Marlins rebuild looking a lot better after Yelich trade

This Miami Marlins ownership has purged the 2017 roster, but things may be looking up.

When Derek Jeter and Co. took over Marlins ownership, there was a sense of hope and high morale that the front office would add to their current core. Unfortunately, they didn’t do that. The higher-ups wanted to cut costs rather than support Giancarlo Stanton, among others. It seemed ownership turned their back on fans, as the first guy out of town was Dee Gordon.

During the Winter Meetings, Jeter was seen at a Miami Dolphins game rather than taking questions in Orlando. That hurt Marlins fans, as they had no explanation why the team was being torn down. When the new ownership bought the team the club was over $400 million in debt. Obviously, something needed to happen. Past ownership didn’t set them up for success with the checkbook.

So, the tearing down of the roster was a definite way to cut costs. The Marlins were once again going into a rebuild. This made fans lose trust in the organization and promote a barrier between the two sides. To make matters worse, the team has gotten some dismal returns for above average players.

In the Gordon, Stanton and Ozuna trades, the Marlins acquired two top 100 prospects. For a team that was lacking prospect depth, they sure didn’t get it in these trades yet. At that point, it felt like the team was going for quantity over quality. That’s understandable considering how bad their system was.

Ownership has traded off the star faces of the team in a short amount of time. It is ok for Marlins fans to still be scratching their heads. But on Thursday, Miami made the best trade of the offseason.

The Milwaukee Brewers stunned the baseball world when they acquired Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain on the same day. The Brewers now have one of the best outfields in the National League. The club gave up quite a bit to obtain both these players. On the Marlins end, it was a turning point in the offseason.

The Miami Marlins return was substantial. In fact, it was the best haul they have gotten since tearing down. So, the club acquired a top prospect in Luis Brinson, as well as a breakout player named Monte Harrison. Miami was also able to net infielder Isan Diaz and pitcher Yamamoto. All of those guys are in the Brewers top 15 prospects. That’s a huge improvement from earlier in the offseason.

Next: Nationals are interested in Marlins J.T. Realmuto

Luis Brinson is a South Florida stud who is happy to be a Marlin. The team is getting a great defensive outfielder, and if his bat plays out he’s a 30 home run candidate. Outfielders Brinson and Harrison are both top 100 prospects, at number 18 and 75, respectively. The other two prospects aren’t pushovers either.

Yamamoto went 9-4 with a 2.51 ERA in 111.0 innings of work. He’s a nice addition to a slim cupboard of arms in Miami. Marlins made a nice trade that includes impact assets down the line. It is a big improvement from earlier in the offseason when many fans didn’t even know the guys coming back.