Braves interest in Yelich, Realmuto confirmed by AJC.

After hearing the rumors from various sources around the business our very own David O’Brien confirms that the Braves have indeed contacted the Marlins about possibly obtaining Christian Yelich and J.T. Realmuto.

Although O’Brien confirms Atlanta’s interest, he adds that at this point, it seems unlikely that the team would be willing to part with the number of prospects it would take to land both players.

With the Marlins new ownership looking to strip payroll and rebuild the team from the base up a combination of prospects, specifically pitching prospects which the Marlins needs desperately, along with money (Braves have various intriguing players on one year deals) could pique the interest of Derek Jeter and the rest of the Marlins front office.

The addition of Yelich and Realmuto could make the 2018 season a very intriguing one for the organization. Initially a year reserved for further developing key players on the farm could become one of competing for the playoffs with the addition of these two players. Among qualified catchers - J.T. Realmuto ranked third in WAR (3.6) and is under team control for three more years. Yelich, of course, is one of the games top defensive and offensive outfielders and has put together consecutive 4.5 WAR seasons - oh and is under team control for five more years.

While the likelihood of such a blockbuster trade within the division is low there is interest there and should make for a much more entertaining off-season than previously thought.