Three Moves that Sunk the Miami Marlins in 2015 and Beyond

May 13, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Miami Marlins pitcher Jarred Cosart reacts after surrendering consecutive home runs in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The Marlins defeated the Dodgers 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Jarred Cosart Trade:

This is a trade that still infuriates me. The Miami Marlins added Jarred Cosart to a team that was already pitching heavy, yet light on minor league hitting depth.

They traded a massive haul for Jacob Turner 2.0, and then turned around and let the original Jacob Turner go for nothing, giving up on him way too soon.

What am I talking about? Here’s a look at each player’s career numbers:

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One guy was DFA’d by the Marlins, and then eventually traded for scraps to the Chicago Cubs. The other guy was traded for two top hitting prospects in a team’s farm system.

Last July 31st, the Miami Marlins shipped Colin Moran, Jake Marisnick, Francis Martes, and a compensation pick (eventually turned into Daz Cameron) to the Houston Astros for Jarred Cosart, Enrique Hernandez, and Austin Wates.

Neither Moran nor Marisnick are lighting the world on fire for the Astros, but both could have been of assistance for the Marlins this season. Marisnick would have provided security for when Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, and Christian Yelich have all missed time due to performance and injuries. Moran would have been a long-term answer at third.

The compensation pick part of the deal is confusing, but the Marlins have already dealt their pick for the 2016 draft, and did so with the 2014 pick, so there is a pattern developing there.

The trade took from a Marlins weakness and added to (at the time) a strength. Enrique Hernandez, as we’ll discuss below, was essentially thrown into the Dee Gordon trade to offset some of the cash the Dodgers sent the Marlins way.

Austin Wates is no longer on the Marlins 40-man roster and has not even sniffed the major leagues this year, despite the Marlins issues with performance and injuries in the outfield.

While Cosart pitched decently last year in 2 months with the Marlins, posting a 2.39 ERA and a 3.32 FIP in 64 innings, he’s come crashing back down to earth in 2015. Cosart owns a 5.36 ERA and a 5.19 FIP in 45 1/3 innings, battling control issues much of the season. He is currently on the minor league disabled list, with vertigo.

Now, while some people might point to the Marlins dealing Francis Martes as the worst part of this deal, I’m not going to do that. Martes owned a 5.18 ERA and a 3.42 FIP in 33 innings in Rookie ball for the Marlins last season. This year with the Astros, he’s exploded and owns a 1.04 ERA and a 2.77 FIP in 52 innings in Low-A, recently being promoted to Double-A.

The trade for Jarred Cosart confused me at the time of consummation, now a full-year later, I still don’t get the move. It’s hurt the franchise more than helped it at this point.

Next: The Gordon Trade