Fish Flip?: Three Trades the Surprising Marlins Could Make

The Miami Marlins are currently hovering right around .500 and are seemingly playing the most fun and competitive baseball they have in a long while. For what it’s worth, the Marlins have actually been successful and extremely competitive to any team that’s not from Atlanta or Queens, having won every series against the other opponents up until this point. However, majority owner Bruce Sherman and general manager Kim Ng have promised a playoff baseball team for the citizens of Miami, and although the Marlins have been competitive, they are not quite to that point yet. 

With this being Kim Ng’s final year on contract, and producing lackluster results up until this point, this is her opportunity to go all out and do whatever is necessary to create a winning ballclub in Miami. She has had some amazing additions, such as middle infielder Luis Arraez, relievers like A.J. Puk, Anthony Bender, and Huascar Brazoban. But on her big swings into free agency, such as Avisail Garcia and Jean Segura, she has swung and missed. Look for her this season to take daring trades and risky moves to be able to place a winning ballclub in Miami. If I was in Ng’s shoes, I would make the moves about to be mentioned, and I would make them sooner, rather than later.

Trade #1

Miami Receives – Joc Pederson (OF)

San Francisco Receives – George Soriano (RHP) & Joey Wendle (UTL)

The Giants are currently in 4th place of the NL West, hovering at 13-17, with a combination of mediocre hitting and poor pitching, especially in the bullpen department. With this trade, San Francisco receives a young reliever who performed admirably in his first taste in the majors, George Soriano, as well as the stereotypical older, gritty, back to basics utility player in Joey Wendle. Meanwhile, Miami receives Joc Pederson, a power lefty bat, which is a much needed boost to the Marlins lineup.

Now, when Miami first received Joey Wendle, they expected him to perform in the utility position, appearing all throughout the infield, giving good AB’s, hitting for a decent clip, and not striking out. Wendle has done just that, as he cut his K’s in half without sacrificing much of his average. Joey’s power, if you’d call it that, has minimized as well, going from 46 XBH in 2022 to 28 XBH in 2023. 

Other part leaving Miami is young reliver George Soriano. In his minimal time in the majors, 7 IP, Soriano pitched to a 2.57 ERA with a 3.36 FIP. The San Francisco Giants bullpen have allowed 68 ER this season, with the only reliable relievers with an ERA below 5.80 being Camillo Doval and Tyler Rogers. A much needed reliever, who’s also under contract for an extended time, for a struggling bullpen.

#Marlins No. 25 prospect George Soriano recorded a pair of saves last week, including three strikeouts across two innings Wednesday.@ANG_Recruiting #ServeYourWay pic.twitter.com/AHTUKv5Ae9

— Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (@JaxShrimp) August 9, 2022

On the return, Miami receives Joc Pederson, a left handed OF, more suited for a DH role, but a much needed power bat in the Miami lineup. In his two years in San Francisco, Joc Pederson has a 142 OPS+ and a .869 OPS. Miami had struggled heavily with lefties and hit decently against righties in the past, but this season the results have switched. Joc brings a .894 OPS against righties, just further cementing the need for him and his pearls in Miami. 

🎶Baby Joc them doors and turn the lights down low🎶 @yungjoc650 pic.twitter.com/PuWCaFT6Pz

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) May 2, 2023

Trade #2

Miami Receives – Juan Yepez (IF/OF)

St. Louis Receives – Evan Fitterer (RHP) & Steven Okert (LHP)

The St. Louis Cardinals are in a spot that they normally don’t find themselves in, which is in the bottom of the NL Central. Their fans are seemingly hitting the panic button, as their rotation currently holds a 5.39 ERA, with minimal starting pitching in the wings. Their bullpen is slightly better, with a 3.93 ERA, but they lack power with LHP. 

Steven Okert has been a phenomenal signing for Miami since 2021, holding a 3.00 ERA and a 139 ERA+ in his 93 IP since arriving. He also holds 10.6 K/9, but it does come attached to a 4.4 BB/9, which can put him in risky situations. For the most part, Okert leans heavy on his nasty slider to get batters out, adding another strong arm to the pen for St. Louis. As for Miami, with Chargois and Enright nearly returning to their bullpen, they have arms to spare on the market to find improvements on their team. 

Although the Cardinals seemingly need help now for this season, they could deem the season at a loss with how poorly they’ve played in every facet of the game. If so, they could see Evan Fitterer as a good fit(terrer) to be able to bolster their rotation in the coming years. Fitterer is a dominant righty with a ton of movement on his pitches. Recently promoted to AA, Evan has continued his dominance and resurgence this season, holding a 1.69 ERA across A+ and AA with a 10.5 K/9. However, along with Okert, he does have some wildness in his pitches, holding a 4.2 BB/9 in his career in the minor leagues. 

Juan Yepez is a player in an odd spot in St. Louis. He seemed to be the future DH of the Cardinals last season, but with some struggles, lost his place due to the emergence of Nolan Gorman, Lars Nootbar, and Brendan Donovan. In his small time in the majors, Yepez holds a 112 OPS+, along with a 22% K rate, and has even splits between hitting LHP and RHP. Yepez is a player who should be playing consistently in the majors, but finds himself in a logjam to where he can’t get consistent play in the MLB. 

Yepez keeps it rolling! pic.twitter.com/uMPJJqF8jW

— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) April 30, 2023

Trade #3

Miami Receives – Elias Diaz (C)

Colorado Receives – Anthony Maldonado (RHP) & M.D. Johnson (RHP)

The Colorado Rockies and needing pitching is a tale as old as time. The Rockies have found themselves to have a competent offense with young players, but a struggling pitching staff. With this trade, the Rockies receive a near MLB ready reliever in Anthony Maldonado and a AA starter who could easily be in AAA by mid-season, and the MLB by the end of this year or the start of next year in M.D. Johnson.

Anthony Maldonado is a 25 year old reliever who has been shoving for the Jumbo Shrimp. He finds himself carrying a 1.83 ERA with a 14.1 K/9, with only 6 BB in 14.2 IP. He also has finished 9 games out of the 12 he’s appeared in, placing himself as a good future late inning reliever for whatever team he finds himself on.

M.D. Johnson is one of my favorite prospects for the Marlins. He’s an older prospect in Pensacola at age 25, but his growth from his first professional season to now has been phenomenal. So far this season, in 20 IP, he has a 3.60 ERA alongside a 1.10 WHIP with 22 K’s. He has drastically cut down his walks from 63 BB in his first season, to a combined 36 BB in the past two seasons. He can find himself in the majors by the end of the season if he continues his growth.

Yepez keeps it rolling! pic.twitter.com/uMPJJqF8jW

— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) April 30, 2023

Elias Diaz has been a consistent .250 hitter his entire career, but this season, he has taken it to the next level, with a slash line of .343/.391/.495, alongside a 8:21 BB:K. The Marlins find themselves as the second worst in the league for offensive statistics at the C position, and Elias finds himself in the top conversations for offensive catchers this season. It is a position of dire need for Miami, and Elias would be an immediate upgrade offensively over Jacob Stallings and Nick Fortes.