Miami Marlins MLB Trade Rumors: Christian Yelich and J.T. Realmuto are Now Available for Trade
Christian Yelich and J.T. Realmuto may be available for trade after all as the Miami Marlins continue to reduce the team's payroll.
According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Miami Marlins are now in "active trade discussions" with multiple teams regarding both players, but their asking price remains high so no deal is imminent.
The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson and Clark Spencer have also reported the same thing, citing three sources close to the Marlins.
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"One source said the team is not aggressively shopping the two players but is listening. Another source said the Marlins have told teams they are available for the right price. And the third source that the team is listening more closely on Yelich, and more seriously considering offers, than they had been," Jackson and Spencer wrote in their report.
"St. Louis, Atlanta, San Diego and Arizona are among many teams that have reportedly shown interest in the 24-year-old Yelich," they added.
Yelich and Realmuto have expressed their displeasure with the direction of the team after they traded away All-Star second baseman/shortstop Dee Gordon, reigning National League (NL) most valuable player Giancarlo Stanton and All-Star left fielder Marcell Ozuna earlier this month.
The Marlins are expected to get a good return for either player since they are under team control for multiple seasons. Realmuto is signed through 2020, while Yelich is under contract for four more seasons. Yelich also has a $15 million club option for the 2022 season.
According to the Miami Herald, the Marlins' current payroll is about $94 million and they want to get it down to $85 million to $90 million before the start of the 2018 season.
Jackson and Spencer have suggested that the Marlins may attach Brad Zielger, Junichi Tazawa or Martin Prado to trade talks involving Yelich and Realmuto so they can reduce their payroll even further.
