LAS VEGAS -- Sleep deprivation comes with the territory for Major League executives at the Winter Meetings. Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill fielded calls and texts at 2:30 a.m. on Thursday regarding J.T. Realmuto.
Even after he tried to get some sleep, Hill's phone was buzzing again at 4:30 a.m. But despite four days of seemingly non-stop discussions, the Marlins exited the Winter Meetings on Thursday without a deal in place for their All-Star catcher.
That still could change at any time over the next few days, or even weeks. Or nothing at all may happen. Such is the nature of trying to make trades.
"As it pertains to J.T., these meetings are an opportunity to share ideas with your peers," Hill said. "From that standpoint, there's been a ton of discussion on a myriad of items."

Realmuto rumors dominated the Winter Meetings, with a wide range of scenarios surfacing over the past four days. The 27-year-old was linked to everything, including a potential three-team deal with the Mets and Yankees.
There was plenty of speculation on Monday night, when it was reported that a proposal was discussed that would have sent Realmuto to the Mets, and Noah Syndergaard to the Yankees, with an unrevealed package of prospects going to the Marlins.
That report was quickly shot down and described as overblown.

But there was no denying a high number of teams explored various ways to acquire Realmuto. The Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Reds, Braves, Rays and Phillies were all mentioned as possible landing spots for the All-Star catcher.
Realmuto has two years of arbitration remaining, and the Marlins insist they can stand pat in terms of dealing their best player.
"I think it's coming into form of where things are," Hill said. "This is not something that we have to do, so we didn't come to these Meetings thinking we had to do anything with J.T. Realmuto."
BIGGEST REMAINING NEEDS
1. Left-handed bat: When not discussing Realmuto, the Marlins spent the week weighing possible ways to bolster an offense that ranked last in the Majors in runs, homers, doubles and slugging percentage. Now that they no longer have Justin Bour and Derek Dietrich, adding lefty power is at the top of their list.
"We're focused on offense and will continue to focus on offense," Hill said. "We'll see what the rest of the offseason holds in terms of taking care of those."

2. First base: The search continues for a first baseman, and Miami is open to filling the spot either through trade or a free agency. Free agent Matt Adams fits the profile.

3. Bullpen: The Marlins dealt Kyle Barraclough to the Nationals in October for international bonus pool money. Although Barraclough had his struggles closing, he had experience pitching high-leverage innings. The Marlins are in the market for a veteran reliever who has either closed or pitched in late innings.
"Anything can gain traction at any moment," Hill said. "From our standpoint, I think we have a solid understanding of where our counterparts are. We'll go on our way to try to improve our club."
RULE 5 DRAFT
In the Major League phase, the Marlins selected right-hander Riley Ferrell from the Astros' Triple-A roster. The 25-year-old throws 95-99 mph and has a power slider. He will be given an opportunity to pitch in high-leverage relief situations. In the Triple-A phase, Miami lost outfielder Braxton Lee, who was selected by the Mets. More >

GM'S BOTTOM LINE
"For us, as a group, we were able to explore a number of different ways for us to get better. There's still a long way to go in the offseason and still a number of players on the market. But I think our time spent here was well spent because we were able to line some things up. I think we have a great perspective of what the market is to add offense and potentially explore a number of other things that we may want to." -- Hill