Miami Marlins Trade Deadline Primer: Trade asset power rankings

In the last couple of days, we went over the two Miami Marlins players most likely to be traded by the time July 31 rolls around and the 2015 trade deadline passes. Dan Haren and Mat Latos are one-year and likely do not figure into the team's long-term plans, so they seem like no-brainers. However, the rest of the Marlins' roster is not as simple in terms of the question of "trade or no trade." The team has a lot of players whom they might want to trade but have little to no value, and there are other players with very good value whom the Fish would rather keep. Deciding who fits into the middle ground between those two tiers is going to determine how much action the Fish find by July 31.

What follows is the Marlins' Trade Asset Power Rankings, a tiered list of the players on the roster based on their chances on being traded and the reasons for or against a deal. Each of these players have a special role on the roster that lends itself to either staying or going this year, and Marlins fans should know who is in what category.

The No-Brainer Tier

Mat Latos, RHP
Dan Haren, RHP

These two have already been discussed and are the most obvious players to be dealt. Neither player is likely to stay in a Marlins uniform for long.

Odds of Trade: >99 percent

The Foundation Pieces

Giancarlo Stanton, RF
Christian Yelich, LF
Jose Fernandez, RHP

These three are not going anywhere. Stanton is locked into a nice long-term contract until at least 2021. Ditto for Yelich through 2022. Jose Fernandez is so integral to what the Marlins want to cultivate in terms of a cultural connection to Miami that the team will hold onto him until it has no choice left. The club considers these three to be the basis of the future of the organization, and there is no chance any of these players will be traded in the next two to three years.

Odds of Trade: 0 percent

Young and Hard to Replace

Marcell Ozuna, CF
Adeiny Hechavarria, SS

At this stage, the Marlins have to stick with these two, even as they both head into arbitration for the first time. Ozuna would have been in the previous list before his struggles this year, but now he is in limbo in terms of his status with the team. It is possible Miami keeps him in the minors long enough to earn an extra season of team control back, even at arbitration prices. Meanwhile, Hechavarria probably climbed a tier by playing better in 2015 and inspiring more confidence in his defense. The Fish have committed so much to developing Hechavarria that it seems impossible to believe they will replace him. Even if you feel that this year will end up being an outlier in his game, the Marlins have a different opinion of Hechavarria and will act accordingly.

Odds of Trade: <1 percent

Solid Contributor Tier

Dee Gordon, 2B
Henderson Alvarez, RHP

Gordon is a special no-trade in his own right. He is not a foundational piece like the three young studs listed above, nor is he young enough to qualify for the previous tier as a guy who is young and could turn into a cheap asset. Gordon is heading into his second arbitration season and, thanks to the first month and a half of the season, is probably going to earn a pretty penny this go-around. At the same time, he is one of the few solid, two- or three-win players with reasonable team control remaining, so he figures to play a prominent role on future teams.

Alvarez almost bought himself another tier, but he stays here because of his injury woes. He would have been a nice trade asset with two more years of team control time, but with the injury dampening his value, Miami would be better off letting him serve in the rotation and contribute to a winning cause.

Odds of Trade: <1 percent

Team-Controlled Youth Tier

J.T. Realmuto, C
Justin Bour, 1B
Derek Dietrich, 2B/3B
Jarred Cosart, RHP
Carter Capps, RHP

These guys are all pre-arbitration players who figure to play crucial roles next season. With the exception of Dietrich, each of them has a defined spot, whether as a starter or, in Capps's case, a prominent bullpen role. They are good enough that trading anyone now would be giving up too early, especially with the Marlins having very little depth to help replace those players.

Odds of Trade: <1 percent

The No Value Tier

Jeff Baker, IF
Jeff Mathis, C
Donovan Solano, IF
Most of the team's relievers

If these guys get dealt, it's only as add-ons and not as actual pieces. They actually have no trade value as bench or extraneous relief pieces.

Odds of Trade: 2-3 percent

The Ichiro Value Tier

Ichiro Suzuki, OF

The Marlins love Ichiro. Fans love Ichiro. Even if he is bad, he's never getting dealt, especially with 3,000 hits still in play.

Odds of Trade: 0 percent

Thinking Ahead Reliever Tier

A.J. Ramos, RHP

If the Marlins were smart, they would cash in on a player like Ramos and avoid what happened to their closer heading into the 2015 campaign. Ramos has looked great for half a year, really cutting down on walks and turning into an elite player. But "elite" relievers do not stay elite forever, and it is not as though Ramos is young at almost 29 years old. It is highly unlikely to happen, but it should be a thought.

Odds of Trade: <1 percent

Replaceable Pitching Depth

Tom Koehler, RHP
David Phelps, RHP
Brad Hand, LHP

Phelps has been the best of the three, but that does not say much. Each of these guys seems relatively interchangeable. Hand is the youngest but also the worst, while the other two at or approaching 29 years of age and have hit their peaks. Each of these guys could be had, but they would be more attractive additions rather than singular pieces.

Odds of Trade: 5 percent

Unnecessary Reliever Tier

Steve Cishek, RHP
Mike Dunn, LHP
Bryan Morris, RHP

Cishek is the big name in this group, but he may actually be hard to trade to begin with. Since he established himself with a closer's initial arbitration salary, his rate of growth is going to accelerate fast, and teams may not be willing to acquire a player who amounts to a middle reliever on a closer-arbitration scale. Dunn is the ever-present LOOGY available on the market, and those types of players always command more than their value in a deal. Morris is only about to go into arbitration, but as a decent reliever on a bad team, he serves very little purpose as well.

One of these guys being traded would be more than acceptable. Two would be smart for a Marlins team that at least has depth in this department.

Odds of Trade: 10-20 percent

Short-Term Value Tier

Martin Prado, 3B

Prado is a great trade asset right now, perhaps the best asset the Marlins would be willing to send away. Because the Fish are not sure where their future stands in terms of contention, the 2016 season of Prado may not be of any value to them. Dealing him now gets the Marlins their best package and opens a spot for someone like Dietrich to regular playing time. However, Prado is a good enough player that, if the Marlins felt they had a chance to contend, they could keep him for next year and see where the chips fell then. It is a gut call for the Fish, but it seems less likely than a coin flip that Prado gets moved.

Odds of Trade: 35 percent