X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Marlins Keep Eye Toward Future in Realmuto Deal

After months of speculation, the inevitable finally happened. Catcher J.T. Realmuto was dealt from the perennially rebuilding Marlins to a hopeful contender, namely their in-division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies. In exchange for the All-Star catcher, Miami received a package of Jorge Alfaro, Sixto Sanchez, Will Stewart, and a quarter-million of international bonus pool money.

Given the nature of Derek Jeter's "plan" to build from the ground up, this could be considered a long-term success for the Marlins. They effectively replaced Realmuto with a Major League talent at catcher, acquired a top pitching prospect, added some depth, and perhaps most importantly, gave themselves more financial flexibility to chase international talent.

It's obvious the fish won't be reaping the benefits of this move for a couple of years but fantasy owners might see a domino effect take place this year now that the Marlins' best hitter is gone. Let's take a look at how this deal affects Miami's core and dynasty owners as well.

 

Why Can't We Have Nice Things?

Needless to say, after seeing the All-Star trio of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, and Marcell Ozuna unceremoniously disposed of with little to speak of in return, Marlins fans (yes, a few of us actually exist) were a little non-plussed. The concept of restocking a bare cupboard is unfamiliar to this franchise which has smartly used free agency at key moments to find its way to a pair of World Series victories. After the confetti on the parades was just being swept away, those teams were quickly stripped to the core with no farm system in place to rebuild. Two years ago, following a fruitless attempt to win with a talented group of mostly homegrown players, another reboot was set into motion.

Stanton was a pure salary dump; the Marlins received Starlin Castro, who would also have been traded by now if any team was actually interested enough, and two prospects that may never be mainstays at the Major League level, Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers. Although Devers is the cousin of Rafael Devers, so that's cool I suppose.

Ozuna predictably attracted the least appealing deal, with a group that consisted of RHP Sandy Alcántara, RHP Daniel Castano, RHP Zac Gallen and OF Magneuris Sierra. No future All-Stars in that group. Ozuna was set for free agency in 2019 anyway, so it's a move that was going to be made regardless.

Yelich, last year's NL MVP, fetched a decent haul. At least that's how it looked on paper. Lewis Brinson was a top-20 overall prospect heading into 2018 and Monte Harrison was ranked as high as #49 by Baseball America. Isan Diaz figures to be a utility infielder while Jordan Yamamoto looks more promising after a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League (3-0, 2.08 ERA, 1.07 WHIP in six starts). So far, Brinson looks overwhelmed by big league pitchers, posting a .199/.240/.338 slash line in his rookie year. Harrison and Diaz could contribute eventually but that's not a guarantee.

Now that the final All-Star on Miami's roster has been dealt away, the team is left with another pair of prospects and a slim ray of hope that the future will be bright. But is that the case?

 

Sanchez Is the Key

Sixto Sanchez, while risky due to recent elbow injuries, is the type of top pitching prospect the Marlins were coveting all along. Cincinnati's Hunter Greene or San Diego's Chris Paddack would have been nice to have if a different deal had been worked out (I was hoping for a package of Francisco Mejia and Adrian Morejon or Paddack from the Padres personally) but Sanchez ranks right up there talent-wise. Sanchez was the Phils' top SP prospect and now immediately tops the chart for the Marlins.

Here's the issue: Sanchez experienced elbow inflammation parts of the last two seasons and was forced to skip the Arizona Fall League after soreness in his collarbone set in. This is obviously concerning, along with the fact the Phillies were suddenly willing to part with him. That said, we know Philly made this move because they are in win-now mode and are still dangling all the bait they can in front of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado in hopes of landing a big fish. There is no need for Sanchez to be forced into the Marlins rotation this year, as the team did with so many young pitchers last season. Hopefully, he sees limited innings in the minors and can work toward a Major League debut in late 2020 or early 2021.

He currently ranks as the #13 overall prospect in Baseball America's preseason rankings. Dynasty owners could see this as a buy-low opportunity, since his injury concerns and move to a losing franchise might discourage some from holding onto him. If anything, Marlins Park should help him keep more balls in the park, as it ranked dead-last in HR Park factor for right-handed batters and 53rd for left-handed batters. Not that it's been a problem for him - Sanchez has allowed a total of three homers across 221 1/3 minor league innings.

 

Impact on Marlins' Lineup

No sugarcoating this - the Marlins' lineup is going to stink. It was already looking pretty rough with recently-signed Curtis Granderson, at the ripe age of 38 by the time Opening Day rolls around, in the leadoff spot and Neil Walker, on his fourth team in two years, at cleanup. Starlin Castro and Martin Prado are solid, unexciting veterans who would be dealt in a heartbeat if the Marlins could find someone willing to take on their salary. Brian Anderson and Lewis Brinson are bursting with potential but they might not reach it given their current circumstances.

Jorge Alfaro will slot in at the sixth or seventh spot in the lineup ahead of J.T. Riddle and possibly Brinson. He has appeal in NL-only and two-catcher leagues, but that's about it. He showed decent pop last year, slugging 10 HR in 377 at-bats with a .145 ISO. His 37.7% Hard Contact rate was 15th among catchers with at least 250 plate appearances and just one percent shy of Realmuto. Here's the bad news: his 23.8% Swinging Strike rate and 0.13 BB/K were far and away the worst among all catchers. Only Mike Zunino struck out at a higher clip. Somehow Alfaro managed to post a decent .268 average last year and hit .312 over 107 at-bats the year before, so maybe he can be a slightly better version of Zunino but don't count on it. Any way you slice it, R+RBI will be hard to come by at the bottom of that order and Alfaro, although he should get a chance to log 120+ games behind the plate, is a backup in re-draft leagues.

 

Conclusion

Relative to some of the other cost-cutting moves the Marlins have undertaken lately, this appears to be a pretty good return for a young player in his prime. Disconcerting as it is to see Realmuto donning a Phillies uniform, it's nothing new to see an ex-Marlins thrive elsewhere. Sanchez is a player the franchise could see as the potential heir to the late Jose Fernandez's spot as a true hometown ace. His value should see a slight uptick as long as the elbow shows no signs of damage heading into the season. There isn't much else of interest on Miami's roster outside of the young duo of Anderson and Brinson, so the best idea would be to take the same tactic as the Fish themselves and simply stockpile some of their young talent in deep dynasty leagues and hope it pans out down the road.

More 2019 Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Kenley Jansen3 hours ago

Picks Up First Save With The Angels
Chris Martin3 hours ago

Secures First Save Of The Season
Kristian Campbell4 hours ago

Red Sox Are In Deep Talks About Contract Extension
Seth Halvorsen4 hours ago

Notches First Save Of The Year
Sean Murphy4 hours ago

Set For Rehab Assignment With High-A Rome
José Soriano4 hours ago

Jose Soriano Tosses Seven Shutout Innings
Anthony Volpe4 hours ago

Hits Three-Run Blast
Josh Smith5 hours ago

Exits Saturday's Game Early With Quad Contusion
Brice Turang5 hours ago

Belts Two-Run Homer
Cody Bellinger5 hours ago

Knocks In Four Runs
Jordan Westburg5 hours ago

Smacks Two Homers
Aaron Judge5 hours ago

Blasts Three Homers
Spencer Strider5 hours ago

Posts Excellent Rehab Start
Manny Machado5 hours ago

Exits Early On Saturday
Gleyber Torres7 hours ago

To Miss Saturday's Game
Gio Urshela8 hours ago

Heads To The Bench
Matt Shaw8 hours ago

Taking A Seat On Saturday
Nico Hoerner8 hours ago

Not Playing On Saturday
Mookie Betts8 hours ago

Sitting Out On Saturday
José Ramírez8 hours ago

Jose Ramirez Exits Early On Saturday
Max Scherzer10 hours ago

Pulled From Saturday's Game With Lat Soreness
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP
10
9
11
10
12
19
13
22
14
24
15
25
16
33
17
39
18
40
19
41

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Ashton Jeanty's Top Potential Landing Spots For 2025: Fantasy Football NFL Draft Outlook

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards […]


Bhaysul Tuten - NFL Draft Prospects, Rookie Rankings

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single QB

The 2025 NFL Combine has now been completed, so it's worth doing another mock draft to see where everyone stands after the league's pre-draft testing event. Overall, there were a few surprises, but the order of many players will remain the same. The mental domain of the original rankings, which have been fairly set in […]


Rashid Shaheed - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Later-Career Breakout Candidates

Typically, most NFL players break out in the early parts of their careers. Between the ages of 20 and 25 is when you expect to see the majority of players have their first big season. Some waste no time and put together excellent years while they're rookies, while some need more time to develop. These […]


Davante Adams - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Free Agency Tracker - Updates On Every Free Agent Signing (2025)

HuThe NFL offseason is starting to heat up, and the league's legal tampering period is set to begin on March 10 at noon Eastern. Free agents cannot officially sign until the new league year begins on March 12 at 4 p.m. Eastern, but deals will be agreed to, and news will be coming in quickly […]


Marvin Mims Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued Draft Targets For Every AFC Team

Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. Much will change over the next several months, including the rest of free agency, the NFL Draft, and training camp. However, it’s never too early to look at potential sleeper candidates and undervalued draft targets for next season. Therefore, let’s look at […]


Kirk Cousins - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Worst NFL Contracts: Seven Overpaid, Overvalued Players For 2025

Free agency is in full swing, and teams are handing out big contracts left, right, and center. Myles Garrett became the highest-paid non-QB just a few weeks ago, and Ja'Marr Chase broke that record almost instantly! But big contracts aren't always a success; just ask these teams. These teams had high hopes when they spent […]


Tank Bigsby - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Dynasty Sleepers - Undervalued Running Backs For 2025

Getting ahead of the game is the name of the game in any game, especially if that game happens to be dynasty fantasy football and you want to find underrated running backs to add to your rosters. The shelf life for many RBs isn't very long in the NFL, so it's a position you want […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Outlooks For RBs On New Teams: Najee Harris, Javonte Williams, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason, Raheem Mostert, Elijah Mitchell, more

Free agency has fueled a massive wave of player movement that has transformed the fantasy landscape. This includes the results that have emerged after a collection of running backs garnered contracts that will launch them into new environments this season. These backs will be challenged to replicate the prolific numbers that were assembled by the […]


Ja'Marr Chase fantasy football rankings NFL DFS lineup picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football WR Rankings Analysis – Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Malik Nabers

There's no question that Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson, and New York Giants wideout Malik Nabers are all elite receivers with sky-high production potential for fantasy football. Lousiana State University is WRU, without a doubt. This trio, along with Brian Thomas Jr., proves it. While we won't be covering […]