Marlins Predicted to Swing Fascinating Trade With AL Contender

The Miami Marlins have a handful of players who could be on the move between now and the MLB trade deadline, and it would be surprising if they didn't jettison at least a couple of them.

Pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera are obvious trade candidates. So is outfielder Jesus Sanchez and reliever Anthony Bender.

But could the Marlins actually have a sleeper trade piece that could ultimately get dealt before July 31? Jim Bowden of The Athletic thinks so, as he has been beating the drum for Miami to send outfielder Kyle Stowers packing.

Bowden has actually proposed a trade in which the Marlins would ship Stowers to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for two prospects: left-handed pitcher David Shields and catcher Ramon Ramirez.

"In return, Miami would get Shields, who was a second-round pick last year. The 18-year-old lefty’s career is off to a promising start, posting a 3.26 ERA over eight outings in rookie ball and Low A. The Marlins would also acquire Ramirez, who could become available because the Royals have two better catching prospects in Blake Mitchell and Carter Jensen," Bowden wrote. "Ramirez, 20, has an .838 OPS with nine homers and 39 RBIs in 44 games this season in Low A. He’s currently on the injured list and hasn’t played this month."

The chances of Miami actually trading Stowers still seem fairly slim given the fact that the Fish literally just acquired him at last year's deadline, and he is under team control through 2029.

The one caveat, however, is that the former Baltimore Orioles prospect is already 27 years old, which is a bit older for a Marlins team in the middle of an obvious rebuild.

Shields and Ramirez are incredibly young, so we really don't know what will eventually become of either of them, but there is no question that both players have shown potential within the Royals' organization, and the duo could represent a very enticing trade package for Miami.

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