Marlins need to make a move before the trade deadline

With the trade deadline coming up the marlins need to get some bullpen pitching someone to hold and possibly close games. The Marlins need to pick up someone to help Leo Nunez out. He’s a good young pitcher but he’s prone to make mistakes out there. With Matt Lindstorm coming back next month he might or might not come back on tempo, but ether way the Fish need to go get an arm for these situations.

There is a lot of talent on the team, half way through the season we are currently standing second in the NL East. It looks like the cylinders are starting to warm up with Hanley doing what he does, Cantu and Uggla driving in runs, also Ross has been stepping up when other players haven’t been and Hermida isn’t doing bad at all, batting 250. and 38 rubies. I feel Hermida could be amazing though he’s a guy that the Fish should stick with for awhile. It seems with the Marlins either one thing is working and the other things aren’t, the division is elite it is probably the hardest in baseball with all the talent from all the pitching to all the position players. If the Marlins want to stick around in the race for the division or the wild card they need all cylinders clicking and that mean pitchers performing and the lineup hitting.

I believe the Marlins can make the playoff not only because I’m a fan but they have a team that is capable of doing something. Another problem is stranded baserunners, for instincts; Bonifacio needs to steal more when he gets on. With his speed the guy should definitely have more then 18 bags. It’s like the Marlins don’t like taking chances Freddy Gonzalez need to trust Bonifacio’s wheels more often. But that is not the only problem with Bonifacio it seems every time he gets on it’s a infield single. He needs to keep that back foot planted and hit with his hips, instead of taking off before he even makes contact. He can really make the game exciting but I believe that he can be a .290 to a .300 hitter with that speed. If he puts that ball in the gap he can get extra extra bases turn a single into a double and a double into a triple. Bonifacio is just pure speed.

Let me get back to this bullpen starting with Renyel Pinto his stats look good but for someone who relieves the guys has pitched 33 innings and he has 25 walks. Ill give it to him because he has 32 strikeouts but you never know if he will throw balls or strikes. He seems to work the count instead of just throwing strikes to get outs so we can get the game over with. All and all the Marlins bullpen is pitching great but we need another guy to get in there that is a solid fit for a hold. It just makes that much of a difference. Like Kiko Calero,  he gets the job done about every time with a 1.72 era in 37 innings pitching, that’s a solid guy we picked up. If we can get another guy to be a solid reliever that would be big.  

 I’d also like to see the Fish try and get Zach Duke from the Pirates. He’s a young pitcher with lots of potential and could use a team that could hit the ball and help him out a little bit. Plus the Pirates are trying to rebuild and the Fish have young guys they could trade for Duke. Duke would make the rotation unbelievable and the Fish need another reliable arm with Anibal Sanchez hurt and Andrew Miller in the minors. Another pick up the Fish are just turning there heads to is Juan Pierre. The Dodgers got him on the bench half the time and he’s on base a third of the time. We have Ross and Hermida and if we added Pierre, man that’s speed, average, and more coverage to the outfield. Also possibly a mentor to the Marlins young prospect Cameron Maybin. Who I believe is a star in the making, he’s just nervous at the big stage and just needs to get the jitters out and calm down. I see a 20 to 30 homerun guy out of that long stride; kind of see a young Griffey to be honest.

To conclude this, the Fish could take a big step right now by picking up an arm or two to help them make a playoff run because there going to need something in the division they play in. I truly believe we can win it all if the Fish get hot because Hanley is superman for the Fish. Right now he’s aiming for the batting title and he doesn’t look like he cooling down. The Marlin's fans know that the Fish can hit but they need to start hitting through the lineup and show that the Marlins are contenders too. No one ever gives them a chance just look at the 1997 and 2003 teams. Two of the biggest upsets in baseball history, the Fish never had a shot. As a wild card team both times they did the unthinkable, just look how young this team is and the ups and downs they had this season and there still in it. The door is open for them they just need to walk through it and be the contender that there capable of being.

                                                                                                                                                       Michael Belanger