3 Pitchers that the Miami Marlins need to acquire

2. Lance Lynn

Up next is Kendall Graveman's Chicago White Sox teammate starting pitcher Lance Lynn. Lynn is a free agent at the end of the season, making him an obvious trade candidate on a terrible team. Graveman is 32 years old, but Lynn is 36. Lynn spent half of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching for them from 2011 to 2017.

Lance Lynn had a pretty good career in St. Louis. He had a 3.38 ERA/3.64 FIP, with 8.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. He did all of this in 183 games and 977.2 innings pitched. Lynn's best season was in 2014, when he delivered a 2.74 ERA/3.35 FIP in 33 games and 203.2 innings pitched. He seemed to be a pretty good top of the rotation arm, but never seemed to be seen as such. He was never in NL Cy Young contention in any of those seasons.

Lance Lynn moved on to the Minnesota Twins in 2018, but was traded to the New York Yankees mid-season. Lynn played in 31 games and 156.2 innings that season. He also delivered a disappointing 4.77 ERA/3.84 FIP with 9.2 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9. For the next two seasons, Lynn moved on to the Texas Rangers.

Lynn delivered a 3.57 ERA/3.43 FIP, with 10.3 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 46 games and 292.1 innings pitched in 2019-2020. Lynn's run in Texas was easily the best of his career at that point. He finished fifth in AL Cy Young voting in 2019, and sixth in such voting in 2020. Sadly for Lynn, he never did make it to the playoffs.

Lance Lynn has been with the Chicago White Sox since 2023. He delivered a 4.05 ERA/3.93 FIP, with 10.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 68 games and 387.0 innings pitched. As you can see, he's been more of a mid-rotation arm there. That said, that's exactly what the Miami Marlins need. It's important to point out that Lynn does have a 6.06 ERA/4.95 FIP so far this season. This should make him cheap to acquire. The strikeout rate (11.0) and the 4.35 ERA over the last month show promise going forward.

NEXT: An elite bullpen arm?

3. Mark Leiter Jr.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. is the third pitcher that the Miami Marlins need to acquire. The 32 year old was a late-bloomer, debuting in 2017 with the Philadelphia Phillies. That season he delivered a 4.96 ERA/5.14 FIP, with 8.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. He did this in 11 games (5 starts) in 90.2 innings pitched. It was a pretty uneventful debut, but at least the strikeout were somewhat promising.

Leiter split 2018 between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Toronto Blue Jays. He delivered a 7.71 ERA/6.97 FIP, with 8.5 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9. It was a terrible follow-up, with his control declining significantly. It really didn't look like Leiter would ever be anything of value in his career. In fact, he spent the next three seasons in the Minor Leagues.

The Chicago Cubs brought in Mark Leiter Jr. for the 2022 season. He delivered a 3.99 ERA/4.29 FIP, with 9.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 35 games (4 starts) and 67.2 innings pitched. This was a decent return, with a very promising strikeout rate. The ERA and FIP didn't look all that special and he was already 31 years old.

2023 has been Leiter's breakout season. He delivered a 3.58 ERA/3.12 FIP, with 12.7 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 37 games and 37.2 innings pitched. Having an elite strikeout rate, good control and a great FIP (along with a solid ERA) opened a lot of eyes on the late-bloomer. The Chicago Cubs are not going to the playoffs this season, so why not trade him?

Mark Leiter Jr. is not even eligible for arbitration until next season. This means that the Chicago Cubs may want to sell high. This also means that he might be too expensive for the Miami Marlins. Then again he's 32 years old, maybe the price will be reasonable. Kim Ng only needs to make a phone call to find out.