Grade That Trade! Marlins Fire Sale Edition?
So I was sitting at work today when my phone vibrated. *Buzz* Ryan Dempster traded to the Braves. Well, who knows if that’s for real. *Buzz* Ichiro traded to Yankees. WTF MINDBLOWN.
But those weren’t the only two moves that went down today – just the big ones grabbing headlines. The best trade that took place might in fact have been between the Miami Marlins and Detroit Tigers.
Let’s break it down:
Tigers Get:
SP Anibal Sanchez
2B Omar Infante
6th overall “Competitive Balance Round A” draft pick
Marlins Get:
SP Jacob Turner
SP Brian Flynn
C Rob Brantly
12th overall “Competitive Balance Round B” draft pick
Are the Marlins in full fire sale mode? Word on the street is they are very disappointed in their performance thus far (wonder why?) and are prepared to make a bunch of trades. Also rumored to be on the block are newly-acquired Carlos Lee, Hanley Ramirez, Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Johnson and Heath Bell.
Do you smell the smoke? That’s a fire a-burnin’ down in Miami. You’d think dropping huge free agent contracts on Bell, Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle would have been enough, but the front office clearly isn’t satisfied. They want to win, and win now.
Trading for prospects, no matter how good, isn’t how winning now is accomplished. That being said, the Marlins did address some big needs. They don’t really have a catcher of the future behind John Buck. They needed help in their starting rotation. And the big ticket item in their trade with Detroit is definitely Turner.
The 9th overall pick in 2009 is just 21 years old and has already had a few starts in the bigs. Turner was, by far, the Tigers’ top pitching prospect. In about 330 minor league innings since 2009, Turner has struck out 269 batters and walked just 89.
Flynn and Brantly aren’t bad themselves, posting above average numbers as a pitcher and defensive catcher, respectively. But again, the crown jewel comes in the form of Turner, who projects to have plus control and the potential for three plus pitches as he matures, according to Scout.com. His fastball tops out around 97 MPH.
So now that I’ve waxed poetic about the next coming of Nolan Ryan (okay, not really…but the kid will probably be really good), how did the Tigers make out?
Fan-freakin’-tastic as well! It’s going to be tough to decide who wins this trade, because the Tigers wanted rotation depth and were in dire need of a second baseman. By shipping off their top prospect and a few extras, the Tigers now have an everyday, top of the order guy to play second, and a solid middle of the rotation starting pitcher to complement Justin Verlander and Doug Fister.
Detroit wants to make a serious run at the World Series this year, and this was exactly the type of move they needed to bolster the roster. Miami, meanwhile, is proving to be in fire sale mode. I expect more trades to come, but if they receive hauls anything like what they got for Sanchez and Infante, the moves will pay off.
So, I have two polls for you today. First, are the Marlins throwing in the towel? Will stars like Stanton, Lee and Ramirez go too? Are the Marlins flipping the whole roster in hopes of winning a couple years down the road?
And second, who wins the trade? Comment below and let us know!
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– Jeremy (@Jamblinman)
Three Up, Three Down 
While Turner has tremendous upside, he still isnt as proven as Sanchez. Turner wasn’t going to get the ball in the playoffs (JV, Fister, Scherzer, Porcello) anyway. Smyly has been a solid 5th for the Tigers, but he’s hurt right now. Sanchez will battle Porcello for the 4th spot on the rotation and come playoff time might boot Ricky P to the bullpen. Now having all 5 starters that are capable of pitching solid innings in the postseason, the Tigers somewhat avoid any starting issues if they happen to play in a playoff to get into the Wild Card or are a Wild Card team period.
Welcome back to Detroit, Omar…haven’t seen you in 5 years.
lol your facts are all wrong about Jacob Turner he throws 92/93 tops- he had arm surgery and doesn’t throw as hard as he used to. Fools gold he will be a complete bust.
According to Scout.com, he can hit 97 MPH, though he does sit comfortably around 93 MPH. That’s why I said “tops out” at 97 MPH. Time will tell if he’s a bust, but on paper, it looks like a good pick up for the Fish.