What to do with a key Marlins Outfielder

The Miami Marlins are running out of secret weapons. Not because they are losing players for any reason. But, the secret weapons that we, as Fish fans, see day in and day out are now being seen by the rest of the country.

The Miami Marlins have long had one of the best outfield trios in the Majors. Most outside fans would just see the power of Giancarlo Stanton and call it a day.

If the World Baseball Classic did anything for the Marlins, it showcased Christian Yelich. All of the MLB knows about Yelich’s potential now.

More importantly, however, the Marlins have been outed for another phenomenal player they have. We are talking about El Oso himself, Marcell Ozuna.

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We knew Ozuna had limitless potential. Making his first All-Star appearance last season opened the eyes of many critics. Ozuna put together a masterful first half of the season and finished 2016 slashing .266/.321/.452 and smacked 23 homers.

This season, Ozuna is on pace to break that personal best in the home run category. 23 home runs is tied for the most that Ozuna has hit in his career and has just been getting better and better after each year.

That trend is not ending with the 2017 season. Ozuna has been the most effective Marlin with the bat this season, outperforming Stanton and Yelich. There is still one glaring issue with Ozuna.

What will the Marlins do with him?

Ozuna is slotted to be with the Fish at least through the 2019 season before being eligible for free agency. Some may say, sign him to a long-term deal dummy.

If only it were that easy. Ozuna is a client of the infamous Scott Boras. Boras, in case you weren’t aware, pretty much hates Marlins ownership. Negotiating a Scott Boras free agent for the Marlins is like going to a restaurant and trying to negotiate the price, it won’t happen.

So that bears the question, what should the Fish do? There are a few options as to what leadership could do.

There is the option to trade Ozuna before he becomes a free agent. Trading Ozuna would net prospects, which the Marlins need. Ozuna could also pull in a young, contract controlled, starting pitcher. I don’t know if you’ve seen any Marlins games recently, but pitching is a bit of an issue.

There is also the option of continue to build the team around Stanton, Ozuna, and Yelich. Doing this will net the Fish two years of possible playoffs.

However, there is a third less discussed possibility. Depending on who the new ownership would be, Boras may be willing to negotiate a bit more with them as opposed to Loria.

If this was the case, we may see Ozuna agree to a long-term deal, allowing the Marlins to continue building around their already talented outfield.

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Regardless of what happens, Ozuna will be a key piece to the Marlins moving forward.