Miami Marlins Last Second Trades: Who’s Next to Go?

With the trade deadline only hours away, the Miami Marlins could trade another familiar face or two for more prospects.

A relatively quiet lead-up to the trade deadline for the Miami Marlins has only seen one deal thus far. The acquisition of minor league first baseman Lewin Diaz for major league reliever Sergio Romo, minor league starter Chris Vallimont, and a player to be named later stands as the only deal they’ve yet been involved in.

That’s not to say they’re going to remain quiet. There’s still a lot of goodies in the cupboard for a would-be contender to mortgage a little bit of their future for immediate gain. Who’s next?

Miggy Ro

Miguel Rojas has long been a quietly dependable utility infielder for the Miami Marlins. Now in his fifth full season with the club, he’s putting together what is likely his best all-around season at the age of 30.

Rojas cut his teeth in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, and for his first three seasons in Miami played all four infield positions, with nary a drop-off in defensive effectiveness. This season, he’s been slotted “permanently” as the shortstop, and can boast a .981 fielding percentage for his troubles.

Personally, I’d like to see Rojas as the Miami Marlins version of Udonis Haslem. Sign him for a decent sum, for the rest of his career. He’s a solid clubhouse leader and a spark plug in the lineup. This season, he’s hitting .289/.343/.381, while providing above-average defense from the shortstop position. Are there teams out there that could use a guy like this for a playoff push? I’d say there’s probably about 15 or so. A year after playing in a career high 153 contests for the Miami Marlins, Rojas has appeared in 101 of the Marlins 105 games to rank third on the club behind only Brian Anderson (104) and

Starlin Castro

The only Miami Marlins player to appear in all 105 contests this season, Starlin Castro has come on strong after a subpar first three months of the campaign. From the start of the season through the end of June, Castro hit .230/.258/.313, which extrapolated over a full season would definitely qualify as his worst.

Just in time for the trade deadline, Castro has come alive. He’s hit .322/.347/.511 for the month of July, above his career marks but bringing the season’s statistics a little more in line with what we’ve all expected all along.

Add to that, Isan Diaz is not so quietly tearing up the Pacific Coast League for the New Orleans Baby Cakes, and is undoubtedly ready for the big show. In 98 games at the level just below the majors, Diaz has hit .298/.390/.565, with 24 homers and 65 RBI in 98 games. Diaz also grades out evenly to Castro defensively, as both have a .980 fielding percentage at second base.

Neil Walker

Another proven major league commodity, Neil Walker was a long-time second baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates through their short-lived early ’10’s revival. Now 33-years-old, he plays mostly first base for the Miami Marlins, but has also ably filled in at the hot corner as needed.

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Walker turned in the worst offensive season of his career last season with the New York Yankees, hitting .219/.309/.354 over 123 games. Although we weren’t sure if that was the effects of the bell-curved aging process, it was also possible that some of it had to do with the move to the American League.

It seems there was something to that, as Walker has rebounded to a slash line of .257/.340/.381 for the Miami Marlins. Although he’s no longer a viable long-distance threat, he’s still proved able to hold down a corner infield spot and a six- or seven- spot in the lineup on a contender, if needed. I mean, who needs a switch-hitting corner infielder? Everyone.

Others Who Could Go

Pitchers Nick Anderson, Trevor Richards, and Caleb Smith have garnered mention in recent days as possible trade targets, however each of those players would require a hefty commitment from a farm somewhere.

Adam Conley’s trade value is all but busted after a terrible season, that has seen him go 1-7, with a 7.23 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. Wei-Yin Chen‘s contract remains untradeable, and the Miami Marlins seem resistant to consider it a sunk cost, but nobody is going to trade for Chen or Conley.

Bryan Holaday, Lewis Brinson, and Curtis Granderson are other Miami Marlins position players that may end up on somebody else’s roster before the end of the day. What’s going to happen? Who knows! We’ll keep you up to speed here at Marlin Maniac.

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