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NBA Trade Deadline: East contenders make their moves; Anthony Davis has to wait for his

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<p>MIAMI &#8212; In October, J.T. Realmuto&#8217;s agent predicted the Miami Marlins&#8217; All-Star catcher would be with another team by spring training.</p><p>He was right.</p><p>After months of speculation over what they&#8217;d do, the Marlins traded Realmuto on Thursday to the Philadelphia Phillies for catcher Jorge Alfaro, two pitching prospects and $250,000 in international signing bonus pool allocation.</p><p>Along with Alfaro, the Phillies gave up 20-year-old right-hander Sixto Sanchez, their top prospect, and left-hander Will Stewart.</p><p>&#8220;This is about us acquiring the best catcher in baseball,&#8221; Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said, &#8220;and we&#8217;re really excited about that.&#8221;</p><p>Realmuto, who turns 28 in March, had been with the Marlins longer than any other current player. His agent, Jeff Berry, predicted a trade after Realmuto informed the Marlins last fall he wouldn&#8217;t sign a long-term contract with them.</p><p>The Marlins got the deal done six days before their pitchers and catchers report to spring training. A rebuilding project for the perennial also-rans will probably continue for several years under CEO Derek Jeter, whose group bought the franchise after the 2017 season.</p><p>&#8220;We did not have to trade J.T.,&#8221; president of baseball operations Michael Hill said. &#8220;But our goal is to build a long-term sustainable championship organization.&#8221;</p><p>The deal could vault the Phillies into playoff contention, and they&#8217;re still pursuing free agents Bryce Harper and Manny Machado . They bolstered their lineup earlier with the additions of shortstop Jean Segura and 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen .</p><p>The Phillies had the worst batting average in the major leagues last year (.234) and were third in strikeouts (1,520). They led their division with the second-best record in the NL one week into August, then went 16-33 over the final 49 games and finished with a losing record (80-82) for the sixth consecutive season.</p><p>The Marlins had been talking for months with numerous teams about a Realmuto trade before deciding to send him to their NL East counterparts.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re talking about the best catcher in all of baseball, so of course he was popular,&#8221; Hill said.</p><p>Alfaro is expected to replace Realmuto as Miami&#8217;s starting catcher. He hit .262 with 10 homers in his first full major league season last year and showed a strong arm, but had 11 errors and 10 passed balls.</p><p>Sanchez, a Dominican with a 100-mph fastball and excellent command, has a 2.48 ERA in 48 minor league games over four seasons.</p><p>&#8220;In Sanchez we saw a front-of-the-rotation starter,&#8221; Hill said. &#8220;Electric stuff &#8212; a pitcher we think can develop and lead a championship rotation.&#8221;</p><p>Sanchez pitched just 46 2/3 innings in Single A last season due to right elbow inflammation, but Hill said the Marlins are &#8220;extremely comfortable&#8221; about his health. He&#8217;s expected to start this year in Double-A, and Stewart will begin in Single-A.</p><p>Realmuto was a first-time All-Star in his fourth season last year. He hit .277 and set career highs with 21 homers, 74 RBIs and an OPS of .825.</p><p>Klentak also his defense and impact on the clubhouse are also a plus.</p><p>&#8220;We have heard outstanding things about J.T. and his work ethic and his makeup and his leadership and the type of teammate he is,&#8221; Klentak said.</p><p>Realmuto was in his second season of arbitration eligibility this winter. He will make $5.9 million in 2019, and can become a free agent after the 2020 season.</p><p>Shortly before the trade was completed, the attendance-challenged Marlins announced a reduction in ticket prices, with seats available this season for as little as $10.</p><p>The Marlins finished last in the NL East last year with a 63-98 record. They haven&#8217;t had a winning season since 2009 and haven&#8217;t been to the playoffs since winning the World Series in 2003.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The Miami Marlins traded All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto, right, to the Philadelphia Phillies for catcher Jorge Alfaro, two pitching prospects and $250,000 in international signing bonus pool allocation on Thursday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Phillies_CMYK.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Miami Marlins traded All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto, right, to the Philadelphia Phillies for catcher Jorge Alfaro, two pitching prospects and $250,000 in international signing bonus pool allocation on Thursday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Wilfredo Lee | AP file photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Philly trades for top catcher from Marlins</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Steven Wine</p><p>AP Sports Writer</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>AP Sports Writer Rob Maaddi in Philadelphia contributed to this report</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Phillies get top catcher Realmuto from Marlins for 3 players