New York Mets: Catcher J.T. Realmuto is too far out of reach in 2018

New York Mets fans would love to solve their catching problem by acquiring Miami Marlins backstop J.T. Realmuto. What we all have to realize is that Realmuto is out of reach for the Mets this season.

Immediate panic set in when New York Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud suffered a possible season-ending injury the second week into the MLB season. Though hardly the team’s most important player, the prospect of seeing Kevin Plawecki play the bulk of the games worried many. Rightfully so, Plawecki is a platoon-man at best.

Hoping for a quick fix, New York sports radio has been hijacked by callers requesting the Mets make a trade for Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto. Some are a little wiser, knowing any deal will need to wait a few more months. However, their overly optimistic wishes will not come true.

Realmuto is an expensive trade candidate. When the Washington Nationals tried to pry him away from Miami this offseason, the asking price called for their number one or two prospects. Both of them, Victor Robles and Juan Soto, are better than anyone the Mets have in their farm system. So, we’re already looking at a dead end.

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Some may argue that quantity can win the Marlins over. Not so fast. The quantity of prospects hardly ever matters. The Mets don’t have nearly enough worthy minor leaguers to obtain Realmuto. Unless the Marlins are married to the idea of acquiring Tim Tebow then promoting him to actually sell some tickets, Realmuto will not wear a Mets’ uniform this year.

The day after d’Arnaud landed on the disabled list, WFAN broadcast several callers with preposterous trade proposals. One suggested Brandon Nimmo and Dominic Smith could get it done. Another hyped up the idea before revealing his idea would only include Smith for Realmuto. Mid-day host Evan Roberts immediately shot him down.

Pulling from possible trade candidates, the only way the Mets land Realmuto is if they give up Michael Conforto or Amed Rosario. Even the former may not be enough since they already have Lewis Brinson. Rosario or bust, Realmuto is out of reach.

More Realistic Catcher Choices

All hope shouldn’t fall to the side. There are other catchers out there for the Mets to keep an eye on.

Oakland Athletics catcher Jonathan Lucroy is a great mid-season acquisition candidate. On a one-year deal, he’s a perfect fit.

Wilson Ramos of the Tampa Bay Rays is another veteran catcher on an expiring contract worth considering. If a younger guy like Chance Sisco can win the full-time job with the Baltimore Orioles, a cheap option for New York might be to add Caleb Joseph.

The problem for the Mets is they don’t have much to intrigue other teams in trade negotiations. They also won’t get much help from their rivals. The Los Angeles Dodgers do have a pair of catchers capable of starting, but would they trade Austin Barnes or Yasmani Grandal to the Mets?

Since there’s a great chance they meet in the playoffs, it’s hard to imagine they would.

Next: Resilient Mets offense sweeps the Marlins

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Mets fans will need to temper their outrageous trade proposals for at least a little while longer. For sure though, buying a custom Realmuto Mets jersey is a foolish purchase.