District On Deck
FanSided

Washington Nationals: Five catchers that should be targeted

By Blake Finney

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 12: Matt Wieters #32 of the Washington Nationals tags out Chris Iannetta #22 of the Colorado Rockies who tried to score on Ian Desmond #20 (not pictured) ground ball in the fifth inning during a baseball game at Nationals Park on April 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 12: Matt Wieters #32 of the Washington Nationals tags out Chris Iannetta #22 of the Colorado Rockies who tried to score on Ian Desmond #20 (not pictured) ground ball in the fifth inning during a baseball game at Nationals Park on April 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Washington Nationals J.T. Realmuto
MIAMI, FL – JUNE 11: J.T. Realmuto #11 of the Miami Marlins hits a home run in the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Marlins Park on June 11, 2018, in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) /

J.T. Realmuto – Miami Marlins

Here’s the almost daily reminder that the Washington Nationals should still be strongly considering J.T. Realmuto. The Miami Marlins catcher has been a sensation this year and would be a difference maker in the Nats lineup.

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He’s having an All-Star type campaign, and should almost certainly be the Marlins representative in the summer classic. But could he be making a more permanent stop in D.C.?

The lineup could certainly use the jolt that he would inevitably provide. With a .297 average, nine homers and 27 RBI despite missing the first few weeks, he’s an offensive force.

Can the Nationals acquire realistically acquire him though, that’s the big question.

The smart money says no, as Mike Rizzo has been extremely reluctant to part with phenoms Victor Robles and Juan Soto to get it done. And given both of their performance in the minors and majors, that’s been a wise choice.

So assuming Rizzo doesn’t budge, would the Marlins compromise and center a package around Carter Kieboom? At the start of the season, that wasn’t going to happen. But now, Kieboom is tearing up High-A and is considered a top 30 prospect by a few outlets, including Bleacher Report.

Even then the Nats would still need a substantial package with the likes of Luis Garcia, Wil Crowe and Daniel Johnson all likely to be needed. Is that worth it? Well, it would sure drain the farm system, so it’s probably not worth it.

But if the front office is sure that he’s the missing piece, they should do it. And Realmuto does at least have the definite game-changing ability that nobody else on this list has.

Next: Rizzo wants offensive improvement

The Washington Nationals don’t have too many holes in their roster right now, but catcher is the obvious one. So with a trade to fix a position of need, they really could be set for a deep October run.

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