Report: Marlins want Phillies' top prospect for Realmuto

If the Philadelphia Phillies want to get their hands on Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto, it's going to cost them.

Philadelphia's No. 1 prospect, right-handed pitcher Sixto Sanchez, is viewed as a "must" in any trade package involving Miami's All-Star backstop, a source told MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.

The 20-year-old Sanchez possesses an electric fastball that hits triple digits and he ranks as the No. 27 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.

At High-A Clearwater last season, Sanchez struck out 45 batters in 46 2/3 innings while posting a 2.51 ERA in eight starts. However, the Dominican was shut down in June after experiencing elbow inflammation.

The Phillies re-engaged the Marlins about Realmuto earlier this week, but they still face competition for the catcher from the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and Tampa Bay Rays, according to Frisaro.

Miami is pushing to trade Realmuto before pitchers and catchers begin workouts on Feb. 13, but only if the return is deemed valuable enough, Frisaro added.

Realmuto, who's under team control for two more seasons and was worth more WAR than any other catcher in baseball last season (according to Fangraphs), would be an upgrade in Philadelphia over Jorge Alfaro, who hit .262/.324/.407 with 10 homers in 108 games during 2018.