Miami Marlins taking calculated measures in Ramos trade

Shortly after finishing off the Cincinnati Reds at Marlins Park on Friday night, news of the latest Miami Marlins trade became official.

The Miami Marlins have officially made their third trade of the 2017 season. On Friday, a trade send closer AJ Ramos to the New York Mets was made official. It comes after the team has already traded reliever David Phelps, and shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria.

This was perhaps the most emotional farewell for Miami to date this season. In his time in Miami, Ramos was well liked by all levels of the organization. From the front office to the fans, it seems that the outpouring of well-wishes for Ramos are sincere.

While it might tug on the heart strings, it was a necessary move that netted the Marlins two intriguing prospects.

Ramos doesn’t figure to be the closer in New York right away. Addison Reed is holding those duties while Jeurys Familia is on the disabled list. Reed has converted 19 of his 21 save opportunities and is giving no room for a closer controversy.

For the Mets, this is a move to help their 2018 squad more than anything. They may choose not to resign Reed once he hits free agency at the end of the season. Their bullpen sets up nicely with Ramos bridging the gap to Familia in the ninth.

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In exchange, the Miami Marlins received two prospects who are several years from MLB ready. But when they arrive, they could be impact players for the team. The Marlins welcome RHP Merandy Gonzalez, and CF Ricardo Cespedes​ into their minor league system.

Are the Marlins winning at the deadline?

The Miami Marlins are taking a conservative approach ahead of the trade deadline. They’re keeping their core pieces, while attempting to build out a rotation and bullpen for the future. With one of the more potent offenses in Major League Baseball, they’re proceeding wisely.

With Hechavarria, Phelps, and now Ramos jettisoned to other clubs, the team has precious few trade pieces remaining. Dan Straily appears to be the likeliest piece to be moved at this point. A market has materialized for Dee Gordon, but not enough to consider a deal imminent.

Deals for Martin Prado were nixed after he needed surgery on his knee just before the deadline. Edinson Volquez is another name that could have been moved had it not been for injury issues at the end of July.

The team is not eager to trade Straily, and will want a big haul to move him. If they manage to swap Staily for prospects, they’ll likely be the most promising of any of the moves the team has made thus far.

While the Hechavarria trade failed to net the Marlins a prospect that currently appears on their top 30, the other two deals have served them well. Five of the prospects on the teams current top 30 are deadline deal arrivals.

Next: Marlins prospects acquired for David Phelps

The team is moving forward, and appears to be sticking to the plan that we outlined several weeks ago. After weeks of speculation, it appears consensus has reached the fact that the Miami Marlins aren’t that far off.