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J.T. Realmuto Trade Rumors: Marlins Sought 2 From Dustin May, Gavin Lux, Keibert Ruiz & Will Smith If Dodgers Weren’t Including Cody Bellinger

Matthew Moreno
2 Min Read
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Although it remained possible Yasmani Grandal would accept the one-year qualifying offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers, it wasn’t a likely scenario and thus they went into the offseason figuring to need to address their catching situation.

They were linked to Yan Gomes early on, but the Cleveland Indians traded him to the Washington Nationals. The Dodgers then factored prominently in J.T. Realmuto trade speculation as the Miami Marlins fielded offers for the All-Star.

The process spanned multiple months before coming to an end this week with the Philadelphia Phillies acquiring Realmuto. The Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres heavily involved in trade talks, while the Phillies were considered a late entrant to the sweepstakes.

Although the Dodgers remained connected to a potential trade, the Marlins’ asking price seemingly served as a significant hurdle. While they may have relented on Cody Bellinger, it meant receiving two from Gavin Lux, Dustin May, Keibert Ruiz and Will Smith, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred:

The quartet of prospects are among the most-heralded in the Dodgers farm system. Ruiz was rated the No. 3 overall catching prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, and tops overall in the Dodgers organization by Baseball America.

He nevertheless was someone the Dodgers reportedly were willing to part with in a Realmuto trade, but it’s unclear if they would have done so while also including Lux, May or Smith.

The Marlins ultimately received a haul from the Phillies that was comprised of Jorge Alfaro, Sixto Sanchez, Will Stewart and an international bonus slot. Alfaro was the Phillies’ starting catcher, and Sanchez their top pitching prospect.

Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com