The Miami Marlins Trade Deadline Goals Should Be Painfully Obvious
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We've officially hit the All-Star break, and the Miami Marlins finally have an opportunity to sit back and digest the first half of the season.
The first 97 games came with plenty of toil, but the Marlins find themselves just four games back of the mighty Atlanta Braves in the National League East at the break. Better yet, the Fish are one game safely in the final Wild Card spot, but have plenty of company right behind them.
If the post-All-Star break performance is going to be as good as the first half, Miami must make multiple changes to successfully compete in October. Some are a little surprising, some are glaringly obvious, but let's digest them together and complete a championship-caliber roster for the Marlins.
Starting Pitching Depth is a Necessity
Miami is incredibly top-heavy in the rotation and must gain some depth for the second half. Max Meyer, Eury Perez, and Sandy Alcantara have been mainstays with varying levels of dominance throughout the season. Janson Junk is finally back and has pitched well at times, and Tyler Phillips has transitioned well (mostly) from the bullpen, but still owns a 4.91 ERA as a starter.
After Phillips, the depth falls off a cliff. The Marlins are missing Thomas White and Robby Snelling for the rest of the season, and had originally relied on this duo to compete down the stretch, but they won't be on a major league mound this season.
In Triple-A, it's slim pickings. Four of the top five starters for the Jumbo Shrimp have an ERA over five, outside of Braxton Garrett. The 28-year-old southpaw struggled in his lone two starts for the Marlins this season, but has been incredible in Jacksonville. He owns a 1.54 ERA over 13 starts and has allowed just two earned runs in six minor league starts since June 1.
Even if it's an aging veteran or two, Miami needs to add pitching depth at the deadline. Injuries are unpredictable and have hampered the rotation far too often this season for it not to be a priority.
Outfielder help
The outfield has been a mixed bag this season, but it has been far from superb. The two mainstays in center and right field have a combined -0.2 bWAR this season, and a ton of strikeouts. Heriberto Hernandez has played the most left field out of the group, but hasn't been consistent. The Marlins have needed outfield help for the entire season and are approaching the deadline for it.
In Jacksonville, Kemp Alderman is the best bet to make an impact at the big league level this year. He owns an .885 OPS with 13 big flies through 58 games, but still hasn't gotten his opportunity in Miami, yet, likely due to his lack of experience at the upper levels of the minor leagues. This season was his first taste in Jacksonville, as he has just a season and a half of experience above A+ ball.
Even if Alderman gets his shot later this season, the Marlins need outfield help. The defense has been tolerable, but the offensive production has been brutal. Kyle Stowers' recent increase in productivity has been helpful, but more is needed from the outfielders.
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Jeffrey is a sports writer located in Louisville, Kentucky, with a passion for sports, writing, and storytelling. He has hundreds of published articles across various platforms, including Kentucky Today, The Baptist Courier, FanSided, and more. Jeffrey is a senior at Indiana University Southeast pursuing a B.S. in Journalism/Media with a Minor in Writing. He has a beautiful wife, dog, and firstborn child on the way.