Michael Hill needed no Thursday morning wake-up call from the hotel front desk Thursday.
After going to bed at 2:45 a.m., Hill’s phone rang at 4:15 a.m. Without saying so directly, Hill — the Marlins president of baseball operations — hinted that it was another team calling to talk trade about catcher J.T. Realmuto.
Hill and the rest of the Marlins’ front office contingent left Las Vegas as the Winter Meetings concluded with Realmuto still on their roster. But it wasn’t for lack of trying, as Realmuto trade talks with interested teams consumed a significant share of the team’s time during the annual gathering of baseball leaders.