Report: Marlins Inquired on Josh Donaldson before Trade to Jays

It’s been no secret that the Miami Marlins have attempted to upgrade their lineup, mainly their infield, this off-season. The team has already been linked to the likes of Pablo Sandoval, Chase Headley, Adam LaRoche, Chris Davis, and Brandon Moss.

Sandoval signed with the Red Sox, LaRoche with the White Sox, the Marlins are still interested in Headley, bu Moss was traded earlier today to Cleveland. Moss was not the only Athletic traded, however, that the Marlins showed interest in.

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According to Scott Miller of Bleacher Report, the Marlins inquired about the services of Josh Donaldson, before he was traded to the Jays.

"The Miami Marlins, after awarding the monster $325 million deal to Giancarlo Stanton, tried hard to get LaRoche to help protect him in the lineup, and they inquired about Josh Donaldson, sources tell Bleacher Report, before the A’s shipped Donaldson to Toronto."

Miller does not specify if the talks were ever serious, but I highly doubt these talks got very far. The A’s are in the same market as the Marlins, seeking young, controllable infielders.

Donaldson has been one of the best third baseman in the league the last couple of seasons, if not the best overall. Last year, he posted a .255/.342/.456 slash line, good for a 6.4 fWAR, mainly on the heels of his great defense. This is one year removed from his 7.7 fWAR in 2012, when he posted a .303/.384/.499 slash line.

If the Jays were willing to part with Brett Lawrie, the A’s would have requested either Christian Yelich or Marcell Ozuna in return to even get the sides talking a trade. From there, the Marlins don’t have an infield prospect the caliber of Franklin Barreto that they could spare in a trade, either.

The Marlins definitely could have matched the back-end pitching prospects the Jays offered, but the rest of the deal probably would not stack up the way the A’s wanted. It’s telling that the A’s did not try to land any of the Jays top pitching prospect, erring with a more of a solid quantity package.

Donaldson would have been a filled a huge gaping need for the Marlins. They have not had a dependable every day third baseman since the days of Miguel Cabrera. They have not had a defender as capable as Donaldson since the Mike Lowell days.

Unfortunately, Donaldson-to-Miami could not come to fruition. It would have been a joy to see his glove and bat in the same lineup as Giancarlo Stanton.

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