Yankees Rumors: Bombers interested in Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto

The Yankees are reportedly showing interest in All-Star catcher, J.T. Realmuto. However, the Marlins front-office is reportedly asking for Gary Sanchez in return.

Jon Heyman of Fancred is reporting that the Yankees are showing interest in acquiring 2018 All-Star and Silver Slugger, J.T. Realmuto of the Marlins. Realmuto is eligible for arbitration over the next two offseasons before he becomes a potential free agent.

"The issue with the Yankees’ talks apparently is that they still hold Gary Sanchez in high enough regard that they have resisted offering other top pieces in a package with Sanchez. The Marlins, who are run by ex-Yankee types (Derek Jeter, Gary Denbo) seem to like Sanchez as well but are hoping for a major package for Realmuto."

During the 2018 regular season, Realmuto posted a .277/.340/.484 slash line while hitting 21 home runs and 74 RBIs. As for Gary Sanchez, he hit a pedestrian .186 with 18 homers and 53 RBIs.

Realmuto was placed on the 10-day disabled list once last season, from March 29th through April 17th, missing 19 games. The same can’t be said for El Gary, who took two trips to the disabled list and ended up missing a whopping 63 games in total with a severely strained groin.

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The thing that worries me about Sanchez is that he often times doesn’t hustle (I feel like I’m writing another article about Manny Machado). Sanchez also ranked first in passed balls with 18 in ’18.

However, he is still only 25-years-old and has plenty of time to grow and learn from his mistakes. Sanchez recently underwent left shoulder surgery, so hopefully, this will help bring back his stellar productivity from the 2017 regular season. During his All-Star campaign, Sanchez posted a .278 batting average with hitting 33 home runs and 90 RBIs.

I wouldn’t worry, though, if you think Sanchez is going away anytime soon. Both Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman have already made it clear that they don’t intend to trade Sanchez this winter.

Injuries aside, when The Kraken is healthy, he is a genuine power surge in the lineup. Let’s hope Sanchez begins to mature and learn from his mistakes as he has the potential to be great.

The Yanks also have Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka as backup catchers, so they’re more than fine in that department.