Mock Trades!

With the Marlins off to a 6-17 start, I figured it's appropriate to start looking ahead towards the trade deadline.

With Peter Bendix now in the front office as the Marlins POBO, every player should always be available for trade, which is how the Rays operated. Today, I spent some time making mock trades to see what the Marlins farm system could look like after trading some key pieces.`

Luis Arraez and Tim Anderson

Luis Arraez is only under club control through 2025, and Tim Anderson is on a 1-year deal, making me think they will likely be traded at the deadline. The Detroit Tigers trading for Luis Arraez and/or Tim Anderson would make perfect sense. I anticipate the Tigers will be in a position to win the AL Central by the trade deadline, but they’ll need to add to their middle infield to become series contenders in the postseason. The Tigers currently have Colt Keith (31 OPS+) and Javier Baez (42 OPS+) playing the middle infield.

RHP Jackson Jobe was drafted third overall by the Tigers in 2021 out of Heritage Hall High School. He recorded a 2.81 ERA last year across Low-A and High-A as a 20/21-year-old. Jobe was the #1 ranked prospect in the Tigers system going into 2023 and is currently ranked #3 due to Colt Keith having a breakout season and Max Clark getting drafted third overall last year.

If the Tigers acquire Arraez, they could send Colt Keith (22 years old) back down to AAA if he continues to struggle in the majors. As for Tim Anderson, the Tigers could platoon him with Javier Baez if they can’t get rid of him and his massive contract by the deadline.

via Jason Miller, Getty Images

Jesus Luzardo

With the Orioles gearing up for another AL East title, they’ll look to bolster their rotation at the deadline, and Jesus Luzardo can do just that.

19-year-old Samuel Basallo is the Orioles #2 prospect, and he will be blocked by Rutschman until at least 2028. With Nick Fortes struggling tremendously from a hitting standpoint, the future at catcher for the Marlins looks very unclear, which makes Basallo (19 years old) a perfect fit.

Meanwhile, Enrique Brafield Jr., the Orioles first-round pick in the 2023 draft out of Vanderbilt, possesses elite speed and defense in center field. Bradfield Jr. collected 130 stolen bases in three college seasons (191 games). If the Marlins can develop Brafield Jr. into a good hitter, he can be a stud in a few years.

Tanner Scott and Andrew Nardi

Peter Bendix has made it clear that he wants to improve player development and restock the farm system in Miami. Bendix has also frequently traded with the Rays or signed guys who were with the Rays organization at some point (Tristan Gray, Vidal Brujan, Christian Bethancourt, Calvin Faucher, Shane Sasaki, etc).

The Rays already have a pretty strong bullpen, but they could improve it to make a run in the postseason, which they haven’t done since they made the World Series in 2020.

Xavier Isaac was drafted by Peter Bendix and the Rays with the 29th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of East Forsyth High School and is currently ranked third in the Rays system. Isaac has displayed a ton of power in his minor league career so far, hitting 19 home runs in 102 games last year in Low-A and High-A. The Marlins are also lacking talent at first base in their organization, with zero first baseman ranked in their top 15 prospects according to Pipeline.