Miami Marlins: It’s Time To Rebuild

Jul 20, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Miami Marlins third baseman Martin Prado (14) reacts to a strike during the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins find themselves 17 games under .500. With a sweep at the hands of the Phillies, owners of MLB’s worst record, and a loss yesterday to Arizona, Miami has lost four straight games. The Marlins gave themselves high expectations going into the season, but the season hasn’t gone as expected.

Some people would like to believe that the Marlins struggles come from injuries, but if you dig into the numbers that simply isn’t the case. The Marlins have actually been lucky with avoiding injuries unlike Washington, who’s lost a fair share of production from them. According to Mangameslost.com, the Marlins rank very low among the teams who have suffered from injuries. So, it’s safe to say the reason the Marlins have been losing a lot of games is because they simply are not that good. 

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Come late July, people start talking about what trades certain teams should make. I’m about to suggest something that will not make many Marlins fans happy, but it’s something they need to consider.

What am I’m talking about?

A rebuild.

With a bad Major League team and a very, very bad farm system, the Marlins are in a very difficult spot right now. They must take action and a full rebuild is the way to fix it. Now that word hurts some Marlins fans because I’m sure they are tired of hearing that, but it’s simply the way to go. If you look at the Astros, they started their rebuild 3 years ago and now find themselves holding a playoff spot thanks to some of the best talent in the MLB. The Marlins need to try to rebuild the same way the Astros did.

The Marlins have some players they can trade in return for solid prospects, which could put themselves in a competing position within a few years.

Who are these players? What comes to mind are next week’s trade candidates, Mat Latos and Dan Haren. Martin Prado is another possibility to be traded next week but the chances aren’t high. A third idea would be Tom Koehler in exchange Tim Beckham of the Rays.

But to start the rebuild, the Marlins have to dip into their core.

Next: Begin Slideshow

Jul 10, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (27) on the bench in the second inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

Boston gets: Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Fernandez

Miami gets: Yoan Moncada, Rafael Devers, Manuel Margot and Brian Johnson

The Red Sox have a great farm system and the Marlins could get a lot of their good prospects for those two. In this particular trade, the Marlins receive multiple top 50 prospects, who can be their starting second and third basemen, along with an outfielder and pitcher. Each of these players can be up to the Majors by 2017.

Next: Trading Hechavarria

Jul 20, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Miami Marlins shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria (3) forces out Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed (13) in the sixth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Cincinnati gets: Adeiny Hechavarria

Miami gets: Wyatt Strahan and Junior Arias

It’s tough finding a trade partner because Hech isn’t that great, but he’s an interesting piece to be moved. The Reds provide some good return value in exchange.

May 22, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto (L) delivers a baseball to starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez (R) on the pitchers mound during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Houston gets: Martin Prado and Henderson Alvarez

Miami gets: A.J Reed

Alvarez’s value is unclear due to injuries and the fact that he’s bound for Tommy John surgery. I could see the Houston Astros being interested in him anyway. Reed is a top 10 first base prospect with a ETA of 2017.

Jul 20, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Miami Marlins left fielder Christian Yelich (21) celebrates with first base coach Perry Hill (7) after a single in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota gets: Christian Yelich

Miami gets: Nick Gordon, Kohl Stewart, Adam Brett Walker, Jorge Polanco and Stuart Turner

With his great contract and incredible upside, Yelich is one of the easiest players to trade on the team. While it may be smart for the Marlins to keep Yelich and build around him, his value could also bring in some talented prospects. The Minnesota Twins pose as an interesting option in this case. It may be a bit of a reach but the Marlins can get good return from them.

Nov 19, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins vice president & general manager Dan Jennings listens during a press conference at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

To Recap…

If these trades occurred, the Marlins would get back a solid young core who would be up by 2017 or shortly after. This results in their future infield (Gordon, Moncada, Reed,), outfield (Walker, Arias, Margot), and talented pitchers like Wheeler, Johnson, and Straham.

By giving up core pieces like Hechavarria, Stanton, Yelich, Fernandez, Prado, Gordon and Alvarez the Marlins produce a talented team in return in the next couple of years. I can see the Marlins keeping JT Realmuto during this process and the Marlins still have to make other deals complete the rebuild proccess. Other players that can be deal are A.J. Ramos and Carter Capps.

Here’s who they’d receive:

Infield: Yoan Moncada, Rafael Devers, Nick Gordon, Jorge Polanco, Stuart Turner, A.J. Reed

Outfield: Manuel Margot, Junior Arias, Adam Brett Walker, Elier Hernandez

Pitching: Brian Johnson, Wyatt Strahan, Kohl Stewart, Miguel Amonte, Erik Skoglund

Add that roster with some free agent plug-ins and the Marlins become legit. The rotation will still need some work but the that is where free agency comes in. I know it will be tough to see players like Stanton and Fernandez go but, this stands as an excellent young core who can compete when they develop. Like I said earlier, this is what the Marlins need to do and it puts them in the best position to succeed.

Next: What if the Marlins go after Puig?