Marlin’s Assets During Meetings

Winter Meetings started this week, and after brushing off the hilarious jokes about last year, the Marlins immediately started shopping their players. So while agents, managers, and Adam Greenberg rave about the hotels and food of Nashville, let’s “check-in” on some of the Marlin’s current assets and see what’s on the “menu” when shopping these players.

Giancarlo Stanton

I can’t go a post without mentioning the Marlin’s best player. Luckily, he’s only on the list to ensure readers that according to Jon Heyman, Stanton will not be traded.

"“Beinfest wouldn’t address whether Stanton might be traded, but other people with Marlins connections say he absolutely will be a Marlin in 2013. And executives from other teams who have inquired agree they see zero evidence Stanton might be moved.”"

So there you have it. Stanton will absolutely “be” a “Marlin” in 2013. From that quote, it sounds like nobody would make an insane enough offer for the Marlins to agree on, so as unhappy as Stanton is, he’ll have to stick around for a while.

A good fit for Stanton: Marlins for now, unless a team offers something out of this world. Like a whole planet or an asteroid.

The Marlins may never see Yunel in action.

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Yunel Escobar

The Marlin’s new infielder may already be halfway gone, considering recent rumors that the Rays, Yankees, A’s and even the Cubs are asking for a price check. With the Marlins, Escobar would have to move to third base while newly-acquired Adeiny Hechavarria plays short. With Greg Dobbs on the roster, Escobar’s departure would leave the Marlins only marginally worse at third.

There should also be concerns with Escobar’s character considering his suspension last year and reports that he was already a crappy teammate to begin with. Having not had an at-bat for the Marlins and him being a jerk, I won’t be sad to see him traded.

From Jerry Crasnick’s twitter:

"An NL scout on new #marlins shortstop Yunel Escobar: “This guy makes Hanley Ramirez look like Teammate of the Year.”"

A good fit for Escobar: Yankees. With Alex Rodriguez needing surgery and their overall old-age in the infield, the Yanks can put something together for a young, relatively cheap infielder.  Plus, I already called him a jerk.

Ricky Nolasco

Apparently, Marlins current ace, Ricky Nolasco, would like to be traded. Upset after seeing his manager fired and half his teammates leave shortly after, Nolasco feels, “he would be better served if the Marlins traded him.” according to his agent. Nolasco may have to wait on his new team to find him. Trading the Opening Day starter with a rotation as sorry as the Marlins’ doesn’t make sense right now. Help from the minor leagues is not projected to arrive until later in 2013, so Nolasco may have to wait for the July deadline.

A good fit for Nolasco: If he is traded in the offseason, I could see teams stupid desperate for pitching such as the Royals or Rockies offer prospects for Nolasco after the better pitchers are off the board. If traded in July, his $11M contract will make him the Ryan Dempster of last season, providing he pitches well. This trade would land him with whatever team is close-but-not-quite-there and would likely give the Marlins the best return.  Unfortunately, that team is always impossible to tell in December. (The Pirates. Put your money on the Pirates.)