Miami Marlins need to be blown away by Oakland A’s to trade Ozuna, Yelich

The Miami Marlins offseason rolls on. No moves yet, but there is plenty of speculation to fuel fan interest right now.

Word on the street is the Miami Marlins are going to be doing some reshuffling this offseason. Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman have a plan, and for the time being, it doesn’t involve trading Marcell Ozuna or Christian Yelich. That hasn’t slowed conjecture, though.

Giancarlo Stanton, however, is on the trading block. The team is anxious to move him and as much of his salary as they can. It’s a good thing he’s piling hardware this offseason after the most dominant year at the dish anywhere in baseball. Not to mention Wednesday was his birthday!

So instead of a cake, we bombarded him with news that his friends might be moving away and they won’t be able to play together anymore. Happy birthday, G.

Blood in the water

Stanton is going to draw a lot of interest once teams have a clearer idea of their payroll for 2018. Right now, his salary is so daunting, it’s difficult for even the most affluent teams to put in an enticing bid with any sort of confidence.

But teams around the league are licking their chops at a shot at one of the other two Miami Marlins outfielders. Everyone is gaga for the Gold Glovers.

On Wednesday, an article in the San Francisco Gate reported that the Oakland A’s are candidates to make a run for one of the two Miami corner outfielders. Putting together a package for either is unlikely, but Yelich is likely off the board completely.

Ozuna could be move, but it would take a boatload of assets, or a willingness to take on salary the Marlins don’t want, or both. Take into consideration that the A’s are just as broke as the Marlins are, and the latter is unlikely.

Any deal between Oakland and Miami would include left-hander A.J. Puk, and possibly speedster Jorge Mateo as well. Both players are expected to be MLB ready in 2018 and could be impact players right away.

Another prospect with the potential to be a productive Major Leaguer, but perhaps not a star, would round out a deal like this one.

Fun to think about…

But it won’t happen. The Oakland A’s have done well to stock their lower-levels, and trading for Ozuna would be a huge hit to that depth. Not to mention that they’d likely want him to agree to a longer contract ahead of time. Ozuna is set to test free agency in a few years.

The focus for the Miami Marlins remains Stanton, Dee Gordon, and Martin Prado. Any takers? A market already exists for Stanton, and one will most likely develop for Gordon. But Prado? That might be a tough sell after the 2017 season he had.

Next: Touching base with the Miami Marlins trade rumors

Ozuna could be on the move, but it’s going to take a lot to make that happen. Yelich is safe though. His contract is too team friendly and he is still improving as a player. Yelich is someone the Miami Marlins have an eye to build around, not trade away.