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3 options for the Miami Marlins at SS
3 different options for Miami Marlins at SS options. Who can The Fish acquire?
The Miami Marlins entered the off-season looking for SS help. So far no SS has been brought in, but I talked about some unlikely but interesting options. Who is realistic for The Fish however? Who can we expect the team to actually acquire to fill the hole at the position? Who is available by trade and in free agency?
Who can the Miami Marlins acquire to play SS in the upcoming season?
3. OPTIONS IN FREE AGENCY
Let's look at free agency first...one obvious option is Tim Anderson. There hasn't been much information revealed about him this off-season. The Chicago White Sox moved on from him after a -2.0 WAR season, in which he batted .245/.286/.296. He has a career .282/.312/.422 batting line however. He can likely be had on a one year deal within the range of $10 million.
Is he worth the gamble though? He certainly might be. Looking at his underlining stats... he hit a career low percentage of fly balls in 2023 (16.9%). His career number is 25.3%. He had a 1.6% HR/FB% in 2023, compared to his career 14.1%. I do expect those numbers to improve in 2024.
Another top free agent market is Amed Rosario. He's not the greatest option either, as he batted .263/.305/.378 this season. He does however have experience and could at least be a somewhat dependable position at the position. Rosario has a career .272/.308/.400 batting line, but had a -0.7 dWAR in 2023. He had a 1.2 dWAR in 2022, so it's possible that he can get back to that ability in 2024. Both Anderson and Rosario are not ideal options, but either one can bounce back.
NEXT: Good trade options...
2. GOOD TRADE OPTIONS
Looking towards the trade market, Willy Adames of the Milwaukee Brewers is a popular target. Adames batted .217/.310/.407, with 24 home runs and 80 RBI, in 149 games and 553 AB in 2023. Adames is a free agent after the upcoming season, but there's no guarantee that Milwaukee will punt on 2024 and trade him.
There are other questions with Adames as well, he consistently has high strikeout rates and low batting averages. He has a career .247/.320/.439 batting line, with a below average 27.7% strikeout percentage. The Miami Marlins may be willing to stomach the batting average and strikeout rate, if the price is right.
Jorge Polanco of the Minnesota Twins is another target. Minnesota is looking to cut payroll and Polanco doesn't have an obvious starting role in 2024. That said, he hasn't played SS in a few years and does have an injury history. Polanco batted .255/.335/.454 in 2023 and shouldn't cost much.
It's interesting to point out, that both Polanco and Adames have short-term control. Adames is a free agent after the upcoming season, and Polanco has a $12 million team option for 2025. He will hit free agency after the upcoming season if it's not picked up on him. Is it worth it for The Fish to target them? It fully depends on the price, Polanco is my personal choice due to better contact and the longer team control available.
NEXT: THE RISKY TRADE OPTIONS
1. THE RISKY TRADE OPTIONS
Javier Baez of the Detroit Tigers could be an interesting option. He batted a poor .222/.267/.325 in 2023, but with a 1.0 dWAR. He's still a good defender and there's at least hope that a 20 home run bat is still in there somewhere. Detroit would of course however need to pay most of his salary going forward, and there's no indication that they're even willing to do that.
The Miami Marlins would be making that trade entirely for defense and the offensive upside. It's a pretty risky trade, but if his salary is significantly lowered, he could very well be worth the price just for his elite defense. It's imperative to point out just how important defense is at the position.
Could the Boston Red Sox be open to moving Trevor Story? Like Baez, Story is a "bad contract" who is coming off of a .203/.250/.316 batting line in 2023. Could Boston be willing to move him and pay most of his salary? Is he worth the gamble for the Miami Marlins or not? He is a career .265/.332/.504 bat.
Trevor Story is a gamble like Baez, but perhaps has slightly more upside with the bat. At the expense of his defense of course. Personally, if both of their salaries were significantly lowered, with their teams paying the difference, I would really like these options. Overall, the most important thing is that the Miami Marlins get the best possible deal and upgrade significantly at SS.
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