The debate about a month ago was whether the fish would be buyers or sellers at this years trade deadline. However, as Miami sits at 11 games over .500 with 3 weeks remaining in the first half, there is no real world where the Marlins are trading away any current starters, unless to be replaced by a significant upgrade.
The question now has become, will Miami be buyers at the deadline, or do they think their current roster is enough to go the distance?
I believe that there are still glaring holes on this roster and specifically on the lineup card. Primarily in the form of Jacob Stallings (pictured below) and Nick Fortes.
The Marlins have a WAR of -.08 coming from their catcher spot this season. Meaning, not only are they not contributing, they are acting as a detriment to our roster. I do like Fortes as a backup guy, and that is what Miami had intended for him at the beginning of the season. But Stallings has been so atrocious at the dish (.168/.265/.228) (Average/On base %/Slug %) that it has forced Fortes into a real time split with Miami's opening day catcher. Now, Fortes has been significantly less bad at .241/.288/.338, however this still is not gonna cut it offensively unless your name is Yadier Molina. Both of these catchers have 6 extra-base hits. Six. It is game 74 and the Marlins have 12 extra-base hits from the catcher's spot in the lineup.
So what is the solution? A trade seems like the obvious choice. However, there are three things that must be true in order for a trade of high magnitude to take place,
First: One team needs to think that they have no more need for their star.
Second: The other team needs to believe that they can accomplish something with said star.
And Third: The buying team needs to have the resources to convince a team to part with a player that means so much to the fans of the selling team.
So according to this, who would be a possible acquisition of the Miami Marlins? Who does Kim Ng think could push this team over the top and really turn this club into a World Series contender?
If I were to have my way, it would be Salvador Perez.
Salvy has had an unbelievable career in Kansas City. Over the course of his 12-year
tenure, he has collected over 1,300 hits, 237 homeruns, 5 gold gloves, a world series ring,
and a world series MVP. He is 33 years old and is still hitting .268 with 14 homeruns, 14 doubles and 37 RBIs in 65 games. Even with his age, he still possesses the ability to be a nearly everyday catcher with continuous offensive output for the last place Royals.
But would this trade work with the 3 parts mentioned earlier?
Do the Royals believe that they aren't going to win anything anytime soon? Considering they are 19-53 and dead last in the MLB, I would say yes. Next, do the Marlins believe they can win this year? With their record sitting at 42-31 and Luis Arraez's Average at .400, the answer is yes, GM Kim Ng believes in this club. And finally, does Miami have the resources? This one is much tougher, MLB pipeline has Miami's farm system ranked 18th in the MLB, which isn't terrible, but also not where the Marlins would like it to be. So will Miami be willing to give up what is necessary to acquire a player of Salvy's caliber?
Only time will tell. Go Fish!
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