One team reportedly already licking their chops for Marlins fire sale

The Marlins have begun the season without a win, starting 0-7, which obviously isn't ideal. Over the winter, some of their players were consistently coming up in trade talks. Chief among them were Luis Arraez and Jesus Luzardo, and now their names are surfacing again.

According to Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the San Diego Padres are taking an interest in the Marlins studs. While it might seem early in the season to trade players of this caliber, Miami has a first-year general manager in Peter Bendix, so he could want to build the roster in his vision.

Luzardo isn't a free agent until 2027 and it's not until 2026 for Arraez, which makes them very valuable and alluring. With both of them being under 30, it could turn into a bidding war, but for now, it seems as if the Padres are the main team chomping at the bit.

Does it make sense for Padres to trade for Luis Arraez, Jesus Luzardo?

It always makes sense to acquire a two-time batting champion, but for the Padres, it seems a little more complicated. San Diego already moved Xander Bogaerts to second base to make room for Ha-Seong Kim to play shortstop and Jake Cronenworth appears to be their everyday first baseman. And, oh yeah, Manny Machado is playing third.

So the question becomes, where would Arraez even play? Unless they part with Cronenworth or bench him, there doesn't seem to be room for him in the infield. He is a potential upgrade over Cronenworth. Last year, he hit .354 in 147 games. While there isn't a ton of power, 30 doubles and just 10 home runs, he still provides a lot of value at the plate. Particularly in the on-base department, where he posted a .393 last season. Still, it might be a complicated fit.

Luzardo, on the other hand, makes a lot of sense and would be a pretty seamless fit in San Diego's rotation. They were reportedly more interested in the left-hander before they ultimately traded for Dylan Cease.

Luzardo had a breakout season in 2023, posting a 3.58 ERA and striking out 10.5 batters per nine and he just turned 26 in September. With a mid-90s fastball and a wipeout slider from the left side, Luzardo is a very valuable trade candidate, especially given team control.

After losing Blake Snell in free agency, Luzardo fits San Diego very well, adding a lefty to the rotation behind Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove and Dylan Cease.

It remains to be seen whether or not the Marlins will actually begin their fire sale this early in the season. That would essentially mean punting on 2024, especially if they were to trade their top two players in bWAR from last season. If they continue to struggle to this degree out of the gate, it is possible we could see a fire sale sooner rather than later, especially if teams are looking for young, controllable players.