Coghlan injury assures status quo

Editor’s note: Posting will be sporadic between yesterday (Monday) and Wednesday, as I am preparing to move out of Gainesville, FL. After Wednesday, you should see a little more of me. Thanks for the patience, loyal reader(s). -MJ

After the stupid injury suffered two nights ago by Chris Coghlan, any shot of the Marlins trading Dan Uggla or Cody Ross by this upcoming trade deadline. The Fish were probably considering a move of at least Ross (with Uggla increasingly likely to sign a multi-year deal) in order to pick up some returns and save money next season, but the Fish are likely to hold onto him now in order to save face at the major league level. Without Coghlan in the lineup, the Marlins lack outfield depth and will likely need Ross alongside Mike Stanton for the team to remain competitive.

The other interesting bit regarding the Coghlan injury (by the way, he’ll likely be out for the season) is that the Marlins are almost assuredly going to give a trial run to Logan Morrison in left field. Many fans see Morrison as the team’s future left fielder, especially given the way Gaby Sanchez is currently playing. However, Morrison stopped playing left field earlier this season in Triple-A New Orleans and is generally considered mediocre at best at the position. Both MM contributor John Herold and I are quite against moving Morrison to left field, as his defense may very well be worse than -5 runs per season, the difference in positional value between a corner outfielder and a first baseman. Still, with Sanchez playing so well and no other real prospects in the outfield to try out, the Marlins might as well audition Morrison to see if he can handle the outfield in the bigs.

Keep in mind also that the Marlins are still in discussions with other teams for the services of Jorge Cantu. With as much buzz about Cantu’s trade as there is, you have to believe there is a realistic probability that the Fish will deal him before the deadline. Having said that, the team will not be taking serious parts in return, and someone will have to fill third base in the interim. There is a chance the Marlins go with either Sanchez or the dreaded Emilio Bonifacio. Either way, not having Coghlan makes this move more difficult as well.