Trade deadline passes quietly
Management rejects weak offers for Straily
MIAMI The Miami Marlins did not make any additional moves before the trade deadline Monday afternoon, but it wasn’t for a lack of other teams’ trying.
Miami fielded calls from about a half-dozen clubs with serious interest in right-hander Dan Straily, a source told the Sun Sentinel, none of which offered packages the Marlins deemed worthy. There was also considerable interest in the Marlins’ core players, but their steadfast refusal to trade their biggest names remained.
Any move involving the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, J.T. Realmuto, Justin Bour and Straily will almost certainly have to wait until the offseason, when the eventual new owner can make decisions.
“In general, I think most of our guys knew they weren’t going anywhere,” manager Don Mattingly said.
For now, the Marlins finish this trade season with eight new prospects, including seven in High A or lower, for the three players they moved, relievers David Phelps and AJ Ramos plus shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria.
“We made it clear we were going to stay away from our core pieces,” said Michael Hill, the president of baseball operations. “And really it was just a matter of fielding calls and seeing if in the long run, anything made sense for us. Seeing how we did not make any trades, I guess you could say nothing made sense for us moving forward.”
“We’re pleased with each of the deals with what we were able to accomplish, the players we were able to bring in. Brought in arms, brought in athletes, brought in more talent. As we all know, in this game you never have enough depth.”
It’s worth noting that the trade deadline isn’t a true deadline. Teams can still swap players, but they must first be placed on trade waivers, which complicates the process and makes bigger deals less likely.
Barraclough plays catch
Right-hander Kyle Barraclough threw a baseball Monday for the first time since landing on the 10-day disabled list with a right shoulder impingement last week. It went well, Barraclough said, but the real test
is still to come.
“I’d have to see in another couple of days, because [the problem] was more so with recovery than it was actually affecting in the game,” Barraclough said. “So [Tuesday] and Wednesday will be better indicators when I start ramping up and see how I feel on Thursday and Friday and go from there.”
Barraclough said the issue, which included a drop in fastball velocity, had him feeling like he couldn’t finish his pitches, as if he was held back physically in some way.
“Some of that has to do with the volume of throwing,” Barraclough said.
Odds & ends
Hill was “hopeful” that left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (partially torn left elbow UCL) and right-hander Edinson Volquez (left knee tendinitis) will pitch again this season. …
The Marlins haven’t decided whether left-hander Trevor Rogers, their top prospect and first-round draft pick in June, will pitch in a pro game this season. “If he pitches, he pitches. If not, it’s not a concern,” Hill said. “We let [Rogers] dictate [with his performance and how he’s feeling] how it’s going to go.” …
Of the minor leaguers the Marlins added midseason, Double-A center fielder Braxton Lee is closest to the majors. Hill said Lee will probably play in the Arizona Fall League, but the Marlins haven’t’ discussed a potential September callup.