Miami Marlins Trade Deadline: Marlins deal Marisnick and Moran

Just after the 4:00 o'clock  MLB trade deadline, it was announced that the Miami Marlins decided to part with outfield prospect Jake Marisnick, third base prospect Colin Moran, and young pitching prospect Francis Martes in a deal that sends Jarred Cosart, Enrique Hernandez, and Austin Wates to Miami.

Going into the season Marisnick, and Moran were Fish Stripes 2nd and 3rd ranked prospects in the organization. The Marlins absolutely needed to upgrade their rotation, but I am a bit divided on this trade. I like what I've heard about Hernandez. It seems he will bring a bit of versatility to the Marlins bench. I also like Cosart, and think he could develop into a good middle of the rotation starting pitcher, but I do not love giving up Moran in this deal.

Moran is currently batting .294/.342/.393 in Jupiter, and seems to be developing nicely. Here is a more in depth post from a month ago about my feelings on Moran and his long term outlook. He is not flashy and does not have much power, but I still think his hit tool will come through making him an above average regular at third base. I believed Moran would be the Marlins third basemen of the future, and may even step into the job sometime in 2015 (though that may have been a tad optimistic). I'm higher on Moran than most, and obviously Miami felt he was expendable. This might clear the way for Zack Cox to get time in the big leagues next season, or the Marlins could possibly be looking into extending Casey McGehee.

Including Marisnick in this deal makes sense. Right now the outfield situation is crowded with Yelich, Ozuna, and Stanton entrenched as everyday players. In his brief appearances in the major leagues Marisnick showed elite speed, and solid defensive play, but struggled hitting against the higher quality pitching, posting a line of .178/.226/.223 in 169 plate appearances. I still think he could turn into an above average everyday player, but I don't believe the Marlins will regret trading him.

At the end of the day this is a tough trade for me to grade. Initially I was a bit shocked, and concerned, but I have calmed down and think this could end up being a good deal for the Marlins. It all depends on if Moran turns into the type of a player I think he will, and whether or not Cosart reaches his ceiling. Miami obviously knows their prospects better than I do, and if they were not as confident in Moran and Marisnick's potential then perhaps cashing in on them was the right move. What do you think? Did the Fish overpay for Cosart, and Hernandez? Was it a fair deal? Let us know in the comments!