Is Realmuto next man up in Marlins fire sale?

Giancarlo Stanton was traded to the Yankees in mid-December. Marcell Ozuna went to the Cardinals a few days later. Christian Yelich was dealt to the Brewers last night, as the Marlins completed a stunning dump of their entire starting outfield - a really good one, too - in the span of six weeks.

Which leaves one remaining question down in Miami: Is J.T. Realmuto next?

Realmuto, the last remaining player of any real consequence on the Marlins roster, had already expressed his desire to get out of town once it was obvious the new ownership group headlined by Derek Jeter was embarking on a massive rebuilding project. Now it's becoming near-impossible to imagine the young catcher wearing a Miami uniform for even one day in 2018.

But what are the odds he'll wind up wearing a Nationals uniform by opening day?

It's no secret the Nats have long been interested in Realmuto, going back even to one year ago, before they acquired Derek Norris and later Matt Wieters. What's not to like about a 26-year-old catcher with a career .280 batting average and .750 OPS who is under club control for three more seasons at affordable arbitration prices?

Trouble is, a player with that resume doesn't come cheap. And so it's not surprising to learn that the Marlins, in discussions with the Nats about Realmuto, have asked for Victor Robles in return (according to FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman).

If you've paid any attention to Mike Rizzo in the last 24 months, you know the Nationals general manager is adamantly opposed to trading away Robles, the organization's top prospect and potential future star center fielder or right fielder. There were numerous opportunities in the past to include Robles in a blockbuster deal - whether for Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, Chris Sale or Andrew McCutchen - and each time Rizzo refused to do it.

So the odds of Rizzo now having a change of heart and trading away Robles in exchange for a good-but-not-great catcher seem exceptionally low. For the Nationals and Marlins to pull this off, they're going to have to agree on a lesser package of prospects. At which point it's up to Miami's front office to decide just how desperate it is to unload the last of its disgruntled starting players.

In a broader sense, the Nationals still face a dilemma when it comes to their catching situation. Though they'd like to upgrade at the position, they also know Wieters is already under contract for $10.5 million, with 24-year-old Pedro Severino probably ready for a permanent spot on the big league roster (at least as a backup).

Realmuto's 2018 salary will be determined Wednesday at an arbitration hearing in St. Petersburg, Fla. He's asking for $3.5 million; the Marlins countered at $2.9 million.

Are the Nationals prepared to devote $14 million to their catchers this season? (Severino will earn slightly more than the league minimum of $545,000, so the Nats' total catching salary if they stick with what they already have in-house would be about $11 million.)

Just one more thing to consider as a slow hot stove league crawls toward the finish line, with plenty of questions yet to be answered.