JT., if they are willing to deal Francisco Mejia and Triston McKenzie.
Marlins say yep to that one, but Tribe seems content at C.
how about Raudy Read or Pedro Servino as 1/3 of a deal
Orioles should have dealt Britton last year when they had the chance and when he had more value.
Grandal is available .
I don’t really get the impression that he is
Realmuto has much value to get you a ready or to be ready mlb prospect. Realmuto still has 3 controlable years and if he likes the place where he goes he might just sign an extension with the team. Marlins really did a sweep of all of there valuable players. Im not sure if that was the best idea. I still think keeping Stanton was better and just trade away Ozuna and Yelich. I just wonder who will start the outfield now. The Rookies have a good opportunity to get playing time on a mlb team and make sure they are taking advantage of it.
JT has a ton of value based on control and position. I can’t see the Marlins trading him for a couple of guys hovering around that 100 prospect range. If that’s the case I would hope my Os get involved. They could keep their best prospect Hays and still give the Marlins two top 100 prospects in Sisco (#68) and Mountcastle (#71) plus another prospect like DL Hall or Tanner Scott that are just outside the top 100. The Orioles farm system is much improved and it would be nice to use it to net a stud like JT while still keeping their top guy in Hays.
Nationals aren’t listening if they think that Kieboom or Fedde will get it done. After the last trade Hill said again that they were focusing on an MLB ready or MLB OF in trades at this point. Either Robles or Taylor would do.
They won’t be getting Realmuto without one. Kieboom or Fedde would make a nice secondary piece, but not the headliner.
Same with the Yelich trade. They asked for and got an MLB ready OF as the headliner.
soto kieboom and Read (catcher)…get it done!
Taylor + Kieboom should be a no brainer for the Nats. But are you not the same guy who was saying it starts with Robles for the past few days?
We saw two articles on this site in the last few days, one from Rosenthal, saying that the Nationals would be willing to part with Taylor for Realmuto.
Taylor is a 26-year-old, proven major league player with 3 years of team control. If there were two other prospects including one like Kieboom or Fedde coming along with him, that would be enough to get a deal done you would think.
I think the Marlins will hold out for more than what the Nats are offering, they want either Robles or Soto in the deal. They will be able a good package for him.
Two thoughts … first Nats lose more than Harper after this year. They also lose Murphy.
Secondly… Nats were 5 runs less than highest scoring NL team in 2017 even playing Werth and Weiters. They don’t need. Realmuto to win . They need a little hot playing in October.
The Nats are like the the 90’s Braves, lots of division titles, not much else to show for it. At least the Braves have 95, don’t see the Nats beating the Cubs or the Dodgers.
Yes, they lose Murphy, Madson and Gio after this season. Gio can be fairly easily replaced. Murphy and Harper are not easy to replace but losing them doesn’t mean the window is closed since they will have tons of money to spend.
Totally agree that what the Nats need is for their bats to not go quiet in the playoffs.
Nats not Nets….auto-corrreccccctttt.