After Carlos Ruiz left town during the 2016 MLB season in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, for the first time in a long time, the Philadelphia Phillies lacked a bonafide catcher behind the plate. That was until the 2018-19 offseason when they pulled off what has turned out to be an absolute trade heist of epic proportions in their acquisition of star catcher J.T. Realmuto.

On this very day, on Feb. 7, 2019, the Phillies dealt their top prospect and No. 27 overall in all of baseball that year Sixto Sánchez, along with catcher Jorge Alfaro and minor league pitcher Will Stewart and international bonus money, to the Miami Marlins for Realmuto. At the time, it seemed like a fair trade since Philadelphia was giving up their best prospect, a promising catcher on the rise, along with a young pitcher with potential for the Marlins’ All-Star catcher.

However, as the years have gone by, it has slowly evolved into one of the most lopsided trades made by the Phillies this century.

Phillies’ trade for J.T. Realmuto in 2019 turned into the ultimate heist

All Realmuto has done since joining the Phillies is become an All-Star twice, along with winning two Silver Slugger Awards and one Gold Glove Award in his six-year tenure with the club. Not only that, the 33-year-old veteran has helped backstop one of the best rotations in all of baseball the past few seasons, along with helping the Phillies reach the postseason in each of their past three years. Overall, Realmuto has amassed a .266 batting average and .793 OPS, with 384 runs scored, 139 doubles, 109 home runs, 382 RBI and 65 stolen bases in 699 career games with Philadelphia.

Of the three pieces that went the way to the Miami Marlins, none of them are with the organization. After spending three years with the Marlins, Alfaro has struggled to maintain a major league gig in his subsequent seasons. He has made stops in various organizations including the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and now finally with the Milwaukee Brewers after signing a minor league contract this past January. Overall, Alfaro has posted a .253 average and .695 OPS with 48 home runs and 198 RBI over eight years in the majors.

In terms of Stewart, he has yet to have the opportunity to pitch at the big league level after spending four seasons in the Marlins’ minor league system from 2019 to 2023. Stewart eventually left the organization following his 2023 campaign and pitched in the independent Atlantic League with the York Revolution in 2024.

As for Sánchez, injury woes and struggles plagued his entire tenure with the Marlins as he ended up making just 21 appearances, including 14 starts, between 2020 to 2024. In total, he compiled a 3-5 record with a 4.70 ERA and 1.39 WHIP, along with 50 strikeouts in 74 2/3 total innings pitched with Miami. Sánchez ultimately elected for free agency following the 2024 campaign.

The Phillies sure won this trade hands down, by a landslide. With Philadelphia also making a big splash this offseason in another trade with the Marlins for Jesús Luzardo, they will sure hope to get a similar result again.