Should the Miami Marlins trade Pablo López for a hitter?

Pablo López is an ace for the Miami Marlins. The Fish also have a surplus of pitching and might benefit from using it to upgrade our struggling lineup. Pablo is a free agent after the 2024 season, does it make sense to trade him for a hitter? The rumors that it’s a good idea for us to trade him, go back to last season. Is it finally time now with Max Meyer and Edward Cabrera in the mix? Let’s analyze…

A strong case can be made that the Miami Marlins should trade Pablo López for hitting.

The Miami Marlins need hitting help and seem to be overflowing with starting pitching. Doesn’t that sound like a good time to trade from thst surplus to add much needed hitting? Pablo López stands out as his salary will only increase with arbitration and with his injury-proneness a trade now might work out.

First, the Miami Marlins need to see if Pablo López is interested in an extension. If he’s not interested in a reasonable one, it’s definitely time to look for a trade partner. Pablo currently has a 6-4 W-L record with a 2.86 ERA/3.64 FIP in 18 games and 104.0 innings. He also has a 2.6 WAR.

What trades are potentially out there for Pablo López? The St. Louis Cardinals could use an ace, as it’s their most glaring need. They’re in a tight division race with the Milwaukee Brewers and this could put them over the top. They have a middle infield logjam with Tommy Edman, Brendan Donovan and Nolan Gorman all in the mix. Gorman has The lowest WAR and the most control. He also has upside, he’s currently batting .241/.320/.444 with 9 home runs and 22 RBI. Gorman can play third or second base for The Fish (with Jazz Chisholm Jr. moving to short in the latter scenario). Juan Yepez is another trade candidate, the OF has a .254/.298/.459 batting line with 11 home runs and 27 RBI.

The Minnesota Twins are another team that could have interest in Pablo López. They desperately need an ace and have hitting to trade. Alex Kirilloff could be a trade target for The Fish. He’s a free agent after the 2027 season and has a lot of upside. He could be part of a trade package and slide in at first base or the out field.

The most ambitious trade target would be Ty France of the Seattle Mariners. He’s a free agent a year after Pablo López, but has a 2.9 WAR and a .308/.376/.470 batting line in 79 games and 315 AB’s. He could be a fit at first base or third base. Seattle might not want to trade him however.

I like Pablo López and would prefer us to sign him to an extension, but if we can’t then trading him for hitting makes a lot of sense.