Marlins Rumors: Miami Marlins among teams aggressively scouting for possible trades

With an 11-5 loss to the New York Mets on Sunday afternoon, the Miami Marlins dropped below five hundred for the first time since early June. Despite struggling on the ten game homestand, the Marlins are just two and a half games out of first place in the division and are reportedly internally discussing trades to improve the club.

While Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports was the first to report that the Marlins will likely be "buyers" come the trade deadline, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported Sunday that the Marlins are among the more aggressive teams within the league scouting other teams' prospects and major league talent.

So names will fly. And trade scenarios will fly.

We’re told by our major league sources that the Phillies, Marlins, Cubs, Blue Jays, and Rangers have been the most aggressive in terms of scouting other teams’ farm systems and parent teams.

It seems that needs for high-end pitching could be easier to fill than for high-end hitting.

With David Price (Rays), Jeff Samardzija (Cubs), Jason Hammel (Cubs), andCole Hamels (Phillies) out there, you can bet there will be activity on pitchers.

After adding both Bryan Morris and Kevin Gregg to the bullpen, the Marlins may look to acquire a starting pitcher before the end of July. Aside from Henderson Alvarez, Miami's rotation has been inconsistent since the loss of Jose Fernandez.

While Andrew Heaney was efficient in his major league debut, Anthony DeSclafani struggled on Sunday and Nathan Eovaldi and Tom Koehler have had difficulty throwing strikes their last few times out.

Ian Kennedy, Jorge De La Rosa, Jason Hammel are all possibilities for the Marlins, and the financial aspect shouldn't be an issue after General Manager Dan Jennings said Sunday Owner Jeffrey Loria is willing to spend to improve his squad.

Dan Jennings just told us that Marlins Owner Jeffrey Loria told him he is willing to "open the checkbook" at the trade deadline XM 89

— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) June 22, 2014

While Kennedy, De La Rosa, and Hammel are all affordable options and would give the Marlins a needed veteran arm, Miami reportedly also had scouts at David Price's last start on Friday.

Should the team bounce back from a 3-7 homestand, adding a pair of arms would likely be beneficial. But if the inconsistencies continue, the Marlins may wait another season before remaining competitive until the end of the season.