Dodgers Rumors: LA One of Six Teams in on J.T. Realmuto

The Dodgers continue to see free agents fly off the board as Yasmani Grandal, Jed Lowrie, and Brian Dozier have come off the board in recent days.  Meanwhile, the blue continues to be linked to J.T. Realmuto.

The off-season continues to slowly roll along although things have heated up on the hot stove except for the Dodgers.  Yasmani Grandal, Jed Lowrie, and Brian Dozier have all found new homes in recent days thinning out the second base and catcher market which is two areas where the Dodgers are likely looking for some help.

The Marlins continue to ask for the moon in talks about J.T. Realmuto but the Dodgers are one of six teams still interested in him according to reports.  The Dodgers could start making a full court press for Realmuto given that their catching options are down to just a few catchers left on the trade and free agent market.

The three main catchers the Dodgers have been linked to this winter are Realmuto, Martin Maldonado, and Francisco Cervelli.  While Austin Barnes could receive most of the playing time for the Dodgers if a lesser catcher is acquired, adding Realmuto would relegate Barnes back to being a seldom-used backup catcher.

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The question remains what is Realmuto really worth?  There is no doubt he is one of the best catchers in baseball but at a time when the overall quality of catchers is near an all-time worst, he may not be as good as he’s made out to be.  The Dodgers are interested in a right-handed hitter to even out their lineup, but like Yasiel Puig, Realmuto has reverse splits.

In 2018, Realmuto hit just .204 against lefties with three of his 21 home runs coming against southpaws.  Over the last three seasons, J.T. has hit just .236 against lefties with just nine of his forty-nine home runs coming against southpaws.  It’s clear that like former Dodger Yasiel Puig, Realmuto hits righties better than he does lefties.  While his bat would be a big upgrade at the catcher position, it wouldn’t help the lineup mash lefties.

Earlier in the off-season, the Dodgers were being asked for Cody Bellinger and if that remains the same it’s safe to say that the Dodgers are not winning the Realmuto sweepstakes.  If the Marlins lower their asking price to a prospect package such as Will Smith, Yadier Alvarez, and Dennis Santana then perhaps something could get done.  If not the Dodgers will have to find another means to add another catcher.