from the Baltimore Orioles to the Los Angeles Dodgers Matt Duffy Jersey , but the trade market hasn't yet lost its best position player.I'm looking at you, J.T. Realmuto.Although they're far out of the National League East race in the first year of their rebuild, the Miami Marlins aren't obligated to trade their All-Star catcher. Realmuto is only 27 and pulling in just a $2.9 million salary, and free agency won't beckon him until after 2020."Any deal, unless it's something that's in the best interest of the Miami Marlins and our long-term goals of bringing a championship to South Florida, we're not going to do anything rash, nothing emotional," Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said, per Matthew DeFranks of theSun-Sentinel."We know where we're at. We know where we want to go."Even Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, who needs to upgrade at catcher more than anyone, publicly declared his intimidation by Realmuto's price tag in June:MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM MLBNetworkRadioPump the brakes on a #Marlins #Nationals JT Realmuto trade.#OnePursuit President Mike Rizzo on quot;Power Alleyquot;: ZgOCs5KzSOAs high as Miami's demands may be, however, a trade could happen for one simple reason: He's worth it.For starters, consider Realmuto's Baseball Reference wins above replacementin relation to Machado in 2018:Realmuto:3.7 WAR in 74 GMachado:3.1 WAR in 101 GRealmuto has played in 27 fewer games, in part due to paternity leave and a bone bruise in his back that required a disabled-list stint. Yet, he's still been more valuable than Machado.The idea here isn't to start a Machado bash-fest. He's a four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glover who was pretty good even in a "down" year in 2017. And despite his less-than-great defensive ratings, his elite bat has made him one of Major League Baseball's best shortstops this year.It's just that in this case http://www.raysfanproshop.com/authentic-steven-souza-jersey , he's up against a guy who's become the best player at the most important position on the diamond.Mitchell Layton/Getty ImagesRealmuto's offensive performance had already been on a steady upward climb through his first four major league seasons. In 2018, his bat has officially become a weapon to the tune of a .304/.355/.529 slash line and 37 extra-base hits, including 13 home runs.Realmuto hit .290 with a .337 on-base percentage across 2016 and 2017, so what he's doing in those departments is nothing new. It's his slugging percentage that's changed the most, and not by accident.The best recipe for power hitting is to start by swinging at good pitches and then aim to get under the ball and hit it hard. Realmuto is handling the first part by swinging more aggressively within the strike zone. He's also handling the second part, as his average launch angle and exit velocity are up:Since Marlins Park doesn't do Realmuto any favors, his offensive excellence is captured best by his 146 OPS+. He's the only catcher with an OPS+ north of 140 this year, and the firstto cross the threshold since Buster Posey and Devin Mesoraco in 2014.It gets better, as elite hitting is just one of the services Realmuto provides.Another is running the bases, and the emphasis is on "run." His average sprint is 28.6 feet per second, which is the highest of any catcher.Yet another is controlling the running game. Realmuto has nabbed 41 percent of attempted stolen bases. At work, there is an average pop time (the time between when the catcher receives the ball and when his throw reaches an infielder) of 1.88 seconds. That, also, is the fastest of any catcher.For all his athletic gifts, Realmuto's defense wasn't without flaws earlier in his career. Per Baseball Prospectus' in-depth catching metrics, he struggled with blocking and framing pitches in 2015 and 2016.Those flaws have all but evaporated in 2017 and thus far in 2018. Indeed, his framing might be better than ever. He's getting called strikes at career-best rates both inside the strike zone (87.1 percent) and outside the strike zone (8.5 percent).In all Chris Archer Jersey , Realmuto has become baseball's best catcher because he can do no wrong in any facet of the game. He's a far better hitter than anyone at the position, as well as the best baserunner and arguably the most well-rounded defender.Since creatures like this are exceedingly rare, it's not surprising there's no truly relevant precedent for what kind of package might be good enough to acquire Realmuto.The only thing to go off of is what's been reported. To this end, Jon Heyman of Fancred reported in January that a trade with the Nationals would have to start with Victor Robles, who presently rates asBaseball America's No. 6 overall prospect.This was before Realmuto's value skyrocketed, so it's fair to assume the Marlins won't budge unless somebody offers them multiple elite prospects. Otherwise, they'll hold on to their biggest prize.Still, never say never. All it takes is one enterprising GM with a treasure trove of prospects and a vision for his team with the best catcher in baseball behind the plate.And then, maybe just a phone call. Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs, Baseball Savant and Baseball Prospectus. BALTIMORE (AP) — The Houston Astros aren’t going to simply go through the motions while closing out the regular season.Houston’s game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night was postponed by rain, meaning the Astros will squeeze in four games over the final three days, including a doubleheader on Saturday.The 54 postponements in the major leagues this year are the most since 58 in 1989, the commissioner’s office said.Houston will squeeze in four games over the final three days, including a doubleheader on Saturday.Not a problem for the AL West champions, who open the Division Series on Oct. 5 at home against Cleveland.Gerritt Cole (15-5), who was slated to start Thursday Kevin Kiermaier Jersey , will instead pitch Friday night. Justin Verlander (16-9) will start the opener on Saturday (the makeup of Thursday’s rainout) and Dallas Keuchel (12-11) will pitch in the nightcap.“It’s important to them to get their regular work because we’ll have a week off,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “There are also personal goals. Gerrit is trying to get 200 innings and Justin is still in consideration for the Cy Young.”The Astros have already clinched the second seed in the AL, already have 100 wins and need only to avoid injury through the weekend.But they can’t afford to lose their focus, even against the worst team in the major leagues.“I have stressed to them not to get sloppy,” Hinch said. “You don’t want to play like it’s spring training, then go have to go back into playoff mode.”Simply put, winning is still important.“I don’t want them to get into bad habits,” Hinch said. “We have to play the games and you have to keep your edge. You can’t not compete.”Hinch said his starters will continue to see action, even if it’s for just part of the game.Josh Reddick, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa were among those in the starting lineup Thursday.The Orioles, meanwhile, are just striving to reach the finish line of the worst season in franchise history. Baltimore 46-112.TRAINER’S ROOMAstros: The wife of RHP Charlie Morton gave birth to a girl on Thursday. Morton could pitch the regular-season finale on Sunday.Orioles: RHP Miguel Castro (knee) remains sidelined. His status for this series is uncertain.UP NEXTAstros: Cole is 5-0 over his last seven starts. He stands 5 2/3 innings short of reaching 200 for the season.Orioles: Rookie David Hess (3-10, 5.14 ERA) starts Friday night. He has one victory since May 25.