SF Giants rumors: Five potential trades with the Miami Marlins

The MLB trade deadline is less than a week away. The SF Giants remain in a tightly packed race for the National League West crown. On the other side of the country, the Miami Marlins find themselves in the cellar of the NL East and 15 games below .500. While the Marlins found their way to the postseason in 2021, they are clearly set to be cellars this summer. What could a few trades look like between these two teams?

SF Giants: Five potential trades with the Miami Marlins
1. Starling Marte

Starling Marte has been as good as ever this season with the Marlins, hitting .303/.403/.452 with seven home runs and 21 stolen bases in 62 games. On the defensive side of the ball, Marte may not be the same player he was when he won back-to-back Gold Gloves in 2015-2016, but per Statcast’s Outs Above Average, he remains one of the best defensive center fielders in the league.

One of the best available players on the market this summer; it makes perfect sense that the SF Giants were already tied to Marte last week. Making $12 million in the final year of his contract, his market is unlikely to yield the Marlins a significant return. In fact, given Miami’s focus on returning to postseason contention quickly, the Giants might be able to use more of their upper minors and MLB depth pieces to help swing a deal.

While none of the trio of prospects in this package ranked among the Giants top 31 prospects heading into the season, Diego Rincones and R.J. Dabovich would easily slot into the group after some exceptional starts to 2021. Just as importantly, both players are just 22 and have already reached Double-A.

Dabovich has quickly emerged as one of the best relief-pitching prospects in the organization. He generates fantastic spin on all his pitches to help his high-90s fastball and power curveball form a lethal strikeout combination. After starting the year at High-A, where Dabovich struck out an absurd 60.2% of batters he faced, he’s struggled a bit since reaching Double-A, posting a 5.84 ERA across 12.1 innings of work. However, Dabovich has still posted a 35.2% strikeout rate and has actually cut his walks since his promotion. In fact, advanced metrics like FIP (2.99) and xFIP (3.99) are both far higher on his performance with the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Rincones has always had a plus arm and fantastic bat-to-ball skills, but questions about his range and power potential left him on the fringes of most prospect rankings. This season, though, Rincones has consistently impacted the ball in the minors and for the Venezuelan Olympic qualifying team. Rincones hit .300/.385/.533 in 25 games at High-A before he was promoted to Richmond, where he’s still posted a .822 OPS despite playing in one of the most pitcher-friendly environments in the minor leagues and recording a .270 BABIP.

Grant McCray was the Giants third-round pick in 2019, with the potential for above-average tools across the board in center field. However, without a minor-league season in 2020, there are questions about whether the 20-year-old will ever be able to put it together. Still, he could easily be replaced by another low-level flier the Marlins prefer.

This package may lack punch and upside, and there may be some other players in other proposals that could get a deal done. Still, it’s harder to find two prospects in the Giants system with closer proximity to the big leagues and youth on their side quite like Dabovich and Rincones.

SF Giants: Five potential trades with the Miami Marlins
3. Garrett Cooper

If the SF Giants are eyeing improvements in the outfield and bullpen, a deal for Garrett Cooper and Dylan Floro could quickly become an intriguing combination. Floro, like Garcia, spent some time in Los Angeles while Zaidi was there and has been a fairly consistent middle-reliever for the past three seasons (111 innings pitched, 3.32 ERA, and 3.03 FIP). Cooper, on the other hand, has been a viable everyday corner bat with a particular propensity to hit against left-handed pitchers.

Austin Slater could fit in any number of moves, particularly with teams like Miami that are looking to compete in the near future. The 28-year-olds performance has taken a major step back from 2020, but he is still capable of playing average or better defense at all three outfield positions and, even in his down 2021 season, is hitting .231/.331/.444 against southpaws.

Cooper was placed on the injured list with a left elbow sprain (his non-throwing arm) last week, and he has not appeared in a game since July 18th. However, if his doctors are confident he can return to the field within a couple of weeks of the deadline, the Giants might be compelled to gamble on strengthening their lineup, particularly against lefties, heading into the final weeks of the season.

Primarily a platoon player early in his career, Cooper found a more consistent everyday role in 2021 and took advantage of the opportunity, hitting .284/.380/.465 before he was placed on the IL. For a Giants team that has been inconsistent against left-handed pitching all season, Cooper’s .344/.408/.563 triple-slash with the platoon advantage could make him even more enticing.

With that said, there are some large caveats besides his health. Cooper has run exorbitantly high BABIPs throughout his career, but his .374 mark in 2021 is easily the highest he’s posted in a season with at least 50 plate appearances. Cooper’s 2021 looks a lot like Slater’s 2020, and while Cooper has two more years of team control after this season through arbitration, that’s one fewer than Slater. If a team believes Slater is closer to the player he was last season than this season, the Giants might be better off betting on him improving in the second half than trading for a very similar player.

If the Giants do want to bet on Cooper’s longer track record, Slater alongside a couple of 40-grade prospects, like Luis Toribio and Carson Ragsdale, should be enough to get it done. The question is how does Zaidi, and the rest of MLB, view Slater’s future. Perhaps he could be a centerpiece in a deal for a better outfielder, like Marte, or the Giants are better off betting on a bounceback in the weeks to come.

SF Giants: Five potential trades with the Miami Marlins
4. Anthony Bender

Anthony Bender is easily the least notable Marlins player highlighting one of these deals, but he may be the most costly. A 26-year-old rookie, Bender has less than a year of big-league service time, two option years remaining after 2021, and has been one of the best relievers in MLB this season. Few outside of Miami have probably heard of the 6’4” righty, but in 34.2 innings pitched, Bender has recorded 44 strikeouts, eight walks, a 2.34 ERA, and equally impressive peripheral ERA estimators (2.51 xERA, 2.78 FIP, and 2.89 xFIP).

The SF Giants would undeniably be paying a premium for a relatively unproven commodity. Still, if they believe in Bender’s 2021 campaign, they could see him as an anchor of the bullpen for years to come. Naturally, the Marlins would want a prospect like Camilo Doval in return, who has already reached the big-league level and has the potential to be an elite closer soon. Finding consistent control has always been a struggle for Doval, but with one of the most electric pitch arsenals in baseball, there will always be someone betting on his future.

Doval turned 24 less than a month ago and is already on the Giants 40-man roster. While fans in San Francisco may be hoping to one day see him close games at Oracle Park, Zaidi and the team’s executives might try to turn Doval’s upside into a more proven commodity to help them in 2021.

Bender’s extensive remaining team control will likely require a far larger package than just one of the Giants relief-pitching prospects. While the Marlins will certainly be sellers over the coming days, it’s hard to believe they will be openly shopping Bender. If San Francisco covets the rookie reliever, it will take a premium package.

Outfielder Alexander Canario is a consensus top ten prospect in the Giants system. Barely 21, Canario has elite bat speed and plus power potential. A good athlete, Canario might be limited to an outfield corner at some point, but an above-average arm should make that adjustment fairly straightforward. After obliterating short-season competition in 2019, Canario has hit .239/.330/.440 in his full-season debut at Low-A West. He strikes out at a high rate (28.5%) but also draws his fair share of walks (12.2%).

Already on the Giants 40-man roster, and in a system flush with outfield talent, San Francisco might be willing to part with Canario even if he could become a consistent middle-of-the-order bat. Combine him with Doval and a mid-tier prospect like right-handed pitcher Ryan Murphy and the Giants might have the package they need to force Miami to part with Bender.

SF Giants: Five potential trades with the Miami Marlins
5. Joey Bart

Even after Joey Bart’s big-league struggles last season, the former second overall pick remains one of the most highly regarded catching prospects in MLB. While Marte may be one of the most desirable players on the market this summer, his impending free agency would make a Bart-for-Marte swap almost assuredly untenable for San Francisco. At the same time, the entire Marlins organization has some of the worst catching depth at the major and minor league level. Adding Bart could give Miami certainty behind the plate for years to come.

Moreover, of the SF Giants top prospects, they are reportedly most willing to part with Bart. With an eye towards a middle-of-the-lineup bat and starting pitching depth, the two sides might be able to find an agreement. Marte remains a perfect upgrade to San Francisco’s lineup, but with only a few months left before he hits free agency, the Marlins might be willing to add some young pieces to acquire their catcher of the future.

Neither Nick Neidert nor Braxton Garrett project as much more than fourth starters in a rotation, but both have already made their MLB debuts and should be ready to contribute immediately for the Giants if needed. In addition, both have multiple years of options remaining after 2021, which would give Zaidi tremendous flexibility with the rotation down the stretch of this season and beyond.

Garrett, 23, once ranked among the top-100 prospects in baseball but has seen his status dip as his fastball velocity has fallen to around 90 mph after undergoing UCL surgery. However, with above-average command and a true four-pitch mix, he should become a competent contributor. This season, split between  Triple-A and Miami, Garrett has a 4.40 ERA, 69 strikeouts, and 26 walks in 73.2 innings of work.

Neidert, 24, was drafted in the second round of the 2015 MLB draft by the Mariners, and quickly ascended through the minors before an injury-plagued 2019 stalled his development. Like Garrett, Neidert has a below-average fastball that works in the low-90s but relies on a plus changeup and plus command to limit opponent’s damage. Neidert has posted a 2.37 ERA at Triple-A this season and 3.96 ERA in 25 big-league innings, but his peripherals suggest he’s benefitted from a substantial amount of good luck.

The Marlins young rotation has plenty of upper-level prospects with far more upside than either Neidert or Garrett. Top prospects Edward Cabrera and Max Meyer have already dominated at Double-A and are on the verge of making a big-league push of their own. Beyond Meyer and Cabrera, Sixto Sanchez might have been one of the five best pitching prospects in MLB coming into the year before he underwent shoulder surgery. While his stock has still taken a hit, the Marlins organization still has high hopes for the young righty.

With spades of upper-level pitching depth, Miami has the flexibility to part with two potential big-league ready arms to help the Giants strengthen their pitching depth in 2021 and beyond. Combining a pair of intriguing young arms with Marte could be enough to finally get Zaidi to part with a premium prospect, like Bart. To help free up some 40-man roster spots (and help the Marlins cover innings in the second half of the season), Tyler Beede, who the Marlins wanted to acquire in a trade for Giancarlo Stanton some time ago, and Aaron Sanchez could head back to Miami alongside a rookie ball flier like Esmerlin Vinicio.

The SF Giants could be one of the most active buyers at the upcoming MLB trade deadline. At the same time, the Miami Marlins are poised to shop a lot of talent with an eye towards competing in 2022. Perhaps both front offices could