Miami Marlins: Untouchable Players in Trade Talks

Sixto Sanchez/Edward Cabrera

The Marlins have done a good job to put together a growing starting rotation that starts with Sandy Alcantara and Caleb Smith. Manager Don Mattingly has worked hard to make sure Pablo Lopez, Jordan Yamamoto, and Robert Dugger are developing arms. But believe it or not, the second wave of Marlins pitching prospects may be better in the long run than the first.

Sixto Sanchez was the prized player who came over to Miami as part of the deal for J.T. Realmuto. He is a bona fide ace whose arrival in Miami is supposed to be this season. But because of the shortened year, it still maybe 2021 before he is part of the five-man rotation.

Edward Cabrera, who is a holdover from the old ownership group, has developed into a starter who could become an ace of the staff and could replace Sanchez as the best pitcher in the rotation. Neither of these players should even be considered as trade chips.

Brian Anderson

I keep saying this because I don’t read enough about him on a daily basis, but Brian Anderson is the one player who is a homegrown talent and should become a star the organization builds around.

The third baseman, who can also play in the outfield, gives Mattingly and the coaching staff plenty of versatility at either position. Although he missed the final five weeks of 2019 because of a broken hand, he still smacked 20 home runs and hit 66 RBI. He is developing into a clutch hitter, and will either bat second or third in the lineup this year.

Above everybody else on the teams’ roster, Anderson should be the veteran player teams looking to make a playoff run reach out about. Jeter and Hill should resist the temptation of making such a move, although it may yield a healthy amount of prospects in return.

If this was a full season, it could be expected that Anderson, who was a third-round draft pick out of Arkansas in 2015, would be on pace to hit somewhere between 25 and 30 home runs. He’s becoming a more complete player and a solid defensive stopper. I like his game as much as Hall of Famer Larry Walker and I don’t think that is an exaggeration.

Anderson should not be moved for any deal that is offered.

Isan Diaz

Isan Diaz got his feet wet last season with a second-half call up from AAA New Orleans. After knocking the cover off the ball in the PCL, he struggled during his internship on a Major League level. The struggles weren’t just at the plate, but they were defensively as well. If Diaz, who is regarded as one of the top young second base prospects in MLB, is going to take the next step, it will be over the next two seasons.

Diaz was part of the massive trade where the Marlins collected four prospects in return for Christian Yelich from the Milwaukee Brewers. Yelich has proven to be one of the best players in baseball while the four individuals could all make Miami’s roster this season. How Diaz progresses, along with Yamamoto, Monte Harrison and Lewis Brinson will determine if the organization made the right move.

Diaz has the ability to become a middle infielder like Roberto Alomar, who can hit for average and launch somewhere around 25 home runs in a season. I’m interested to see how much progress he makes from last season to this year and whether the work he put in prior to the work stoppage pays off.