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Miami Marlins Trade Rumors: Adam Conley

By Kevin Kraczkowski|
DENVER, CO - JUNE 24: Adam Conley #61 of the Miami Marlins pitches against the Colorado Rockies in the seventh inning of a game at Coors Field on June 24, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - JUNE 24: Adam Conley #61 of the Miami Marlins pitches against the Colorado Rockies in the seventh inning of a game at Coors Field on June 24, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

The Miami Marlins came into this season knowing they wouldn’t compete for a playoff spot. It’s all about #Re2pectTheProcess this year. We did know that they would be sellers come trade deadline.

Miami Marlins
MIAMI, FL – JUNE 27: Adam Conley #61 of the Miami Marlins gives up the go ahead homerun in the eighth inning during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Marlins Park on June 27, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)

It should come as no surprise that J.T. Realmuto, Justin Bour, Dan Straily, and Starlin Castro would be trade acquisition targets for contenders. Miguel Rojas, Derek Dietrich, Kyle Barraclough, Drew Steckenrider, Brad Ziegler, and Adam Conley will also generate considerable interest.

Adam Conley, Specifically

Conley, while not traditionally a relief pitcher, has settled into the seventh/eighth-inning setup role quite nicely. His velocity is up by five MPH on all three of his pitches, the fastball, the slider, and the changeup. I’d say this has a lot to do with his retooled approach to attack the hitter rather than to save some for a multiple inning outing.

Last season for Conley was a train wreck, to put it bluntly. In 200 1/3 innings over 2015 and 2016, he had put up a 12-7 record, a 3.82 ERA, and a 1.363 WHIP with 183 whiffs. Nothing worldbeating, to be sure, but nevertheless decent numbers. In 2017, his WHIP ballooned to 1.519 and his ERA went to 6.14 despite his 8-8 record. He also allowed more hits than innings pitched, for the first time in his career. He surrendered 114 in 102 2/3 innings.

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This season, as a starter with the New Orleans Baby Cakes, Conley started out very badly. After three starts, he had allowed an opposing batting average of .488 to triple-A hitting, along with a 19.64 ERA. Something changed for him on or about April 20th. That’s when Conley dropped his ERA to 1.93 over his next five starts, and held batters to a .208 average.

READ: The Future is Now for these Miami Marlins

Miami Marlins
DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 27: Starting pitcher Adam Conley

But the Miami Marlins didn’t call Conley up to start. In 18 appearances out of the bullpen, he’s allowed just 10 hits and struck out 19, with a 0.833 WHIP and a 1.50 ERA.

While Conley wouldn’t fetch the asking price for say, Barraclough or Realmuto, there’s real potential for him to return a decent prospect haul. Although he’ll be arbitration eligible for the 2019 campaign, the Miami Marlins own his rights until 2022.

Next: Yadiel Rivera Walks Off the Tampa Bay Rays

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