The looming sale of the Miami Marlins has strong implications on how the Marlins will operate towards the trade deadline. Bob Nightengale, of USA Today, reports that the Marlins might be reluctant in moving Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich, or Giancarlo Stanton at the deadline due to mystery of who is going to buy the Team.
Selling might hurt the Marlins selling
As the Marlins are still for sale, the situation might impact the Marlins making any moves at the deadline says the report. Currenty owner Jeffrey Loria has the sale price at $1.2 billion.
Jorge Mas appeared to be a favorite to purchase the team, but that is in doubt. Derek Jeter was once a favorite to land the team, but those expectations have fizzled as well.
The Marlins are not likely to make the playoffs, so the team told other teams in the league that their three outfielders, as well as second baseman Dee Gordon, and starting pitcher Dan Straily were on the trading block. Now, it seems that Straily is off the block, while Gordon and Martin Prado are still on. The team could also move AJ Ramos too.
The real prize was Ozuna. The 26 year old outfielder is batting .319 with 23 home runs at 70 runs batted in. There are plenty of teams looking for an outfielder to fill a hole in their lineup.
If the Marlins hold on to all of their pieces, then Miami will expect another year of mediocrity.
Cardinals hurt in the process as well
The Cardinals make the most sense for Ozuna. The team needs outfield help and their lineup needs even more. The team has been linked to Ozuna for months. If the Marlins are unwilling to move Ozuna, then St.
Louis will have even more disarray for what they will do at the trade deadline. The team has been reported to not knowing which direction they want to head.
The next week could signal that direction. The Cardinals are 5.5 games out of first place, but see the Chicago Cubs this weekend. If the number stretched to seven to eight games, the Cardinals could start selling pieces.
Lancy Lynn was recently mentioned as a trade chip with the Kansas City Royals being a team that is interested.
Time will tell
There is still plenty of time for the Marlins to change their mind even with the trade deadline 13 days away. However, the Marlins cannot stall for that much longer. The team is 42-49 on the season and have serious holes on the team. Gordon is set to make about $70 million soon which makes him the most likely to be dealt. The Marlins have players that could help a contender. They just need to pull the plug.
