Rebuild plan becomes clearer
Busy trade deadline helping to shape future
MIAMI — With an eye on the future, the Marlins’ front office kept working right up to Wednesday’s MLB trade deadline executing one of their most aggressive late July strategies in recent memory. Over the past five days, Miami made three trades involving 10 players:
Sergio Romo, pitching prospect Chris Vallimont and a player to be named later were traded to the Minnesota Twins for first base prospect Lewin Diaz.
Zac Gallen was shipped to the Arizona Diamondbacks for shortstop prospect Jazz Chisolm.
Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards were sent to the Tampa Bay Rays for outfield prospect Jesus Sanchez and reliever Ryne Stanek.
In its deadline dealing, Miami further bolstered its farm system, adding two top-100 prospects (Chisolm and Sanchez) and a potential future starter at first (Diaz). Vice president of player development and scouting Gary Denbo will now go to work in grooming the Marlins’ next wave of talent as the franchise continues moving forward in its rebuild under Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter.
With the trading season in the books, here are three takeaways from the Marlins’ busy week:
Miami cashed in on pitching depth
Over the past two seasons, the Marlins have amassed a strong contingent of starters through trades and player development. Miami began the season with second-year pitchers Caleb Smith, Trevor Richards and Pablo Lopez, plus rookie Sandy Alcantara in the rotation. After a series of injuries, youngsters Zac Gallen, Jordan Yamamoto and Elieser Hernandez were promoted and impressed on the mound
In the minors, Miami has a pair of potential frontline starters in Double-A Jacksonville with Sixto Sanchez and Edward Cabrera, along with another promising arm in Jorge Guzman. Further down in High-A Jupiter, Braxton Garrett, Trevor Rogers and Jordan Holloway have all showcased strong potential.
While the Marlins commanded an arsenal of talented arms, they were lacking firepower among
their position players at the higher levels. On Wednesday, Miami decided to take advantage of that depth, trading Gallen and Richards in deals for two top-100 position players.
Given Gallen’s impressive start to his MLB career (2.72 ERA in seven starts) and Richards’ consistency and elite changeup, Miami is parting ways with two talented, controllable arms — something that always carries inherent risk. For the Marlins, adding two impact-type bats to the organization was worth the risk. With the moves, Miami is banking heavily on the potential of 21-year-old flame-throwers Sanchez and Cabrera.
Marlins address major question mark, finding ‘shortstop of the future’
Speaking with reporters following the trade deadline, Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill was effusive with praise for Jazz Chisolm, saying Miami landed its shortstop of the future.
“When you talk about his tool package and what he brings to the table — his Gold Glove defense, his power from a position you don’t expect power, his athleticism,” Hill said. “I think the sky is the limit in what he can do on a baseball field.”
In adding the 21-year-old Chisolm, there’s now a clearer vision of how Miami will approach the position the next two years. The 59th overall prospect, Chisolm is currently in Double-A and will likely spend the 2020 season developing in the system, setting up to potentially be the everyday starter in 2021.
Before the acquisition, the Marlins lacked an impact-type shortstop at the upper levels of the minor leagues. Even further down, promising High-A prospect Jose Devers, 19, has missed the past two months with a forearm strain. Also, 2018 second-round pick Osiris Johnson, who was slated to play in Low-A Clinton, has been sidelined all season after undergoing surgery to repair a right tibial stress fracture. Nasim Nunez, Miami’s secondround pick in June, is just 18 and at least a few years away.
The Marlins will have an interesting decision with Miguel Rojas, who has one year left on his contract. The 30-year-old shortstop is having a career-best season as the team’s everyday starter and is a highly respected clubhouse leader. Miami isn’t forced to make a decision yet, however. The Marlins can have Rojas play out the final year of his deal as the team’s starter and then go from there.
Outfield competition heats up
Outside of Monte Harrison, Miami entered the season lacking highly touted outfield prospects at the upper levels. Just a few months later, that’s radically changed. After spending its first two draft picks on advanced college hitters JJ Bleday and Kameron Misner, the Marlins capped off the trade deadline by adding the 42nd overall prospect in Jesus Sanchez.
While Bleday and Misner could reach the majors late in 2020, they’ll likely be ready for the beginning of the 2021 season. Sanchez, who was promoted to Triple-A earlier this month, may be on a slightly quicker timeline, but the same holds true of him.
Harrison is still recovering from wrist surgery, but should be ready to hit the majors early in 2020, giving him a headstart on the competition. In accumulating outfield depth, competition will really start to ramp up for future spots.
That means the next two months and the beginning of next season will be critical for players such as Lewis Brinson, Harold Ramirez and Cesar Puello. With the next wave of prospects quickly rising up, the window of opportunity may soon close on making an impression. While outfield playing time hasn’t been hard to come by this season, that could change in the near future, meaning it’s imperative for those players to capitalize while they can.