Well this is an interesting one.
The San Francisco Giants are one of two teams that have checked in on Miami Marlins All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Realmuto, 22, would have to be acquired through a trade, as the catcher is currently under team control through 2020.
To update: mets, #SFGiants are among others to check in on realmuto in recent weeks (preference is to trade JT out of division but it’s not quite an absolute) https://t.co/yv9DFZ21mk
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 30, 2018
Realmuto is one of the most promising young players in the National League. He won the Silver Slugger in 2018 while posting a slash line of .340/.484/.825 with 21 home runs, his third straight season with an OPS of .770 or higher.
If the Giants are serious about acquiring Realmuto, it would also likely mean they are serious about starting the process of moving Buster Posey to first base in more of a full-time role. Throughout his career, Posey has posted better hitting numbers while playing first base (career batting average of .334 compared to .300 while playing catcher) and is coming off a hip surgery that he battled throughout all of 2017.
Realmuto can also play first base, but started just seven of 125 games there last year. Regardless of how the acquisition of Realmuto would affect Posey, it would almost certainly spell the end of Brandon Belt’s tenure in San Francisco. Belt’s contract, which runs through 2021, allows him to place 10 teams on a no-trade list each year.
Belt, 30, is coming off a down year by his standards, posting a slash line of .253/.342/.414 with 14 home runs in 112 games. Belt is owed $16 million annually for the next two seasons.