The Marlins, at this point in time, have to consider themselves sellers. They are not playing like the 11-1 team they started off as, nor are they playing like the implosion that occurred after that hot start. I figure the Marlins to finish somewhere between 78 to 85 wins, and I would consider that a great season at this point.
That being said, I think it's time for the Marlins to dump some unneeded luggage from the sinking ship. The problem is, which team would be willing to take on this luggage? I'm speaking of course about Dan Uggla.
Uggla does not fit into the Marlins' plans for a pitching, speed, and defense oriented team. He is the second-highest paid player on the team, and has shown a .214 average to show for it. There is no way the Marlins an afford to commit to him any longer. There is also no way the Marlins can get any top-of-the-line prospect. I would like to see Beinfest trade the slugger to a team in need of a homerun hitter who gets on base a lot (.339 on base percentage) despite the amount of strikeouts it would cost. In return, perhaps the Fish can reel up a middle reliever who could remain with the team at least for the next two to three seasons.
Other than lack of productivity and high cost, why trade Dan Uggla? Look at the starting lineup. Out of the eight position players, four of them are second basemen, three of them, obviously, not playing their first position.
1) Jorge Cantu is a second basemen who has done a good job at first base. His presence in the lineup is important, so one would hope the Marlins stick with him.
2) Emilio Bonifacio is a second basemen who is playing the hot corner. Not only has he not produced with the bat, but his defense is sub-par. I hope that after seeing the Bonifacio-at-third experiment, the Marlins might reconsider their long term plans with him. At best, I project him to be an Alfredo Amezaga type of player - very useful off the bench (although I don't have a problem with Amezaga being in the starting lineup everyday).
3) Chris Coughlan is a second basemen who is stuck playing left field at the moment. Moving Uggla would move Coughlan - whose bat has finally lit up - to his normal position. By doing this, the Fish can bring up an outfielder.
Cameron Maybin needs to be on the Major League roster. He had his struggles earlier this season. But the Marlins, who will not be in the playoffs this year, can afford to let him work through his struggles in the big leagues this year. This move would not only improve the outfield defense, but it would give the offense more speed. These two factors would help the Marlins move in a direction that led them to the World Series Championship in 2003.
This season has been a disappointment for many Marlins fan. But, when things get ugly, it's time to keep your eye on the future, and not salvage a sinking ship that cannot be repaired by October.
What do you think? Are the Marlins buyers of sellers? If they're buyers, who should they try and acquire? If they are sellers, who should they dump?
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Brad thinks...
ReplyDeleteThe NL East is weak and the Mets, Phillies and Marlins are fighting it out. The Mets are hurting because of injuries, sure.. but when they are healthy, they'll be better than us.
...Unless the Marlins can add some depth to their bullpen, which is quite obvious to everyone at this moment, we're going to struggle. The Marlins starting pitching is doing everything asked of them, they just need to have a stronger supporting cast.
And Uggla is pretty uggly on the average. They should trade him for some decent value ASAP!