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At 49-54 and 10 games back of the NL Wild Card, the Marlins are sellers this season.
They have already dealt relievers David Phelps and AJ Ramos, and are shopping guys like A.J. Ellis, Dan Straily, Derek Dietrich and Dee Gordon.
#Marlins are extremely open to discussing Dee Gordon, who has a .694 OPS and is guaranteed $38M after this season. Not much traffic there.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 29, 2017
Gordon got some traction on the market earlier this month, but there hasn’t been much interest in the speedy infielder since then, despite his recent hot streak at the plate. Gordon is hitting .297 with a .699 OPS and 38 stolen bases on the season, and has hit .330 in the month of July.
The Angels, Blue Jays and Royals were originally interested in Gordon, but Toronto and Los Angeles have since fallen out of the race, while Kansas City seems to have switched its focus to acquiring pitchers.
Now, enter the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-Backs are sitting at 60-45 and looking for their first winning season and playoff appearance since 2011. Although Arizona is 13.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West, they are tied for the lead in the NL Wild Card and are six games ahead of the third-place Brewers.
The Diamondbacks were reportedly only looking for relievers after trading for J.D. Martinez and John Ryan Murphy this month, but an injury on Sunday may have changed their plans.
#Dbacks manager Torey Lovullo announces that Chris Owings has a fractured right middle finger. Get well soon, C.O.
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 30, 2017
There is not yet a timeframe on his return, but Chris Owings, who was serving as Arizona’s starting second baseman, should miss an extended amount of time. Owings is hitting .269 with a .743 OPS and 12 home runs in 385 plate appearances this season.
With shortstop Nick Ahmed out for at least a few more weeks with a broken hand, and Ketel Marte (.318 OBP) and Daniel Descalso (.350 OBP) being the only other options, the Diamondbacks could be in the market for a middle infielder.
There are multiple options on the market like Zack Cozart and Jose Iglesias, but Gordon would be under team control for the longest time. The current Marlin is owed about $41 million through 2021.
While Gordon would be a huge upgrade for the D-Backs, he would still probably cost less than a guy like Cozart or Ian Kinsler. Arizona does have a bottom-10 farm system, but could still put together the prospects to acquire the 29-year-old Gordon. Prospects like RHP Matt Tabor (ARI No. 9 prospect) and LHP Cody Reed (No. 13 prospect) could be realistic for the Marlins to receive in return.