Marlins move forward after the MLB Trade Deadline

It was a week that will be remembered as one of the most curious of this season for the Miami Marlins. We take a look at the deals the team made.

Yes, the dealing was fast and furious in the final hours of the MLB Trade Deadline. The Miami Marlins traded away four pitchers and got solid minor league prospects in return. The organization must have felt they could move forward and still make strides toward the postseason in the next two years without the services of starters Trevor Richards and Zac Gallen and relieve Nick Anderson.

Last weekend, the Marlins started making their push for more hitting depth in the minor leagues by sending closer Sergio Romo to the Minnesota Twins in return for Lewin Diaz. The Marlins also added minor league pitcher Chris Vallimont in the deal.

When asked about the deals made on Wednesday, Joe Frisaro opened his In Box feature on MLB.com and talked about how the surplus of pitching on the Major League roster and in the minor league system allowed the front office to find the deal that made the most sense for the organization. He singled out the deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks involving Gallen and shortstop Jazz Chisholm.

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My first reaction to the deal was this was a good baseball trade, meeting the needs of both clubs. It’s also a rare one from the Marlins’ perspective because I can’t recall Miami making too many prospect-for-prospect deals.

"“As for Gallen, he definitely impressed me. But let’s make one thing clear, Gallen is not a front-end starter based on pure stuff,” Frisaro said. “Pretty much all the feedback I’ve gotten on him is he’s a back-end starter, a No. 4 or 5. Still, that is a really good return for a throw-in when the Marlins acquired Gallen from the Cardinals in the Marcell Ozuna trade.”"

The reality is one of the starters from the rotation just three days ago had to go. The thought at the beginning of the season, as Frisaro and others pointed out until he was injured, was that Opening Day pitcher Jose Urena would be the one to be moved because the talent developing in the minors was too good to pass up.

Getting Chisholm gives the Marlins their shortstop of the future and the person that will hopefully become one of the better double-play combinations in the Majors with Isan Diaz.

There has been some question about Chisholm’s ability. Frisaro said we should concentrate on the present and the future.

"“As for Chisholm, don’t get too carried away by his Double-A stats with Arizona. The 21-year-old has tremendous upside. He has All-Star-caliber talent. If he taps into it, we’re talking about a game-changing everyday shortstop,” writes Frisaro.“Chisholm’s power is legitimate. Obviously, his 33.8 percent strikeout rate is a concern. But he hit 18 home runs for Arizona’s Jackson affiliate, and he homered on Thursday in his first game with Jacksonville. His elite power and overall skills make him worth the risk.”"

The idea of having a power-stacked middle infield is something few MLB teams have currently. And as the outfield prospects continue to develop in the minor league system, the Marlins can rely on strength up the middle of the diamond.