According to Joe Frisaro who covers the Miami Marlins for MLB.com, the Washington Nationals, Atlanta Braves, and Philadelphia Phillies are all in the mix to trade for outfielder Christian Yelich and catcher J.T. Realmuto. Or in other words, everyone in the NL East except the New York Mets.
Both Yelich and Realmuto have recently voiced their displeasure with the direction of the franchise after seeing the Marlins trade off right fielder and reigning NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton, second baseman Dee Gordon, and All-Star outfielder Marcell Ozuna.
A package for Yelich would have likely cost more than what the team got for Ozuna, as he is owed a guaranteed $44.5 million through 2021 and just $7 million this upcoming season. The 26-year-old clubbed 18 homers and drove in 81 runs while hitting to a .282/.369/.439 clip in 695 plate appearances this past season.
Realmuto, 26, was good for 3.6 WAR behind the dish for Miami in 2017. He also clubbed 17 home runs and drove in 65 runs while hitting to a .278/.332/.451 clip in 579 plate appearances. Realmuto is arbitration eligible for the first time in 2018 and can become a free agent in 2021.
Frisaro speculates that the Marlins could be very interested in Nationals outfield prospect Victor Robles, who is the No. 3 ranked prospect in baseball. Phillies outfield prospect Rhys Hoskins, and Braves outfield prospect Ronald Acuna. could also appeal to Miami who are in no rush to make a deal.
