The Winter Meetings are continuing, and the Miami Marlins are rustling up some potential moves in the trade markets. Their name has been connected to a series of players in recent days, including Dee Gordon, Wade Miley, and Justin Morneau among trade targets. The Fish are still looking for a power-hitting first baseman and Morneau's bounce-back season with the Colorado Rockies enticed them. The team has spoke with the Los Angeles Dodgers about a potential trade for Dee Gordon. And they have been interested in Miley for some time.
The team apparently may be cooking up some deals in the near future, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.
All the elements are in place for the Marlins to make a huge splash before the Winter Meetings wrap up on Thursday. The club on Tuesday had numerous conversations with multiple teams regarding a power bat, starting pitcher and second baseman.
Heading into the Meetings, the Marlins weren't confident about the available second-base candidates. But the market has changed, and there is a chance the team could leave San Diego filling its three primary needs.
Apparently such a set of moves may cost the Marlins their long-standing starting pitching depth. The Fish have no interest in dealing Henderson Alvarez and Jarred Cosart, but the club has said nothing of the sort about Nathan Eovaldi. Furthermore, Andrew Heaney's name has been involved in numerous trade discussions as well, marking the very real possibility that the Fish may give up on him after just 24 big-league innings if the return is right.
The team is also linked to names like Chase Headley, but they may be less willing to acquire the third baseman (whom we think would be a perfect fit). It seems the Marlins are convinced that Casey McGehee is a viable third baseman and would prefer not to move him if possible, which would nix potentially adding a stronger piece like Headley. The team's lack of flexibility is concerning, as it forces them to acquire a first base bat in a relatively poor first base market.
The Marlins want to clearly make a splash before the Winter Meetings end, but their approach seems off the mark. Their desire to get a "front-line" starting pitcher seems counter-intuitive given the team's depth at starter. Furthermore, chasing a medium-term average option like Miley may not be a significant upgrade to the current setup. nor would going all-in on a one-year rental like Johnny Cueto. The team seems focused on upgrading first base, and rightfully so, but it also will not remain flexible given the poor market. This may lead to another Garrett Jones-style forced signing of someone like Morse, who may not be a good long-term option.
The Fish have some time to make a move and acquire some upgrades, but the roster may be drastically different by the end of the week. Stay tuned here at Fish Stripes for all of the updates.