TODAY: After shopping Straily yesterday, the Marlins have “taken him off the market” today, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).
That said, it is difficult to imagine that Straily simply cannot be obtained now when just yesterday the club was reaching out to rivals to gauge interest. It’s more likely, perhaps, that Miami has simply not found any indication that a major package can be achieved.
That interpretation lines up what MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand is hearing (Twitter link). As he puts it, the Fish are “still very much open” to making a deal on Straily. (That said, given the remaining control over Straily, the team surely won’t just be taking the best offer.)
YESTERDAY, 5:43pm: Eight teams have spoken with the Marlins on Straily, per MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (via Twitter). But it seems that most of the contact has been initiated by the Miami organization, per a tweet from Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network, with hopes of finding a “home run” of a trade package.
12:51pm: After focusing primarily on trades involving their relievers over the past couple of weeks, the Marlins have now informed teams that they’re open to trading right-hander Dan Straily, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
The 28-year-old Straily was essentially a free pickup for the Reds in Spring Training 2016 and has continually built up increasing trade value over the past season and a half. Cincinnati dealt him to Miami in exchange for a prospect package headlined by flamethrowing rookie starter Luis Castillo this offseason, and it’s possible that the market for controllable starters is thin enough that the Fish can recoup comparable or even superior value after four more strong months out of Straily.
While Straily definitely won’t be mistake for a top-of-the-rotation starter, he’s been a durable mid-rotation piece dating back to Opening Day 2016. Over his past 308 2/3 innings, Straily has averaged 7.8 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 with a 33 percent ground-ball rate en route to a 3.79 ERA. Alternative metrics like FIP and xFIP don’t love Straily, though as an extreme fly-ball pitcher, he’s more likely to sustain his .251 BABIP than a more ground-ball oriented pitcher would be. (Fly-balls in play, generally speaking, are easier to turn into outs than grounders.)
Straily’s true value, however, comes through the simple fact that he’s a solid mid-rotation piece that is controlled not just through the 2017 campaign but all the way through 2020. He’s yet to reach arbitration eligibility (though he will this offseason) and should be affordable, from a financial standpoint, for any team in the Majors.
The Marlins have begun to replenish a perilously thin farm system by trading David Phelps to the Mariners, and it stands to reason that they’ll also part with closer AJ Ramos and, perhaps, Straily over the next 96 hours. Virtually all reports on the team have suggested that they’re not open to trading core offensive players like Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, Giancarlo Stanton and J.T. Realmuto, and the team has several potential trade chips on the disabled list in the form of Kyle Barraclough, Edinson Volquez and Martin Prado.
Whether their likely inability to cash in on those players impacted Miami’s willingness to move Straily isn’t clear, but now is among the best times possible to be marketing an affordable, controllable starter — even if his ceiling is that of a workhorse rather than that of an ace. Moving both Straily and Ramos in the coming days won’t dramatically overhaul the Miami farm system, but it’d further begin to build up a minor league reservoir of talent that has been thinned out by trades and injuries to recent top picks Tyler Kolek and Braxton Garrett.
This is the right move. It cost them prospects to acquire him so it doesn’t make sense to try to stash him away as a “core” player while your farm system is still subpar and your not competing for the playoffs. He has pitched well enough to get a better return then what he was acquired for.
The Marlins would have been wise to keep Luis Castillo and this isn’t a knock on Staily but they weren’t winning this year so why not keep the upside?
they needed major league pitching desperately heading into the season, and even if Straily was gonna be bad, at least he could give them innings, which they needed
I think they thought they could contend, honestly. I’m not sure anybody realized just how good the Nationals were going to be.
Exactly, and they went after both Chapman and Jensen before settling in on the other two RP’s. Names escape me…
The gNats have supposed to have been this good for the past few years, just finally living up to the hype this time. Of course it all comes down to playoffs where they have been an utter disappointment since they became a good team.
Straily sorry .. missed the “r”
Stearns should look into this.
Stearns is all about “due diligence.”
They’ll be in 4th place in 10 days or so.
Lol Cards or Pirates fan I’m guessing? Don’t get ahead of yourself. I know the Cubs are going to win the division because despite being a diehard Crew fan I also know my baseball. Everyone has their skids but you don’t play 3.5 months of good baseball for nothing. As terrible as this road trip has been, a few things go differently and it’s closer to a .500 one. We’re way ahead of schedule and really only a few pieces short. We’ll be right in there down the stretch and a serious threat the next few years.
I find it very odd the you guys were bad with Lucroy and the Rangers were good without him. Now you guys are good and the Rangers bad. coincidence I know, or is it?
Remember that time the Brewers spent most of the year in first place only to completely fall apart and miss the post season? Nothing matters but what the final results end up.
Marlins would have been better off keeping Luis Castillo. He looks like he’s gonna be a good one.
The Marlins traded him twice. The first time in the infamous Andrew cashner deal. They clearly didn’t mind trading him and didn’t see him as per of there future. Not saying that was the right call but it’s the one they made.
Not really. Castillo is might end up being a reliever. Straily on the other hand, is a known quantity and will provide innings year in and out at a decent level. Better than every marlins pitcher right now too so he’s definitely more valuable than Castillo.
Prado for some pitching but he’s on the disable list, and with his contract I doubt we are getting something respectable in return.
If you can get someone to take Prado’s entire deal that’d be a huge win in itself
I would love for the Braves to get Prado back if it only costs a lower level spec or two. We love him in Atlanta and could use a 3B for a few seasons til we have a prospect like Riley or Maitan thats ready.
This seems like a better target for Dipoto and the Mariners than Gray. Not as good, but far more affordable in terms of prospects. It allows them to preserve some of the future, have another rotation spot nailed down for a few years, and compete now.
I mean maybe. Straily might give you steady production but he’s not going to help you contend. Paxton and Felix would have to carry you throughout the postseason and I’m not sure Felix is capable anymore
I disagree. Straily is a good bet to give you a quality start every time out and easily is a solid 4 guy on a playoff team.
He wouldn’t be a 4 on the mariners. He’d be at least your #3 in the postseason and I’m not sure Felix is still a #2. If you took away the name brand and just looked at felix’s stats you wouldn’t think that’s a #2 starter anymore.
Recently wrote a piece on Straily being a good fit with Milwaukee.
Wonder if the Yanks would be interested and if so, what that package may look like?
This makes sense for Miami. Marlins likely won’t compete until 2019… I would expect at least one top 100 prospect though, otherwise, i’d hold on to him.
I can assure you that they won’t get a top 10 prospect for him. He’ll still fetch a nice return, though.
Top 10, definitely not. But he’s worth at least one top 100 guy imo.
You edited your post after I had commented. It must have been a typo because you had originally written 10 not 100.
Yeah I could see him netting a guy in the 50-70 range with another lottery pick or two. With the price of pitching right now that seems reasonable.
I was thinking a fringe 100 guy with a lottery ticket pitcher and a another relative unknown who is killing it in A ball this year with no track record. Like an obscure 200k international signing kind of guy. He’s controllable, decent, and consistent, but I’m not giving a top 50-75 prospect for a number 4 starter, right?
Straily was on the market for what, 20 hours? Laughable.
Teams are unwilling to trade their prospects unless its some low level prospect. Surprised about how cheap some of these teams are when they are close to being a contender.
The thing is, most contenders don’t need a guy like Straily. If you need an arm like Straily to help your rotation, are you really a contender? Especially if you are gonna count on him in the postseason.
Some of the teams fighting for a playoff spot have some very bad starters on their teams. Straily has put up WHIP under 1.20 the last 2 seasons. That is pretty good. Not a top of rotation guy but could win some key games down the stretch to put teams in the playoffs.
you can’t judge a starting pitcher solely based on WHIP.
he’s put up a 5.02 and 4.65 xFIP the past 2 seasons. he’s a solid innings eater. those type of guys get more value in the off-season. he’s not a stretch-run difference maker.
Cubs get him back for a Luis Valbuena type player. So any low prospect basically.
Straily is a tremendous value at his salary. MIA would be foolish to deal him unless someone wildly overpays. Marlins need major league SPs now and next year, and there isn’t much coming up through the system to fill out that rotation. Remember that the Marlins are stuck with almost always injured Wei-yen Chen thru 2021 if he doesn’t opt out after the season, and he won’t.
Straily + Ramos would be a great package for the Nats. Straily has been consistently decent over the last 1.5 years, has a good contract, and would make a fine 5th starter with Ross out for TJ surgery. Ramos is the closest thing available to a true closer this year which is still the biggest Nats need. I’d trade a top prospect or 2 for that package.