Miami Marlins interested in a middle of the order bat

Yesterday, the news around the Miami Marlins were focused on the departure of general manager Kim Ng. The Fish are likely to be looking for trades, could there be another one on the horizon? The Fish's target could be none other than Baltimore Orioles RF Anthony Santander. It turns out that he was a trade target in the past, maybe this time the trade will actually happen?

The Miami Marlins could target Baltimore Orioles RF Anthony Santander in a trade this off-season.

The Miami Marlins could potentially lose designated hitter Jorge Soler to free agency this off-season. The power hitter has a player option for next season, whcih would be a pay cut from his salary this season. It makes sense for him to decline it, in search of a better long-term deal this off-season. Assuming Soler leaves, there will be a need for a replacement.

The Baltimore Orioles finished this season with the best record in the American League, but they're not looking to spend much money on contracts. This means that re-signing Anthony Santander may not be in the cards next off-season. Santander will be hitting free agency at that point, and Baltimore is highly unlikely to pay.

There is a reason why Anthony Santander may not be someone that Baltimore would've been actively trying to re-sign, even if they were going to spend. The reason is that he's a pretty poor defender. He has a career -2.1 dWAR and well is just better off as a designated hitter. Baltimore also has an enviable amount of young players coming up from the Minors who will need starting spots.

Anthony Santander is still pretty valuable of course. He became a true middle of the order bat during the last two off-seasons. Last season, he batted .240/.318/.455 with 33 home runs and 89 RBI, in 152 games and 574 AB. This season, he batted .257/.325/.472 with 28 home runs and 95 RBI, in 153 games and 591 AB. He's not that much different from Jorge Soler, who batted .250/.341/.512, with 36 home runs and 75 RBI in 137 games and 504 AB.

What would Anthony Santander cost The Fish? Considering he has limited value then hopefully he can be had for a low return. Perhaps a relief arm might be good enough. There's precedent for that. It's not unlikely if Anthony Santander replaces Jorge Soler as the Miami Marlins DH next season.