Trading Dee Gordon key to Miami Marlins future

The Miami Marlins continue to plummet after getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and dropping a game to the lowly Phillies.

To add insult to injury, rookie phenom Cody Bellinger became the first Dodger to hit for the cycle. There’s nothing more exasperating than witnessing the Marlins take a nose-dive after the All-Star break, putting themselves further from contention.

Owner Jeffrey Loria has done very little to bolster his roster. He has instead devoted his attention to figuring out ways to stuff his pockets. With a roller-coaster of a season, the Marlins have yet to find any consistency.

There are times when they get in a groove with a string of wins. But there are other times where the entire team is in a slump. Through changing coaches and acquiring new talent, the Marlins have yet to find the balance that will guide them success.

It is obvious that until the Miami Marlins figure out their pitching woes, they will not be in the playoffs. In order to make the playoffs, they need players that can keep the team in ball games early.

Major Problems

The root of the Marlins issue starts with their pitching, which ranks in the bottom eighth of team ERA in the league.

Despite our amazing walk-off win against the Phillies, the Marlins starting pitcher Tom Koehler struggled again. His ERA ballooned to 7.92, as he continues to fight through his pitching slump. 

The Marlins urgently need him back to his 2014 and 2015 form, where he gained at least 10 wins both of those years. During those years he also boasted an ERA that was under 4.10. The Marlins are now at the bottom of their already patchy rotation, sending LHP Adam Conley to the bump.

He is also having a dreadful season after a promising rookie campaign, posting an ERA of 7.53.

This staff cannot put the pressure on the bats on a night to night basis. The path to becoming a contender requires an all-around team. The team has tried to test out its prospects, Chris O’Grady and Drew Steckenrider, who have plenty of room for maturation and growth.

O’Grady has had two career starts, pitching 10 innings and allowing six earned runs. Steckenrider picked up his first career win after throwing a scoreless inning in the top of the 10th against the Phillies.

Dee Gordon could revamp the rotation

Dee Gordon is coming off an exciting walk off single on Monday night. The two-time All-Star is having a solid all around year. year. However, with a horrid staff, the GM of the Marlins should look to acquire high-level pitching prospects for Gordon.

It is time for a rebuilding process. Currently, there has been interest in the league for Gordon’s services from the Blue Jays, Royals, and Angels. His ability to gain base-hits out of the lead off spot is the type of early momentum teams want.

Two prospects that could make an interesting trade for the Royals would be both RHP’s Jake Junis and Josh Staumont. Junis has been off to a respectable start, posting a 2-4 record with a 2.55 ERA in 60 innings of work.

He still needs to develop a strong third pitch, but he has added strength to both his fastball and sinker. Staumont, who is off to a bad season in triple-A, has a record of 3-8 and ERA of 6.28.

However, there is a lot of upside that can pan out with proper coaching. Coming out of the 2015 draft he had the hardest fastball, clocking in at 102mph.

He is able to maintain a fastball that lives between 93-97mph, and can reach 99 in stints as a starter. However, the Miami Marlins could convert him into a two-inning guy, which is essential to a team that struggles to maintain leads.

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Thus, if the Marlins trade Gordon, they should conduct in-depth research into two pitching prospects that can hold major upside. If not, there is no point of dealing a former All-Star that still has a few solid years ahead of him.