After, apparently, giving up hope on acquiring Leo Nunez and Randy Choate the Major League teams are trying to find out if Omar Infante is available.
Buster Olney via twitter.
Buster_ESPN Buster OlneyLots of teams have hit the Marlins on Infante;right now, ATL/Infante deal not close at all, according to a source. FLA leans toward keeping
Seeing how Infante is making $2.5 million this season and will be a free agent at the end of year, either the Marlins are getting low-balled or are asking too much for him.
Normally, a player who will be a free agent at the end of the year, the Marlins will trade. But this case seems to be a little different. Lots of reasons are possible. :
The Marlins are planning for the next year 30-year old to be the starting second baseman because they don't think that Matt Domingez will be ready to take over 3B next season. In the present makeup, if Domingez manned third that would move Bonifacio to second and that may not be a good option their eyes. Or possibly they may think that Boni is having a career year and he will soon, next season, end up in the utility role and not a good answer for everyday at second base. There would be good reason to think that. Also you have to factor in that Coghlan, if he ever gets healthy, is a pretty bad infielder. Of course the team could have Ozzie Martinez handle second, which he is quite capable of doing, if Infante was traded. But for some reason, Ozzie is just seen as an insurance policy. Lots of stuff.
In other words, it is pretty hard to understand this whole process. But my feelings are, the Marlins have come up short in recent trades and the front office feels like the present makeup can finish above .500 and that is their new goal for this season. So they are holding on to Infante for now. If they should lose him after the season, no big deal to the higher ups.
Your opinion may differ.