Martin Prado to have knee surgery, won’t return in 2017

The Miami Marlins got more bad news on the injury front on Friday. Third baseman Martin Prado will need knee surgery and will be out the remainder of the year.

It hasn’t been a banner year for the Miami Marlins. Not only have things gone wrong, they’ve managed to go wrong at the most inopportune moments. Another tally on the list, third baseman Martin Prado will be out the remainder of the season.

While that in and of itself isn’t that much of an inconvenience from an on the field, baseball perspective. It could be a harbinger of the kind of difficulties the Miami Marlins front office will face in revamping the team.

With Prado on the disabled list, he becomes dead money to a team that can’t afford it.

Let’s take a step back and realize that Martin Prado is a person, with a family and extreme knee discomfort. As bummed as Marlins fans are about this, think of how poorly Prado feels. This isn’t how he wanted his season to go either.

He’s seldom been available to play in 2017. After starting the year on the disabled list, he went back on in early May. Now it appears he’ll be on there for good. Reports have surfaced that Prado’s knee injury is more severe that originally believed.

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Production wise, the Miami Marlins won’t be missing out on much. Even when Prado was on the field, he wasn’t playing particularly well. Batting only .250/.279/.357, he was a shell of the player the Marlins thought they were signing.

Miami inked Prado to a contract worth three years and $40 million this offseason.

Where this really hurts the team is on the farm. The Fish were already looking to move Prado ahead of the deadline. Boston appeared to be the likeliest destination. Following his injury, Boston addressed their third base needs elsewhere.

What it means moving forward

Martin Prado will remain a Marlin, and will likely be at the hot corner on opening day. A trade would have cleared the way for prospect Brian Anderson, now that is on hold. Anderson could still make the team out of spring training, but not as a starter.

The Miami Marlins will likely keep Prado in the fold through the 2018 season. If they find themselves out of contention by the deadline next season, they could look to move him again.

It could end up being a blessing in disguise. Given his poor performance, he wasn’t going to net much on the open market. With another year off his contract, and hopefully better numbers, the team could get more for him from a desperate team.

It will also give Anderson more time to develop. Not all players thrive when thrown into the deep end. Anderson appears to be that kind of prospect. He has initially struggled at each level before adjusting to the competition. You can expect something similar when he joins the Miami Marlins.

Next: Miami Marlins: O'Grady and Conley battling

Most importantly, let’s wish Martin Prado a speedy recovery. His injury might have been a blow to the Miami Marlins, but ultimately, it’s just baseball. The team was more than a Martin Prado trade or return to the lineup from being competitive.