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MIAMI — As the Miami Marlins were in the middle of losing their 11th game in a row on Saturday, the fire alarm went off all across loanDepot park.
Perhaps it was the fire sale alarm.
Ty France went 2-for-4 with three RBI to lead the San Diego Padres to a 7-2 win over the Marlins, who have now gone from 10 games over .500 to one game under. It is now worth asking whether or not the Fish bought fool’s gold by letting a 26-11 stretch cloud their judgment allowing it to convince them they should be buyers at the deadline instead of sellers?
Eury Perez put up a solid seven innings with three runs allowed on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts. However, solid starting pitching is not enough to get the Marlins out of this funk.
Heading into the All-Star break, the Marlins were the hottest team in baseball, completely changing the narrative on what was expected to be another disappointing season. Instead of looking like a team that would be selling, Miami instead found themselves in the playoff conversation and looked like potential buyers at the trade deadline.
Unfortunately, Miami’s run has come to an end, and now they find themselves on a 11-game losing streak and three games out of the final Wild Card spot. That skid may have turned everything back around and made the Marlins' reality simple.
Instead of looking to upgrade for the present, it is more appropriate for the Marlins to sell at the deadline.
Going 26-11 was impressive; when you look at the entire season, it paints a much different picture of who this Miami team really is. After opening the year 4-1 in March, the Marlins went 11-15 in April, 11-18 in May, and have struggled again since the All-Star break, losing 10 straight games since returning to action.
This reality is that this Miami team is talented, but they are several pieces away before they can truly be considered a contender. The recent success showed the potential of this roster, but it also hid many of the flaws that remain.
For Miami, baseball has a way of finding its level. Are the Marlins as bad as they looked during the bad stretches? No, but they're not as good as they appeared during the good ones.
It's the uncertainty surrounding what this Miami team truly is that leaves the front office with an incredibly difficult decision. That decision centers on Sandy Alcantara. With the trade deadline approaching and the possibility of having one of the most coveted trade pieces on the market, the Marlins must decide whether to try for a playoff run or acquire players to try and make the team stronger moving forward.
With another year of team control remaining, Alcantara's return on investment may never be higher for Miami than it is right now. And with the way the Detroit Tigers have been playing, if they decide not to trade Tarik Skubal, Alcantara’s value could rise even further as teams searching for an ace look for alternatives.
Now, the Marlins must decide if they should try to take advantage of teams looking to make a World Series run. A team like the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been linked to Skubal, is reportedly going to be aggressive as the trade deadline approaches. If the Tigers ultimately decide to hold onto the ace, should Miami pick up the phone and see what kind of package the Dodgers would be willing to offer for Alcantara?
LA is “hell-bent” to be the first National League team in MLB history to three-peat, according to one executive. Because of it, could Miami secure a king's ransom for astarting workhorse like Alcantara?
“With that organizational desire, the possibility of a new economic system in the future and a farm system flush with tradable assets, the Dodgers are going to do everything they can to bolster the roster over the next two weeks.” Buster Olney wrote.
And it’s not just the Dodgers who could have interest. The Milwaukee Brewers are another team that could have interest in a potential trade. According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, the Brewers are expected to be more aggressive at this year’s trade deadline than they have been in recent seasons and have already reached out to teams.
“Milwaukee officials have touched base with Detroit about starter Tarik Skubal and with San Diego about closer Mason Miller,” McCalvy wrote.
Considering where Miami is, should the Marlins pick up the phone and see what kind of deal the Brewers would be willing to make for Sandy Alcantara?
It’s the job of every President of Baseball Operations and General Manager to do whatever they can to try and win a World Series. For the ones with owners willing to spend, their job is easier; Miami is not one of those teams. That means for Peter Bendix (President of Baseball Operations) and Gabe Kapler (General Manager), you have to make tough decisions and sometimes let go of players you wanted to keep.
And the decision facing Miami is simple: do you try to maximize Alcantara's value while the return may be at its highest, or hold onto him and risk getting less, or possibly even watching him walk after next season for nothing, while trying to build a roster that may still be years away from being a World Series contender?
For Bendix and Kapler, they don't have the luxury of falling in love with their own players. When outspending other teams isn't an option, you need to maximize the value of your assets (players) when you can. If the organization truly believes it's close to World Series contention, then you don't trade Alcantara.
But if it doesn't, you pick up the phone and find the best possible deal to try and fast-track your path toward becoming a contender.
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Continue reading...
Perhaps it was the fire sale alarm.
Ty France went 2-for-4 with three RBI to lead the San Diego Padres to a 7-2 win over the Marlins, who have now gone from 10 games over .500 to one game under. It is now worth asking whether or not the Fish bought fool’s gold by letting a 26-11 stretch cloud their judgment allowing it to convince them they should be buyers at the deadline instead of sellers?
Eury Perez put up a solid seven innings with three runs allowed on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts. However, solid starting pitching is not enough to get the Marlins out of this funk.
Heading into the All-Star break, the Marlins were the hottest team in baseball, completely changing the narrative on what was expected to be another disappointing season. Instead of looking like a team that would be selling, Miami instead found themselves in the playoff conversation and looked like potential buyers at the trade deadline.
Unfortunately, Miami’s run has come to an end, and now they find themselves on a 11-game losing streak and three games out of the final Wild Card spot. That skid may have turned everything back around and made the Marlins' reality simple.
Instead of looking to upgrade for the present, it is more appropriate for the Marlins to sell at the deadline.
Going 26-11 was impressive; when you look at the entire season, it paints a much different picture of who this Miami team really is. After opening the year 4-1 in March, the Marlins went 11-15 in April, 11-18 in May, and have struggled again since the All-Star break, losing 10 straight games since returning to action.
This reality is that this Miami team is talented, but they are several pieces away before they can truly be considered a contender. The recent success showed the potential of this roster, but it also hid many of the flaws that remain.
For Miami, baseball has a way of finding its level. Are the Marlins as bad as they looked during the bad stretches? No, but they're not as good as they appeared during the good ones.
It's the uncertainty surrounding what this Miami team truly is that leaves the front office with an incredibly difficult decision. That decision centers on Sandy Alcantara. With the trade deadline approaching and the possibility of having one of the most coveted trade pieces on the market, the Marlins must decide whether to try for a playoff run or acquire players to try and make the team stronger moving forward.
With another year of team control remaining, Alcantara's return on investment may never be higher for Miami than it is right now. And with the way the Detroit Tigers have been playing, if they decide not to trade Tarik Skubal, Alcantara’s value could rise even further as teams searching for an ace look for alternatives.
Now, the Marlins must decide if they should try to take advantage of teams looking to make a World Series run. A team like the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been linked to Skubal, is reportedly going to be aggressive as the trade deadline approaches. If the Tigers ultimately decide to hold onto the ace, should Miami pick up the phone and see what kind of package the Dodgers would be willing to offer for Alcantara?
LA is “hell-bent” to be the first National League team in MLB history to three-peat, according to one executive. Because of it, could Miami secure a king's ransom for astarting workhorse like Alcantara?
“With that organizational desire, the possibility of a new economic system in the future and a farm system flush with tradable assets, the Dodgers are going to do everything they can to bolster the roster over the next two weeks.” Buster Olney wrote.
And it’s not just the Dodgers who could have interest. The Milwaukee Brewers are another team that could have interest in a potential trade. According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, the Brewers are expected to be more aggressive at this year’s trade deadline than they have been in recent seasons and have already reached out to teams.
“Milwaukee officials have touched base with Detroit about starter Tarik Skubal and with San Diego about closer Mason Miller,” McCalvy wrote.
Considering where Miami is, should the Marlins pick up the phone and see what kind of deal the Brewers would be willing to make for Sandy Alcantara?
It’s the job of every President of Baseball Operations and General Manager to do whatever they can to try and win a World Series. For the ones with owners willing to spend, their job is easier; Miami is not one of those teams. That means for Peter Bendix (President of Baseball Operations) and Gabe Kapler (General Manager), you have to make tough decisions and sometimes let go of players you wanted to keep.
And the decision facing Miami is simple: do you try to maximize Alcantara's value while the return may be at its highest, or hold onto him and risk getting less, or possibly even watching him walk after next season for nothing, while trying to build a roster that may still be years away from being a World Series contender?
For Bendix and Kapler, they don't have the luxury of falling in love with their own players. When outspending other teams isn't an option, you need to maximize the value of your assets (players) when you can. If the organization truly believes it's close to World Series contention, then you don't trade Alcantara.
But if it doesn't, you pick up the phone and find the best possible deal to try and fast-track your path toward becoming a contender.
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Continue reading...
