MLB Trade Deadline: The ultimate 30-team trade
22. Miami Marlins
Having shifted to the outfield, Quinn would face a tough task breaking into a Miami unit that includes Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna. However, in an effort to rebuild what has become one of the weakest farm systems in baseball, the Marlins could take a huge step in the right direction by trading Marcell Ozuna.
Stanton leads the major leagues with 32 home runs, but his ridiculously long contract, which runs through 2028 and pays him at least $25 million each year beginning in 2018, makes it nearly impossible for the club to trade him. True, the deal includes an opt out after 2020, but it’s difficult to see Stanton giving up the $233 million he’s guaranteed from 2021 through the end of the deal.
Yelich has a much more favorable contract situation. Signed through 2021 with a $15 million team option for 2022 (when he will be 30), the guaranteed money owed to Yelich tops out at $14 million. A .290/.367/.403 career hitter in five big league seasons, Yelich is the type of player the Marlins can continue to build around.
That leaves Ozuna. Like Stanton and Yelich, the All-Star left fielder has a controllable contract. He isn’t eligible for free agency until 2020, but there are different circumstances surrounding the 26-year-old slugger since he is a Scott Boras client, and therefore virtually guaranteed to test free agency when the time comes.
But, with two full years of control, Ozuna would still bring back a very good return. In our version of the deal, Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada, a free agent after the season, would go to Miami along with three solid prospects, but the Marlins would flip him to Milwaukee for a player to be named later.