J.T. Realmuto is staying (for now)

Decision-makers for the Marlins and Nationals had an opportunity to negotiate face to face last weekend, but this is probably where we were headed the whole time.

SiriusXM’s Craig Mish hears that J.T. Realmuto will remain in Miami beyond the non-waiver trade deadline (and therefore, the rest of the 2018 season).

There’s no doubt that other teams want Realmuto, who’s batting .309/.359/.529 (140 wRC+) to emerge as the perfect combination of production and durability at the catcher position.

The timing just seems awkward. The Nats, Twins and Angels each have the sort of high-end prospects to make the Fish consider a deal. However, they won’t act with urgency after underachieving in 2018 thus far and now facing deficits that even a Realmuto upgrade would not be enough to overcome.

Before committing to a deadline approach for themselves, the Nats may have actually put an offer on the table: Realmuto for outfielder Víctor Robles and catcher Spencer Kieboom.

I explained why it would’ve been irresponsible for Miami to settle for that. Some may disagree, depending on their degree of certainty that Robles will dominate in the big leagues.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that the NL East rivals “continue to stay in touch.” That’s a moot point, though, if the Marlins hold firm to their sky-high asking price while Washington considers subtracting on Tuesday rather than going all-in.

Even by sustaining his current level of play, Realmuto will be a less valuable asset in December than he was in July. The Marlins can live with that if the 27-year-old is receptive to their upcoming contract extension offer, or if they can entice a wide variety of suitors to bid against one another should those extension talks fall through.