Thanks again for the good word. As always, tell your fellow Marlins fans and spread the good word!

I think it may go the other way around. I think it depends on what the return for the players dealt. If they get a decent outfielder, I think they’ll move Coghlan. If they get pitching, expect another season in left field. Here’s hoping they get a young, useful part for this season and some stuff for the future.

My biggest concern is the fact that the Marlins may feel getting a young outfielder doesn’t fit long term given their minor league options. Still, I don’t think the team would be against picking up a stopgap if the player is cost-controlled and has some upside.

I think it all depends on where they decide to play Coghlan.I hope you are right about them moving him to 2nd,thus creating the need for an outfielder.Fred Lewis and a pitching prospect is interesting when talking about a trade with San Francisco.I just don’t see them moving Coghlan to 2nd for some reason.I think they will fall for the “Bonifacio mirage” like you mentioned.We shall wait and see.

I cannot tell you enough how much I love the blog.As a die-hard Marlins fan,I am addicted!

As you might have seen in my Pie-for-Uggla piece, I think the team should take Pie straight up for Uggla, if his defense is as good as advertised. Whether or not they would take it is another story, but given his youth and the team’s need for another outfielder, I think they should consider.

That being said, I don’t think it’ll happen. I should probably explore San Francisco’s options.

We do have a decent farm system. But we totally stripped the major league team to build it.

Thanks for dropping by to the Marlin Maniac comments section! Welcome!

After my latest piece, I’m convinced the Marlins should take an offer involving Pie. Pitching propsects would be different, and a gaggle of such players could be of interest to the team, if it totals something like $10-13M in surplus value.

I’m not sure, after looking at a lot of numbers, a low-level pitching prospect and Pie would actually be a steal for the team. I just do not see the Marlins thinking in the same vein, given that Uggla is their biggest trade piece.

Thanks for the added input on the various pitchers the O’s have. You guys are real lucky to have that kind of depth.

I can’t imagine that the Orioles would be willing to trade Britton or Bergensen for Uggla. Bergensen is one of two starting pitchers that the Orioles have that has shown anything in the majors and the Orioles think highly of Britton. He’s a step above Erbe although a step below Arrieta. Don’t get me wrong, I think either of those two would be a good starting point to get Uggla but I don’t see either of them being traded. Reimold isn’t getting traded.

Pie is entering his first year of arbitration this year. I can’t imagine that the Marlins would be interested and I suspect he’s more valuable to the O’s then to the Marlins(we don’t have any CF prospects in the minors and he’s the only guy besides Jones who can play CF). Pie would be the Orioles second best piece in a trade. I think that Erbe, Pie and another piece would be a fair deal. I don’t see it happening though.

Hernandez was dominant in the minors and was terrible in the majors. But even in the minors I don’t think he averaged six innings a start. I can’t imagine that he’d be the centerpiece of a trade.

I suspect that despite tough talk in the media, the Orioles will be willing to trade Erbe and that he’ll be the centerpiece of an Uggla to the Orioles deal if it happens. Maybe Erbe, one of Troy Patton, Jason Berken or David Hernandez and Rhyne Hughes?

That all sounds quite reasonable in terms of a return offer. I do think you’re disparaging Uggla a little bit. I’ve got him projected at 3.5 WAR next season, which includes his defense (according to the projected numbers, not as bad as people make it out to be). His strikeouts are not relevant given how well he hits, and I do think moving him to third will help with his range problem, though I worry about his arm strength. Overall, even with his shortcomings, I’ve got him projected at $15M in surplus, which is really the important number here. This is of course barring any problems the O’s may have in paying Uggla’s actual salary; if they can’t afford to pay the market rate for WAR, his surplus will of course be smaller (as you alluded to here).

But let’s not too deep into hypotheticals, as we don’t run either team. If a deal is ever made, I’d be interested to see what becomes of it.

Thanks for that response. As I mentioned, I’m not very well versed in the O’s system, I just know that they have some excellent depth. If those pitchers appear to be off-limits, then there’s nothing that can be done.

My issue with a straight Pie-for-Uggla deal is as follows. Pie had come into the season with a checkered past as a failed prospect. You guys acquired him for a Single-A pitcher and Garret Olson, neither great commodities. This year, he hit better, but it still wasn’t great. His value is in his defense, but there isn’t a whole lot of sample size to tell whether or not that defense is good enough to make up for his bat. At this point, Pie looks like an average regular at best, and even though the surplus value is probably similar in this sort of trade, the Marlins would be dealing a superior player (on the order of 3+ WAR a season) for a poor hitting outfielder.

Of course, Pie could develop, and I think his value absolutely evens out with Uggla’s surplus value, given the type of service time Pie has gotten. But Uggla is the biggest trade chip the Marlins have, and the organization would be hard-pressed to make a deal where they send him away for a guy who, for most people, appears to be a lottery ticket. That’s why I think a light pitching prospect, perhaps Britton (I’m not splitting too many hairs here), would have to be thrown in.

I’ll have to do some projecting for Pie to see how much he’d be worth. If he projects as an average player each of the next four to five years of team control, it would definitely be worth it for the Marlins.