The Miami Marlins could target a slugger

The Miami Marlins don't have a very good lineup to say the least, but I have some optimism and the team has so far been surprising. It of course doesn't help that a key bat is also injured. It makes me wonder if there would be a point in making an interesting trade. It just so happens that the Baltimore Orioles are now shopping first baseman Ryan Mountcastle.

Would it make sense for the Marlins to trade for Ryan Mountcastle?

Ryan Mountcastle is a former top prospect who will be hitting free agency after next season. You can argue that since he's not a long-term piece for the Miami Marlins, there's no real point for Peter Bendix to trade for him. I also like the fact that Matt Mervis is receiving a real shot to be the team's new first baseman. He is another former top prospect who is finally receiving a chance that he deserved to play regularly.

That said, if there's an opportunity to acquire Ryan Mountcastle then it would make sense for The Fish to potentially get involved. Mountcastle batted .271/.308/.425 with 13 home runs and 63 RBI, in 124 games and 473 AB. He did that last season. It was seen as a bit of a down season for him and he ended up being worth 2.6 WAR for that performance.

Interestingly, Mountcastle was worth a worse 2.1 WAR in 2023, but had better looking stats. That season, he batted .270/.328/.452, with 18 home runs and 68 RBI in 115 games and 423 AB. The best seaosn in his career was in 2021. That season, he was worth just 1.1 WAR, but he batted .255/.309/.487, with 33 home runs and 89 RBI in 144 games and 534 AB.

I don't know what it would take to get Ryan Mountcastle from Baltimore. My thinking was to get his value back up, for the Miami Marlins to then trade him for a better return. He's already 28 years old, and as I said earlier he's a free agent after the 2026 season. I don't expect a trade to bring him in in the first place, but let's see what happens.