Philadelphia Phillies: The J.T. Realmuto trade has aged well so far

Where the Philadelphia Phillies be right now without J.T. Realmuto behind the plate? They’d probably be searching for help behind the dish which is never an easy task considering how few truly talented men play the position.

Realmuto’s three seasons with the Phillies have included a .269/.337/.471 slash line, 53 home runs, 188 RBI, and two trips to the All-Star Game. If there was a Midsummer Classic in 2020, you better believe he’d be three-for-three.

The trade that first brought Realmuto to the Phillies prior to the 2019 campaign didn’t come for free. And while they had to re-sign him last winter to a huge deal to keep him, I don’t think it would have been so possible without first having the Philadelphia experience.

Realmuto has, thus far, been about where we should have expected him to be. He remains one of the most efficient players at his position both at the plate and with a glove on his hand. But what about the three players the Phillies traded in order to get him?

Checking in on the three youngsters the Philadelphia Phillies traded for J.T. Realmuto

Will Stewart was the least-talked-about piece in this deal aside from the international bonus slot money. A young lefty pitcher drafted in the 20th round out of high school, Stewart hasn’t been so lucky in his two seasons in the Miami Marlins farm system.

In 2019, Stewart was 6-12 with a 5.43 ERA in 129.1 innings of work—mostly as a starter. When minor league baseball resumed in 2021, he logged 99.2 innings in Double-A. Slightly better, he was 5-8 with a 4.33 ERA.

Stewart’s future as a big leaguer remains in question. One guy in the trade played for the major league club immediately. You may recall catcher Jorge Alfaro was the replacement for Realmuto down in Miami.

Alfaro had a nice year in 2019, batting .262/.312/.425 with 18 home runs and 57 RBI. However, he followed it up with a poor .226/.280/.344 campaign in 2020 and hit just .244/.283/.342 this past season in 311 trips to the plate.

A below-average catcher, the Marlins have tried moving him out to left field. In a rather quiet offseason move prior to the lockout, he was purchased by the San Diego Padres from the Marlins where he’ll join a young and exciting ball club in an undetermined role.

So far, the trade is an easy win for the Phillies. But that’s not the end of it. The headliner headed to Miami in this move was prospect Sixto Sanchez.

Sanchez would look really good in the Phillies rotation right now—if healthy. Right now, that’s the big complaint anyone can have for him.

In 39 innings back in 2020, Sanchez was 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA. He finished seventh in the Rookie of the Year vote at only 21 years of age.

Unfortunately for him, last year was a complete wash. He didn’t pitch a single professional inning due to a shoulder injury that forced him into surgery midseason. As with any major ailment to a pitcher’s throwing arm, there’s no telling how long it will take and how much damage has been done. Still just 21, Sanchez has all of the time in the world to rehab, get healthy, and maybe make the Phillies miss him.

Realmuto’s time with the Phillies hasn’t gotten them far—by no fault of his own. The ultimate win in this trade would require the Phillies to actually win a championship. Now signed through 2025, the club has four more chances to make the most of his presence.