Marlins ‘taking steps’ to be competitive. There’s still work to do, decisions to make

While the Miami Marlins made a few expected moves in the days leading up to the trade deadline, highlighted by sending center fielder Starling Marte to the Oakland Athletics for left-handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo, two teams went into complete tear down mode.

By 4 p.m. Friday, the Washington Nationals, World Series winners just two years ago, traded Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kyle Schwarber to the Boston Red Sox, Yan Gomes and Josh Harrison to the Oakland Athletics, Jon Lester to the St. Louis Cardinals and Daniel Hudson to the San Diego Padres.

The Chicago Cubs, who have made the playoffs in six of the last seven years and won the World Series in 2016, traded Anthony Rizzo to the New York Yankees, Ryan Tepera and Craig Kimbrel to the Chicago White Sox, Kris Bryant to the San Francisco Giants, Javier Baez and Trevor Williams to the New York Mets and Jake Marisnick to the Padres.

“I got a lot more criticism than they got,” Marlins CEO and part-owner Derek Jeter quipped.

Jeter was referring to the offseason ahead of the 2018 season, when the Marlins traded away just about every big name the organization had.

Within a span of two-and-a-half months, Dee Strange-Gordon, Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich were all gone. J.T. Realmuto would be traded a year later.

In the ensuing four seasons, the Marlins have used the trade deadline to continue to bolster their organizational depth, flipping players on expiring contracts or those with high value that weren’t in their long-term plans for controllable players with upside to supplement the MLB Draft and international free agent signings.

Some of those players acquired in that time have emerged at the big-league level — Sandy Alcantara and Jazz Chisholm Jr. the main duo to point to on that front.

Others are finally beginning to break through as their opportunity arises. Jesus Sanchez and Lewin Diaz are notable examples there.

The rest are still in the minor leagues. Twenty-seven of the Marlins’ top 30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline are players who were acquired either via trade, draft or international free agency.

“Everyone makes decisions that they feel are best for their organization,” Jeter said. “When we got here, I told you what was gonna happen and what our goals were. I think we’re taking steps in the right direction to get there.”

But even with all the talent acquisition, one statistic still stands out that shows how far the Marlins still have to go: 195-291, the Marlins’ record since 2018. That includes a 44-59 mark this season heading into Saturday’s game against the Yankees. The Marlins did make the expanded playoffs in the shortened 2020 season with a 31-29 record, but they are a combined 98 games under .500 in the other three seasons.

And with that comes the question just about every Marlins fans still has: When will all of this talent the organization has accumulated make its way to the big leagues and actually result in wins on a consistent basis.

Jeter hasn’t put a timeline on that, nor will he. Neither will first-year general manager Kim Ng.

But as the fourth full season of this rebuild trudges toward its conclusion, time is creeping closer to the tipping point.

“We have high expectations,” Jeter said, “so we have to figure out ways to get better.”

That starts with getting a close look at what the Marlins actually have in the system and if they’ll be ready to contribute at the big league level.

The opportunities are there now for most players.

The Marlins traded away their entire starting outfield from Opening Day, three veterans gone to three different teams. Corey Dickerson is with the Toronto Blue Jays. Marte is with the Athletics. Adam Duvall is back with the Atlanta Braves. Garrett Cooper, their No. 4 outfielder who split time at first base, is set to undergo season-ending surgery on his left elbow to repair his UCL.

Look for Jesus Sanchez (once he clears COVID-19 protocols), Lewis Brinson, Magneuris Sierra, newly acquired Bryan De La Cruz and Monte Harrison to get extended starting reps over the next two months now that the opportunity for consistent at-bats are available.

The Marlins believe Sanchez can be an everyday starter as a corner outfielder. Brinson and Sierra are out of minor-league options so this is likely a final test to see if they can contribute in some way. De La Cruz, acquired from the Houston Astros for Yimi Garcia, was a career .276 hitter in the minor leagues. Harrison, while gifted defensively and with a knack for power, has just 10 hits and 29 strikeouts in 62 career MLB plate appearances.

“One of the things we’ve always said about our young players is we want them to get their at-bats,” Ng said. “It’s tough for them to come and be up here and sit on the bench. This is really a great way to see them so we’re excited about that.”

Look for them to closely monitor the two catchers they acquired on Friday. Alex Jackson, acquired from the Braves, is going to join the big-league club. Payton Henry, acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers, will start at Triple A Jacksonville.

And look for them to continue to test their embarrassment of riches when it comes to starting pitching depth. Luzardo should join the rotation in the near future. Edward Cabrera, the No. 4 prospect in the system and No. 51 in baseball per MLB Pipeline, is trending toward an MLB debut by the end of the season to join Sandy Alcantara and Trevor Rogers.

The one player in a tricky spot: first baseman Lewin Diaz. The Marlins want to get a good look at the 24-year-old lefty, but he’s not going to start every day with Jesus Aguilar on the roster. Aguilar is tied for the National League lead with 75 RBI.

“We’ll have to see how that one goes,” Ng said.

Ng also made one other point clear.

“This is not,” she said, “a finished group for next year. These are some of the first steps that we’ve got to take and we’ve got to add to our arsenal and these guys are definitely a part of it.”

So how did these move help make those next steps feasible?

“I think what we did here over the last couple of weeks was not only prep for the offseason,” Ng said. “We’ve talked to all the clubs multiple times and really, in my mind, set the groundwork for future deals whether it’s during the offseason, spring training or leading up to Opening Day.”