MLB Trade Rumors: Marlins, Cubs Potential Trade Partners?

March 17, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics shortstop Eric Sogard (28) steals second base in front of Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez (70) in the first inning during a spring training game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

With the GM meetings coming to a halt today in Orlando, Florida, teams have had a chance to lay groundwork for future moves to be made later this off-season. One team Miami Marlins fans should keep an eye on apparently is the Chicago Cubs.

The reason for this, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, is because the Marlins and Cubs strengths lineup with the other teams weaknesses, making a future trade make all the sense in the world:

Officials from the Cubs and Marlins both agree they may have something to talk about.The Cubs have a stockpile of high-end position prospects and the Marlins have a long list of fine young pitchers. Prospect-for-prospect deals are rare because they require a strong stomach. Needless to say, such trades carry a big risk.

Heyman mentions the Cubs big time position prospects Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Albert Almora and Jorge Soler as potential names the Fish could have interest in, with Bryant and Baez likely catching the Marlins’ eye the most.

In return, Heyman says that the Marlins have plenty of high-end young pitchers that could catch the Cubs eyes:

The Marlins’ list of young pitchers is quite impressive. Beyond Jacob Turner, Nate Eovaldi and no-hitter man Henderson Alvarez who all pitched in the majors this past season, Miami has Andrew Heaney, Justin Nicolino, Adam Conley, Jose Urena and Brian Flynn, among others.

While this talk sounds great, we should take it with a grain of salt at this point. Neither Almora nor Soler would make a ton of sense for the Marlins, as they currently have a logjam in their outfield. Baez is a top short stop prospect, something that any big league team would be extremely reluctant to part with. Finally, Kris Bryant was the number 2 pick from the 2013 MLB Draft, meaning he would not be eligible to be traded until next June.

In John Sickels Top 75 end of season prospect list, this is how the top prospects from the two teams rated out:

• Javier Baez (8th) Cubs
• Kris Bryant (19) Cubs
• Albert Almora (22) Cubs
• Jorge Soler (27) Cubs

• Colin Moran (36) Marlins
• Andrew Heaney (38) Marlins

Heaney’s strong Arizona Fall League showing will definitely bump his stock up a bit, but he still seems to me to be the prospect that the Marlins will be the most reluctant to move.

On the surface, Heyman is right, the two teams matchup very well for a trade down the road. However, when you start to dig deeper, the teams don’t matchup as well as we’d like to think. The Cubs prospects are more highly regarded than the Marlins.

In order for a trade to work for both sides, the Marlins would likely have to give up more (in quantity) than they’ll likely be comfortable with.

What do you guys think? Could the Marlins and Cubs matchup on a prospect-for-prospect deal? Let us know what you feel is a fair trade in the comment section.