Miami Marlins: When will this fire sale begin to burn?
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
In what many thought could be more of a competitive season, the Miami Marlins are still trying to find out what their identity is.
Still needing pitching, you can't forget that their ace was sadly lost in such a tragic event last year. But trying to move forward as a team, it is apparent that the main problem for the Miami Marlins this season is in fact their pitching.
Not having a true ace, they have essentially five guys who are middle to back-end of the rotation type pitchers. Being ranked 22nd in ERA, they lead the league in walks with 255 through 549 innings pitched. What does that mean for the rest of the team?
No matter how good your offense is, bad pitching will keep you out of most games daily.
The Marlins are the ninth best offensive team in the National League, right in the middle of the pack for the entire league. They have the second highest batting average in the NL, only three points behind the Coors Field Rockies.
This should be a guide for the Marlins front office as to what they should acquire to help the team move in the right direction. But this is the team in Miami we are talking about. The guys that won two World Series in 10 seasons, and had a fire sale in each of the following seasons. So if this trend continues, we have a feeling Miami will dump some of the young stars they currently have on their roster.
While anybody wearing those black, orange and teal uniforms could become casualties of the trade deadline, we'll look at three of the biggest names the Marlins could possibly part with in the coming days, weeks and months.
Christian Yelich
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One idea that continues to perplex people is why the Marlins would even entertain the idea of trading Christian Yelich. At only 25 years of age, Yelich signed a seven-year, $49.57 million contract with Miami back in 2015. Not only is he young, he's under club control for the next five years, no matter where he plays. And the biggest reason the Marlins shouldn't trade him: He's good.
Yelich will continue to be one of the best young outfielders in the game for a long time, no matter where he plays. We see that playing in one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in baseball, Yelich still has good offensive numbers. While his average has dipped somewhat this year (.264), he's still hovering around a .300 lifetime average.
In the spacious outfield at Marlins Park, he has yet to commit an error this year, rocking a 1.000 fielding percentage. If the Marlins do decide to part ways with Yelich, a ton of teams come to mind for the simple reason of acquiring your starting center fielder for the next decade.
Maybe the Dodgers could use him? While Chris Taylor has been playing well as of late, especially hitting in many different lineup slots, Yelich would be a huge pickup for a team doing so well already this year. If they can part with top notch pitching, I could see these two working toward a deal.
Marcell Ozuna
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
A big piece of the Marlins offense that has been playing well this season is Marcell Ozuna. Having a career year so far, his batting average is at a place we have yet to see from him.
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Currently batting .324, that's a clear 52 points higher than his career batting average (.272). In fewer than half of the games he played last year, he's already halfway to his doubles total (12 doubles compared to 23 last year). His walks are up, as well as his runs batted in. While he has struck out over 50 times already, his home run total is more than likely going to be higher than last year as well.
While he's mainly a left fielder, he has shown that he too can play around the entire outfield. While his fielding percentage isn't great (.978), he does have range. And at only 26 years old, he's another one of those young Marlins outfielders that may be on the move.
In my opinion, Ozuna may be more likely to be moved because of his power threat at the plate. If a team fighting for a playoff spot or a contender needs a little more pop from an outfielder, this is your ideal guy. While his average is also through the roof, I feel it would still cost less to acquire Ozuna than Yelich.
Giancarlo Stanton
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
You can't talk Marlins fire sale without mentioning the biggest fish of them all. In this case, the great white shark is and always will be Giancarlo Stanton.
Before Aaron Judge came around, Stanton had by far the most power in baseball. While I still feel he is the best power hitter in baseball, Judge is making a name for himself. One of the positives surrounding Stanton is that he too is locked up for a very long time.
Signing a mammoth 13-year, $325 million contract back in 2014, the slugger still has 10 years left on the deal. While it equates to $25 million per season, the deal is extremely back-loaded. If the Marlins do trade him, Stanton is set to make the most off his deal after 2020. While numbers would need to be worked out, the Marlins essentially have a 27-year-old star for the next decade. Imagine what they would acquire from a team if a deal was to be worked out?
"I'm just glad it's not broken. I thought it was snapped." – Stanton on his sore wrist, according to the Miami Herald via ESPN.com
I feel that too much would need to be worked out to make a deal happen, but there would be a ton of takers. I also think those takers would back off when they realize what in fact the Marlins would want in return for a player of Stanton's caliber.
While he needs to become more durable, his numbers have been good this year. Batting .286, he's obviously going to hit anywhere from 30-40 home runs and drive in over 100 RBI, if healthy. He'd be welcomed by just about anybody, if they're willing to part with their entire team, of course.
