The rebuilding Marlins reportedly aren’t inclined to trade any of their controllable starting pitchers, but that isn’t necessarily the case, according to president of baseball operations Michael Hill (via Joe Frisaro of MLB.com).
The Marlins plan to “explore” ways to improve, said Hill, who added: “I think you look at ways to get better. I think you look at where we are organizationally, and we’ve said our pitching is a little bit ahead of our position players.”
Specifically, the Marlins would like to add a middle-of-the-order bat to their lineup, Frisaro reports. Whether they’d be able to get that type of offensive piece for any of their starters is the question.
Although Miami’s a National League-worst 30-47 this season, its starting staff has been a legitimate bright spot. The Marlins’ rotation ranks a surprising sixth in the majors in ERA and a similarly encouraging eighth in FIP, and all of their prominent starters are controllable 20-somethings.
The Marlins haven’t gotten ace-caliber production from anyone, but each of Trevor Richards, Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez, Jose Urena and Caleb Smith have logged respectable or better numbers over at least 12 starts apiece. Meanwhile, Jordan Yamamoto has been brilliant through three starts, Elieser Hernandez has done well during his first three starts this year, and the just-promoted Zac Gallen shut down the Cardinals in his five-inning introduction June 20.
One problem for the Marlins is that there are currently injuries spread throughout their starting group. The strikeout-heavy Smith has been out since June 7 with left hip inflammation, Lopez went down June 19 with shoulder inflammation, and Urena will be out until at least August with a herniated disc in his back. Smith and Lopez are reportedly progressing toward returns, however. Therefore, aside from Urena, any of the Marlins’ starters might end up in play around the July 31 deadline.
If you’re another team, acquiring one of Miami’s starters could mean adding a long-term solution to your staff. Richards, Alcantara and Lopez are all controllable through 2024, while Lopez and Hernandez are under wraps through 2023. Yamamoto and Gallen obviously come with even more control, having just emerged in the majors. So, whether it happens this summer or a bit down the line, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Marlins deal from their surplus of starters to improve a toothless offense that ranks among the majors’ worst. Aside from first baseman Garrett Cooper, third baseman Brian Anderson, outfielder Harold Ramirez and veteran stopgap infielder Neil Walker, they’ve struggled to get any production at the plate in 2019.
Which team has MLB’s worst offense if not the Marlins? Tigers, O’s, Giants, Mariners?
Mariners have a top 10 offense
They did until they traded away Bruce and Encarnacion.
The M’s have put up 144 R in June. That’s 3rd in MLB. Bruce was traded on the 2nd and Encarnacion played 2 weeks. The M’s have been scoring runs without the two.
The M’s have 7 guys with 10 or more RBI this last month without counting Encarnacion. He was a great clubhouse guy, but the M’s won’t miss him.
the mariners offense has been surprisingly potent, from a viewer standpoint. it seems their pitching is horrible – would be interesting if a deal between the two clubs came to fruition
Their defense is also god awful. One of the worst in the game.
The Marlins have sneakily been developing pitchers, as shown above by Yamamoto and Galen’s recent successes, but also Sandy Alcantrara and Trevor Richards could pose some value. The Marlins announced earlier on they wouldn’t trade Caleb Smith.
They have done through their rebuilding trades what the Mets have failed to do. Where are all those young arms the Mets traded for a few years ago?
Don’t forget the Blue Jays.
Tigers and Giants are pretty bad. Especially when your leadoff hitter has a .500 OPS in the Tigers case (Sorry Josh Harrison).
This is code for Jeter saying come take who you want for peanuts in return my Yankees.
Let me tell u how it’s gonna work… the braves wouldn’t mind grabbing one of these guys. They will inquire about some and the marlins will demand a kings ransom for any of them. Prob ask for Acuna, Riley, Pache and waters or at the least, a combo of that. The braves will say no, then leave the tables full well having the pieces to make a reasonable deal. The marlins will then go to literally any other team and sell their pitchers for pennies on the dollar making their fans go nuts. Don’t think this hasn’t happened before? Look at the two MVP’s they traded away for next to nothing and I’ll argue they also lost on the JT trade in a similar fashion. Lol
SHH dont talk sense into the marlins, we love our yelich trade lol
Jordan Yamamoto might end up being the best piece they got back. As bad as the deal turned out because of Yelich’s greatness and Brinson’s Awfulness. If they hit on Harrison and Yamamoto it wouldn’t be quite as bad.
If Gallen pans out they didn’t do so bad in the Ozuna deal either. To get Alcantara and Gallen. Two SP’s with years of control is a valuable commodity. The Marlins actually have something starting here if they can pick the right guys to get rid of and infuse a TON of offensive help. Positional players seem easier to find than pitchers in today’s game though so they’re off to a pretty decent start.
Not saying they wont work out, honestly hoping the Marlins are relevant again. Lets see the Phils and their overrated “superstar” never win a title. Ill hop on the MIA bandwaggon
Everyone talks about the Yelich trade as though everyone involved knew he would become what he is.
He didn’t have to become what he is. He was already pretty darn good as he was.
Very perceptive!
Lol, they’re not going to ask for Acuna… they know he’s off limits
Cmon marlins, I wanna see Duvall get another chance playing every day again like in Cincinnati. I was hoping the Braves would move on from kakes last offseason and give him the keys in RF. This lineup would be even more potent if the Braves would have gone this way..
Marlins have nothing to lose..
Duvall has little trade value. He will not get you a starting pitcher. Also, Markakis is a much better outfielder than Duvall.
He hasn’t got a fair shake (as in playing every day) since he’s been acquired other than down in AAA where he’s proving teams could take a flyer on him. Hypothetically, I was saying add him and another chip like gohara/allard/_______. Duvall’s defense is nothing to sneeze at one bit and I wouldnt say Kakes is that much better. (Both are very solid.)
It’ll be nice when Riley is at his natural position because watching him go back on balls is scary, thank God snit had Culberson in there in the 9th last nite.
Not arguing he has much trade value by himself, just pleading his case coupled with another 1 or 2 pieces..
The only thing that Duvall has on Markakis is home runs.
Markakis is a career .288 hitter where Duvall is a career .230 hitter.
Be realistic, if Duvall is so good why do the Braves have him in the minors? Why haven’t teams tried to get him? Simple – he has little or no value.
I am being realistic in saying he along with another pitching prospect/asset or 2 forms a nice package for a team that has nothing to lose i.e “marlins” to get through their rebuilding years.
He may be just another uggla (post marlins) at this point with good defense, but he still has some gas in the tank as he’s been showing down in (albeit AAA).
Just a proponent on giving the guy another chance at an “every day” chance once again finally.
Look back at his stats in 2016, 2017, and 2018 when he played every day with the reds (the trade to ATL as a pinch hitter ruined anything and everything he built up for himself..)
link to sports.yahoo.com
And let’s be more realistic while we’re at it; Duvall has 5 more years In the age dept on Kakes..
Hes great insurance to have on a playoff team and would argue better insurance over inciarte in case of “what have you done for me lately.”
Duvall is batting .230 facing AAA pitching. A rebuilding team. like Miami, will want young players, not an older player clogging their roster.
try again; .260 BA, 21HR, 14 2B, 56 RBI,.584 SLG,.928 OPS..
No matter what ANYBODY says he’s crushing it and seeing the ball well playing every single day..AAA or not.
link to baseballamerica.com
Guessing you were checking his career stats ‘hockey’john??
link to mlb.com
Dude deserves another shot no matter how you paint it!
Its still Triple A. And he still has limited to no value.
I am sorry. The .230 is Duvall’s career MLB average. That is very impressive. If he were 23, I would be excited. At age 30 he is what he is which is a limited player with some pop.
I am glad that Duvall’s Minor League stats excite you, They don’t excite me.
And is why you would rather a guy that deserves/needs another shot at playing every day rot away in the minors because he’s currently on a team with too much talent rather than put Kakes on the bench and see what they have in Duvall for a trial period while he’s on his game.. Kakes would be a huge asset off the bench on a playoff contender as he doesn’t seem to lose his timing; much like Chipper never did coming off the DL each and every time..
Time to say good night Adam. You have a minor league game to play later today. Get some sleep.
Goooood morning Derek.. Ok, I’m done have a good day lol
Wrong, Adam, I am not even a Braves fan. Have a good game in AAA today.
No youre Derek, owner of the fish..
I will go 3 for 4 with a hr and 3 rbi just for you today Derek.
Duvall is absolutely killing it for Gwinnett just like Riley was when he was called up and Duvall has a lot lower strikeout percentage and he’s a really good left fielder.
Teams are trying to get him because he’s killing it for Gwinnett and last time I looked he was hitting .286 with a lot lower strikeout percentage than Riley and a lot of homers.
You have no idea what you’re talking about hockeyjohn. Duvall is doing everything Riley was doing when he got called up and striking out a lot less. I would rather see Duvall playing left field instead of Riley because Duvall is a very good defensive player with power.
Honest question. If Isan Diaz becomes an everyday near all star 2B and Monte Harrison makes a decent every OF and Yamamoto makes a good #4 SP, do you call it a bad trade for the Marlins still? Isan is tearing it up and almost ready for a call up and Monte is nearly ready as well, so with using realistic expectations for ceilings, what would you say?
Also, tell me about the JT trade loss? Alfaro OPS .731 and JT OPS .750. And Sixto Sanchez looking like an ace still that should be ready by 2020 or 2021.
Anyone saying the Marlins lost the JT trade is missing quite a lot of brain cells. Trading a top 3 catcher for a top 10 catcher, pick up one of the best pitching prospects in the game and a lottery ticket pitcher that’s been very hot and cold this season is fine. But yeah, the Marlins are really missing Stantons IL stints.
The Yelich trade still looks like a loss to me. They got some good pieces back minus brinson, but the JT trade was great for MIA. They got a very very nice package and i think Sixto is going to be a stud when hes up. Smart trade for MIA for JT.
Yelich trade should’ve never happened.
Bravesfan still crying Braves couldn’t pull the trigger for JTR. Maybe they have a shot in two years
.
You’re just an idiot. Look at the production the Braves catcher position is getting? Bravesfan isnt saying he would rather have JTR. He is reflecting on the insane ask the Marlins had for the Braves albeit after they said they arent interested in trading in the division and thr Phillies did pay that steep price.
I just dont get the Marlins FO at times. They have a great young group of pitchers. Why dump them for offense? Build around your staff, dont unload them. Miami can easily put together a nice offensive lineup in the offseason with FA bats. At some point, you are going to need to pick some players to build around and establish a core for players to want to come. Not going to happen if you keep shuffling them in and out like a factory line
Free Agents? But then Jeter has to spend money!
pitchers don’t attract fans as much. in marlins’ case they’ll add 2 more fans if they get a somewhat potent bat.
Enter Rangers.
Enter Brewers too. Young and controllable is music to our ears.
I mean, it’s pretty obvious that would be music to any teams ears
more significant to the Brewers and other small market teams. They cant afford many huge contracts like the big market teams can dish out.
Too bad they were too cheap to keep their previous middle of the order bats…..
Yeah, just think of a lineup powered by Ozuna and Yelich and a rotation headlined by Alcantara, Gallen, and Yamamoto
Hard to imagine a lineup powered by Ozuna and Yelich and a rotation headlined by the guys they got by trading Ozuna and Yelich.
That’s the joke ;)
Except that’s not a joke. At least you tried.
A sarcastic jab at someone who’s talking about things they don’t know isn’t a joke? At least you tried
Prado and Castro come off the books this year. ($26 mil). Chen comes off next ($22 mil). They have some very good pitchers coming up… Sixto Sanchez, Braxton Garrett, Edward Cabrera and Jorge Guzman. They have some interesting starters now.
They have a very good catcher in Alfaro. LF Cooper is doing great. RF Ramirez is good. 3B Anderson is solid. SS Rojas is good.
The Marlins can become a very good team in the near future.
Marlins could definitely use a young, long-term answer at Shortstop… And an answer in Centerfield since Brinson doesn’t seem like the answer. VV Mesa is a nice 4th outfielder but I don’t believe he’ll be elite offensively. Add that player to Bleday + Harrison and we could have a nice outfield for years to come.
And then trade them all
Let me guess, Giants fan? How about you all trade for a real outfielder?
This is why no top free agents ever consider Miami. As soon as they signed you they are thinking where can we trade you. Every management structure since the beginning of the franchise has been this way and nothing is changed under Derek Jeter. As a Yankee fan it saddens me to say that but it seems it is now worse than ever they will probably be rebuilding for the next decade.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with trading away some of the abundance of pitching depth they have. You cannot start 10 pitchers. They have gigantic holes on offense that need to be filled. If they can get 3 interesting prospects for a guy like Caleb Smith who is pushing 28 why not check it out? They have no reason not to listen. And It’s clear they’re doing a pretty solid job developing pitchers. I’d be more excited if I were a Marlins fan now then I’ve been in the past.
You obviously are a prisoner of the moment kind of guy. The Marlins have had way worse situations as far as the talent level up top, and certainly the farm has been far worse. What does being a Yankees fan have to do with the Marlins fortunes?
Looks like the Yankees now have a victim — err, I mean team — to fleece. Again.
Get a life.
Thanks for Smith and Coop again, hopefully Stanton doesn’t last too long on the IL! You’re still on the hook for 220m+! :)
You think you fleeced the Marlins by taking mr. 9 abs? Congratulations the Marlins traded you an untradeable contract. Luckily you probably gave up no good prospects in the process. If you ended up giving them someone who pans out well then it just gets worse.
On an unrelated note, Yamamoto was the 19,545th player to debut in MLB. Connor, will MLBTR be following this and reporting on when the 20,000th player debuts? How about a contest to pick the date?
It would be a fun trivial exercise to distract us from our pathetic and sad lives!
I’m in!
Manfred already said it’s going to happen as part of the new rule changes for next year.
link to mlbtraderumors.com
Not gonna get a middle of the order bat with the guys they are willing to part with.
Ender Inciarte for Pablo Lopez seems like a no brained.
No brainer, hurr
O’s offense sucks
Twins would probably be looking for a starter. SS Arraez and 2B Nick Gordon, maybe a throw in of OF/1B Luke Raley?
Arraez is a hitting machine.
that would be interesting to see Dee’s brother replace him
Which Marlins Yankees trade do you think was the bigger fleecing – the one where they traded Caleb Smith (3.41 ERA) and Garrett Cooper (.889 OPS) for a minor leaguer, or the one where they gave up a major league starter and two prospects to acquire one of the worst contracts in all of baseball.
Fish were fleeced on both trades.(sarcasm)
The only acceptable trade the Marlins should consider is for Lindor. It lets the Indians trade Bauer and Kluber while acquiring some talented pitchers while the Marlins get the big bat they need. Start it off with Smith, Nick Neidert and Jose Devers and go from there.
Sorry, Oof, those three wouldn’t come close to starting a package for Lindor. If Cleveland made Lindor available, so many teams could be that package. If you haven’t noticed, the Indians are playing well and in the playoff picture. Why would they trade Lindor now?
Jays can trade for Harold Ramirez.
Oh wait….
Derek Dietrich would be a good middle of the order bat. Luis Castillo could anchor the rotation. Trade the wheel of fish to Cincy.
Just keep them clean and off the boat.
Mimai’s finally got a young core of starters on the come up, sooo why would they get rid of them?? Sure, dealing Lopez and Urena to make room for Yamamoto, Gallen, and Sanchez makes sense, but not Smith, Alcantara, and Richards, those three have the potential to form a very good rotation for years to come.
If the Marlins really want to improve their offense, how about dealing Tayron Guerrero? Because he’ll probably be insignificant by the time Miami makes the postseason again, so why not sell high on his controllability right now while he’s still got a triple digit heater?
Trade the whole franchise to Nashville for some hot chicken and season tickets to the Opry.
makes you wonder what underwhelming package the Marlins will settle for after asking to much from every other team in the league and then engaging in a month-long and ultimately pointless game of chicken waiting for another gem to panic…
Which resulted in the Phil’s giving the Marlins a great haul. Shame on you Marlins for standing your ground.
Wil Myers 30hrs in 2017
Reyes 22hrs
Renfroe 24hrs
Each has 30+ home run power, even in SD
And your point? If it is a trade for Miami’s pitching – take out Myers. Miami is not taking on that contract.
Texas Rangers should consider alcantarra they need young controllable arms
WIllie Calhoun would be a nice headliner for the Fish
I would think that the Yankees would give up Andujar or Frazier for Caleb Smith.
How about a trade with the Giants. Caleb Smith for Brandon Crawford? Longoria — back to Florida —for Alcantara? Belt to Marlins for 2nd and 3rd rnd 2020 picks. Do it Jeter/Zaidi!
Makes sense