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Will Atlanta Braves really benefit from J.T. Realmuto?

By Benjamin Chase

SEATTLE, WA - APRIL 19: Catcher J.T. Realmuto #11 of the Miami Marlins walks back to home plate during a game Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on April 19, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners won 10-5. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - APRIL 19: Catcher J.T. Realmuto #11 of the Miami Marlins walks back to home plate during a game Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on April 19, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners won 10-5. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – MAY 9: Catcher Tyler Flowers #25 of the Atlanta Braves makes his way to the dugout following the seventh inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 9, 2018 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /

The rumors connecting the Atlanta Braves and J.T. Realmuto have been frequent, but would the team really benefit by acquiring the catcher?

The Atlanta Braves have a full roster presently, but they still are not done working to improve their 2019 roster before team workouts begin in two weeks. However, one of the most often-rumored moves may not make as much sense as many feel it does.

The Miami Marlins have been shopping their catcher J.T. Realmuto since last offseason when he made noise following the trades of teammates Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, and Christian Yelich.

This offseason has been littered with rumors connecting the Atlanta Braves to the Marlins regarding Realmuto, even after giving Tyler Flowers an extension and bringing back former Brave Brian McCann in free agency. However, perhaps the team would be better served putting the cost in other areas?

Setting this up

Currently, the Atlanta Braves do have a full roster, and if the season began tomorrow, they would be well-served by the roster they have on hand. However, would the present roster win another National League East title, and more importantly, could that team go beyond the divisional round of the playoffs?

That’s the question many Braves fans and the front office are currently considering. Whether it would be wiser to make a move this offseason to improve the offense or pitching before spring or whether it will be better now to wait until midseason to see what team needs are at that time is a question certainly being addressed in the front office of the Atlanta Braves.

The options

While Realmuto is certainly the option getting the most press right now, he’s not the only option on the market. Heck, he’s not the only catching option on the market.

While the team is counting on a recovery season from Brian McCann in 2019, another similar power-laden catcher is also still on the market and finding few takers, so he could be had for cheap. After multiple seasons struggling with hip issues, Devin Mesoraco returned to club 11 home runs in 2018, his first season with more than 200 plate appearances since his All-Star campaign in 2014, when he hit 25 home runs. Mesoraco is still just 31. He did not fare well in Baseball Prospectus’ catcher framing rankings in 2018, but then again, he was just two places behind Kurt Suzuki and 7 behind McCann near the bottom of the list.

One of the elites in the game in that category (rating not far behind fellow stalwart Tyler Flowers) is Martin Maldonado. Maldonado’s defensive reputation is long-standing, but his bat is not tremendous, never having a season with a 100 OPS+ or better.

Catcher is not the only spot the team could potentially upgrade. The team could pursue bullpen upgrades or perhaps a top starting pitcher with their available resources if that was the team’s desire.

The point is, with excellent trading resources in prospects along with able-bodied players at each position, the Atlanta Braves are not backed into a corner by any means at any position.

Let’s take a look, though, at what a Realmuto trade could potentially mean, first what it may cost…

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