Miami Marlins: 3 Bold Predictions from Now to the 2021 MLB Trade Deadline

A lot can change between now and the July 30th MLB Trade Deadline for the Miami Marlins. 

Will the Miami Marlins be buyers or sellers? Which positions of need are they looking to acquire? Which players might they possibly look to trade?

These are only a few questions that will be asked between now and then, with the answers only becoming clearer over time.

The Marlins currently stand at 18-22 overall, and 4th in the NL East through the first 40 games of the season. While Miami has gotten phenomenal performances so far this season from a few notable players both at the plate, and on the mound, there are a few “bold predictions” as you’d say that if they came true would be massive for the Fish.

The Miami Marlins have an important two months ahead of them.

As a team that made the MLB Postseason during the shortened 2020 season, there will be increased pressure to make the playoffs once again in 2021. While they wouldn’t be in the postseason if the season ended today, there is plenty of more baseball to be played.

We are currently about 25% done with 2021 season. One thing that will start to loom closer and closer is the trade deadline. As the deadline draws nearer, noise surrounding trades league-wide will only continue to get louder.

The Marlins are no different from any other team. Noise will continue to get louder and louder surrounding all players on the team, both hitters and pitchers.

Before we ramp-up the trade season with constant trade talk, it’s best to offer some thoughts, or predictions as you’d say, for the time from now until the trade deadline. While normal predictions would be enough, bold predictions could be more impactful, because if they do come true, it could affect the Marlins plans for the deadline.

Got it? Now let’s get bold.

Here are three bold predictions for the Miami Marlins between now and the 2021 MLB Trade Deadline.

1. Garrett Cooper leads the Miami Marlins in HRs

The Miami Marlins currently rank 27th in baseball in total team HRs with 37 on the season. With Jesus Aguilar and Adam Duvall by far the team leaders in hitting the long-ball, there is one player in particular that has the potential to join that group, Garrett Cooper.

Now there is no question that Cooper has gotten off to a rough start to the 2021 season. Currently sporting a .209 batting average through 37 games played, Cooper just hasn’t looked like his previous seasons’ self.

Cooper is now in year four of his time in Miami, while being a starter in the Marlins outfield for the previous two seasons. Sporting an average above .280 in each of those two seasons, it’s clear that Cooper has yet to fully “get-it-going” this year.

That’s the batting average comparison, but what about the HR though? Cooper has only hit 23 so far in his career, with his most in any singular season being 15 during the 2019 season. Currently standing at only 2 long balls so far this season, is it possible for Cooper?

If the most he has ever hit in a season is 15, and the current team leader Aguilar is sitting at 9, it seems impossible for Cooper to lead the team by the deadline right?

It’s clear that Cooper is having a rough start to the season, but you know that he is due for a big break-out at some point in the near future simply based off his previous seasons’ success. With Cooper also beginning to heat-up at the plate during the most recent series in Los Angeles, that break-out could come at any moment.

Cooper as mentioned previously only has 2 HRs currently. Even though it’ll be a tough task to accomplish, could the soon to be break-out for Cooper feature a lot of 400+ ft. round-trippers?

3. Anthony Bender leads the Miami Marlins bullpen in ERA and Holds

What a story it would be for Bender to pro-long his current success. There was obviously a lot of excitement when the Miami Marlins called up RP Anthony Bender earlier this season, and he has done nothing to disappoint yet.

Coming off of the past two seasons playing Independent Ball, Bender signed with the Marlins as a free agent during this past offseason. Impressing early on, Bender received a call-up to the big leagues where he has continued that success.

So far during the 2021 season, Bender has appeared in five games where he currently sports a perfect 0.00 ERA. Bender has also only allowed one hit during that span, while walking one and striking out eight.

Pairing all of that with an extremely impressive 14.4 K/9, it’s only a matter of time until Bender gets more often opportunities in the late innings.

Bender as we’ve seen has electric stuff on the mound. A sinker that sits around 97 mph, as well as a slider with a lot of movement, Bender controls both of these pitches well, and has the ability to make batters miss.

Is it possible that he could lead the entire Marlins bullpen in ERA when we reach the deadline, just like he currently is leading the bullpen now? Possibly. To be honest, if he keeps pitching the way he is now, combined with more opportunities because of it, it’s going to happen.

What about holds? Dylan Floro currently works the 8th inning, but what if Bender worked his way up? If he continues this success we could see Bender move into the 8th inning, and possibly even the 9th based on how Floro and Yimi Garcia perform.

If he does emerge however, and become a consistent late-inning dominant force in this Marlins bullpen, that will become a massive strength for the Miami Marlins. Not only will the Marlins have familiar names like Garcia, Floro, and more to go to in the late-innings, but you could possibly add Bender to that list as well.

Yes, these are bold predictions, and are meant to be unlikely to actually happen. If they do happen however, it could alter the Miami Marlins plans when it comes to the MLB Trade Deadline.