MLB Trade Rumors: Could Josh Beckett Land in Miami?

The Fish Pond’s Joe Frisaro suggested this morning that the Miami Marlins could make a run at Josh Beckett, if the Los Angeles Dodgers are able to land Jon Lester from the Boston Red Sox.

"Say Lester does go to the Dodgers, what’s next for Miami? Why not make a pitch for one of the greatest names in Marlins’ history?The Marlins should at least give consideration to returning Josh Beckett to the place where he was the World Series MVP 11 seasons ago.Lester’s arrival could mean the Dodgers don’t have room for Beckett in their rotation. If that’s the case, Beckett could be a natural to help Miami attempt another improbable run.Becket is a former teammate of Miami manager Mike Redmond. Beckett still has an affection for the Marlins, the team that made him the No. 2 overall pick in 1999."

File this under speculation and an unlikely move.

While a Beckett-Miami reunion sounds nice on the surface, the Dodgers would still have no incentive to move Beckett, even if they landed Lester. They could stash Beckett in the pen and make him an emergency starter in the case of an injury. For that reason, the asking price on Beckett could be high as well.

For the Marlins, Beckett would mostly bring name value. Despite a no-hitter to his name and a 2.74 ERA for the season, Beckett has not been that impressive this season. His 4.29 FIP paint him as a vastly overrated pitcher. Knowing the Marlins, they’d pay for the ERA, not the underlying peripherals. The most concerning number being Beckett’s luck with runners on base (85.6% LOB%). Not to mention he is still very injury prone.

For sentimental reasons, Beckett returning to Miami would be a great story. He started his career with the Marlins and the 2003 team has some similarities with this current squad.

However, he may not be able to help the Marlins as much as Frisaro hopes he could.

What do you guys think? Should the Marlins bring back their 2003 World Series hero, Josh Beckett?