The Miami Marlins Shouldn’t Trade Players at the Deadline

It’s been a common theme all season by the majority of the national media that the Miami Marlins will trade more players for future prospects at the MLB deadline at the end of July.

I say the Miami Marlins should stay put and keep the core of its team intact for the second half of 2018 and beyond.

It’s a 50-50 bet there will be at least one player moved for one or more prospects. Regardless of the rumors that have been persisted about the team’s bullpen being the focal point of contenders’ wish lists. The Marlins may still be one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball, but once again shaking up chemistry does not to prepare this franchise for the future.

“The Marlins’ starters have scuffled. A lot. But the bullpen? It’s legit, and it could fetch them some real pieces. Kyle Barraclough, Drew Steckenrider, and Adam Conley could all be difference-makers for contenders if the Fish decide to sell,” writes Adam Leach of MLB.com.

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Personally, I’m not buying it. Barraclough was just named National League Reliever of the Month for June. Conley has found a home as an Andrew Miller-type reliever and Steckenrider is a rookie who could at some point become a closer of the future.

Should the team look to trade him, they should wait at least another season before casting a line to see which organization bites.

Before the start of 2018, sometime around Spring Training, it was believed veterans J.T. Realmuto and Starlin Castro would be the focal point of trade activity.

Now, it would be a bad business deal to trade away veterans who have had a positive influence on the clubhouse.

If the team were to entertain any offers for Realmuto, who is clearly the best player on the roster, the price would be over and above his market value.

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Leach suggests that if the team makes a deal it will be with the future in mind. Someone like Derek Dietrich, who can play multiple positions in the infield and has spent most his time in the outfield this season, may make the most sense for a playoff contender looking for a dependable bat and glove down the stretch.