Miami Marlins trade scenario that would Supercharge the lineup

1B Paul Goldschmidt Cardinals

One trade scenario the Miami Marlins could look into is a simple swap of first basemen and the Marlins add in a pitching prospect like Jake Eder.  I think either way if the Marlins can acquire Paul Goldschmidt, that is who I would target.   

Goldschmidt has the senior leadership and playoff experience which is invaluable and he would be a solid cleanup hitter for the lineup.  The real issue comes with the price of Goldschmidt, who is arguably their best player along with Arenado.  The price will be steep and I don’t know if that simple of a trade package would do it but we can hope they value Garrett Cooper highly but this is all an ideal scenario. 

Would the Cardinals accept a trade with the Marlins that would be Garrett Cooper and Jake Eder for Paul Goldschmidt?   I’m not sure, I think it depends on what they believe Eder’s timeline is for big league competition.  If he is closer they might, as Goldschmidt is 35 and helps the Marlins for the next few years at least, while Eder is a future play.  

More Realistic Supercharge

Another potential trade the Miami Marlins should look into would be if the Cardinals would give up multiple players in a trade, to include either Paul DeJong and Nolan Gorman or Gorman and Tommy Edman.  Although these scenarios more likely, Marlins fans would love Goldschmidt.  The only issue is that reportedly the Cardinals have hinted that Goldschmidt is the one player that is off-limits.   So either they pay up big time and try and lure him away or they look for other pieces to compliment their lineup, like the second trade scenario.

For a multiperson trade the Marlins will have to give up several pieces, especially looking at a major league potential player or pitcher. I think Jake Eder is looking more and more like a potential trade candidate and then maybe a few more younger position players. Could the Marlins swing such a trade, possibly, but it will cost them and that would likely be the only trade possible unless they can dump Avisail Garcia or Jean Segura on someone.

An Alternative to the Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals might have a bigger ask than the Miami Marlins are able to accomplish for multiple player and with the injury plagued year Jazz Chisholm has had the Marlins need to invest in two bats to help them through the tough parts of their schedule. There are a few different hitters who could become available via trade, both the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres should be sellers. How big of sellers might be a question but the Nationals have a solid outfielder that would make a big impact on the roster.

As we have looked at previously, Lane Thomas would be a stellar option for the heart of the Marlins lineup and would potentially be a more affordable option with a rebuilding Nationals team. Thomas is currently hitting .301 with 14 home runs, both of which would be huge adds for the Marlins lineup. Thomas has also driven in 45 so he would be one of the team leaders in home runs and RBI if acquired. I would go all in on getting Thomas and seeing if you can peel away an infielder from the Cardinals on top of it. Thomas can play right and DH, trading places with Soler on occasion.

The Padres might not sell much but they could trade starting pitcher Blake Snell. The Miami Marlins could use starting pitching depth with Eury Perez being limited for the rest of the season. Snell would add veteran presence and the pitching arm needed to help anchor the starting rotation. The Padres have said they will listen to offers for Snell. Marlins fans would cheer the move if Kim Ng can somehow acquire both Lane Thomas and Blake Snell. Time will tell but this option also knocks it out of the park.