The Burlingame Blue Ducks had a pair of well-regarded catching options in J.T. Realmuto (2/$28) and Sal Perez (3/$16), but it was always doubtful the club was going to invest $44 combined in the position. GM Ryan Walsh confirmed that Thursday, trading Realmuto to the Honolulu Hammerheads in exchange for a pair of 2nd Round Picks (18th and 30th Overall).
Realmuto was fantastic again in 2022, slashing .276/.342/.478 with 22 homers, 21 steals and nearly 160 runs-plus-RBI, putting him in a different stratosphere from every other fantasy catcher. Realmuto was caught stealing just once and had his best season to date by wRC+. It's impossible to project another 20-steal season from a catcher entering his age-32 season, but don't write off the possibility completely with Realmuto. He's a great athlete and the three-time All-Star will have to shoulder more of the load for the Phillies offensively over the first few months while Bryce Harper recovers from Tommy John surgery.
He paced all catchers in scoring last season with 369.5 points and will team up with Tyler Stephenson to form one of the top duos in the league behind the plate.
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