Miami Marlins: 2 Potential AL East Trade Destinations for Starling Marte

The Miami Marlins are currently trending in the direction of being sellers as the July 30th MLB Trade Deadline approaches.

While the Miami Marlins will have a few notable players that will attract the attention of a few contenders, there is one piece that will be the most “sought-after.” You don’t have to look far either to find it as it is the Marlins arguable best player, Starling Marte.

Marte has expressed his interest to stay with the club, but at 32 years of age, is the club interested in retaining Marte? He is currently slashing .333/.432/.538 for the season, and is a player who hits for contact at a high rate, a commodity a HR happy team like the New York Yankees would want.

Other teams that may be interested in acquiring Marte could be the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians. The Marlins are suffering from their lack of depth, so it is possible to think they can grab a veteran player, along with a mid-tier prospect from one of these organizations?

Miami already has good pitching talent, both on their big league team and in the farm system, barring the injuries that have haunted them this season. With the Marlins offense being so anemic  at times this year, it makes sense they may target multiple bats if they do decide to move Marte.

Which AL East prospects could the Miami Marlins get for Starling Marte?

The Yankees could offer the Marlins their 2020 1st round pick in 21-year old catcher Austin Wells.  Wells was drafted because of his batting skills, but his defense may be suspect at times. While currently a catcher, it is believed by some scouts that Wells may follow the Kyle Schwarber path and play either first base or the outfield. Currently in Low-A ball, Wells is slashing .278/.396/.466 for the season.

Boston could be another destination Miami may ship Marte to, depending on how serious the Red Sox are about making some noise in the 2021 Postseason. First baseman Tristan Casas, the highest-ranked player per MLB Pipeline in the Red Sox farm system, may be intriguing while young outfield prospect Jeisson Rosario could be another option.

Nevertheless, the Miami Marlins are slipping fast having dropped four of their last five, including a series sweep to the struggling Cardinals. While Marte is a fan favorite, trading the highly sought-after veteran outfielder will bring players in return that will have an impact on the Marlins for years to come.

While it is still to be determined if Miami will actually trade Marte, the AL East, in particular the Yankees and Red Sox, is a potential destination that the Marlins could get a sizable return.