MLB Rumors: Marlins are shopping Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna
By Tre LyDay
The Miami Marlins have already dealt Giancarlo Stanton, and now Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich are available.
The Miami Marlins are clearly on a mission to blow this thing up in order to fix the team’s financial situation. So the easiest way to do that is to shed some of your biggest contracts. The Marlins have already dealt Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees to get rid of his contract. Now, his former partners in the outfield could be following him out the door.
The Marlins are reportedly shopping both Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich at baseball’s Winter Meetings. The price tag will be higher for Yelich than it will be for Ozuna. Yelich is under control for five years while Ozuna is only under control for two years.
#Marlins pushing Ozuna, telling teams he will be easier to acquire (lower acquisition cost) than Yelich. Two years of control for Ozuna, five for Yelich.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 12, 2017
Ozuna was sought after during last season’s trade deadline by teams who needed a power bat in the middle of their lineup. The same scenario still applies here. Teams like the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants could be possible suitors for Ozuna. He’s coming off of a career year where he hit .312 with 37 home runs and 124 RBI in 159 games; all of those numbers were career highs.
One team that has thought about possibly adding Ozuna is the Washington Nationals. The outfield is their deepest position, and that’s with top prospect Victor Robles planning to start the season in Triple-A. Nevertheless, if you have an opportunity to acquire a guy of this talent it would be irresponsible to not entertain the idea.
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As for Yelich, it will cost a lot more to acquire him. He’s hit at least .280 in all five seasons he’s played, and is a model of consistency. He posted a career-high in runs and walks in 2017, and even though his batting average dropped this past season, he only fell three hits shy of a career high.
Yelich has a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger award, and made the transition to center field this past season. His versatility in the outfield and the fact that he’s almost a lock for close to 200 hits a year will make him a hot commodity.
The Marlins were able to move Stanton and his contract fairly easily so it wouldn’t be surprising if they move one if not both of these guys.