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Jarred Cosart could struggle, Kike Hernandez can never see time in the lineup, and Austin Wates may not see major league action in the near future.
Evaluating the deal that sent the trio to Miami in exchange for Jake Marisnick, Colin Moran, Francis Martes and a 2015 competitive balance pick to the Houston Astros will take time. But to this point, the Miami Marlins are receiving mixed reviews.
Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald quoted major league sources who believe that while the Marlins did address a need, the organization traded away a bit too much.
ESPN baseball analyst Keith Law thought so.
"The Astros absolutely cleaned up here, especially if, as I suspect, they wanted to rid themselves of Cosart for character reasons in addition to the gap between his talent and his performance," Law wrote in a Baseball Insider piece for ESPN.com.
Miami sought a controllable starting pitcher, and received that in Cosart, who went five and a third innings and allowed four runs in his Marlins debut against the Reds. Cosart is considered a middle to back end of the rotation arm, and while character issues may be troubling moving forward, Cosart was one of the few starters left on the market when the Marlins made the deal.
Jon Lester, John Lackey, and Tommy Milone were all traded earlier in the day, with targets Ian Kennedy and Wade Miley not being moved at all.
Law went on to say that the deal was "interesting because there were acutal prospects involved," which was notable on a day where major league talent was dealt in exchange for other major league talent.
Spencer also cited a source who thought Houston's asking price was extreme.
One major-league talent evaluator, who spoke for this story only on the condition of anonymity, also thought Houston got the better of the deal.
"The Marlins gave up their No. 2 and No. 3 prospects and a first-round draft pick?" he said. "Why? This makes no sense. I expect this to be universally panned for the steep price Miami had to pay here. I’m not sure now Miami thinks they can compete by trading away high draft picks when they are the best value for adding high-end talent to a system."
The draft pick will likely turn into a prospect, which would be a notable loss for the Marlins. But Miami is confident it can at least remain competitve in 2014, and didn't trade away Marisnick, Moran, or top pitching prospects for a "rental" type of player.
Draft picks provide depth, but the Marlins, having taken a "win now" approach, are not interested in adding to their minor league system at the moment. That mentality may only properly be judged over time.
Jim Bowden, the former major-league general manager who is now an analyst for ESPN.com gave the Marlins a B-plus in his grades of GM’s at the trade deadline.
The Marlins "made one of the best deals at the deadline," wrote Bowden, adding that Marisnick was blocked by the Marlins’ outfield of Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich and stated Moran is "overrated."
Moran may indeed be "overrated," posting average minor league numbers at a power position. Miami's outfield situation likely made dealing Marisnick a bit easier.
Time will tell who won the deal. But for the moment, the Marlins have a young starting pitcher and utility infielder, and the Astros gained prospects to help ease the rebuilding process.