Marlins Need Help From Prospects In Megadeal
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The dust still hasn't settled from the implosion of the Miami Marlins franchise Tuesday night, but the truth of the matter is that Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, Emilio Bonifacio, and John Buck are gone and the Marlins have to move on with what they got in return.
So what exactly did the Marlins get in return for the heart of their roster, minus right field slugger Giancarlo Stanton? The Fish got several top prospects from the Blue Jays organization, but not the best prospect, and most of the players have been underwhelming thus far in their career.
The deal's biggest name coming from the Blue Jays may be outfielder Jake Marisnick. Coming into the 2012 season, he was named the Jays' number three overall prospect by Baseball America and spent most of last season in Double-A.
Marisnick is 6'4" and weighs 200 pounds and has played center fielder but may end up in left field with Stanton manning right field. At just 22-years-old, Marisnick has plenty to develop as at his size he still needs work on his swing.
Marisnick hit .233 last season with a .286 OBP and .336 slugging percentage.
The trade also included the Blue Jays' number five overall prospect, left-handed pitcher Justin Nicolino, who is originally from Orlando. The 20-year-old southpaw spent the last two years in Single-A ball and went 10-4 last year with 119 strikeouts to just 21 walks and had an ERA of 2.46 and a WHIP or 1.07.
The Marlins also received shortstop Yunel Escobar who is most notable for being suspended last year after writing a homophobic slur on his eye black during a game. Escobar wore out his welcome in Atlanta and in Toronto and is now the Marlins' problem.
Infielder Adeiny Hechavarria was included in the deal and just made his MLB debut in 2012. At 23, he spent most of last season in Triple-A and his .312 with a .424 slugging percentage and a .788 OPS.
Other players included in the deal were: left-handed pitcher Henderson Alvarez, a three-year veteran; catcher Jeff Mathis, an eight-year backup in the big leagues; and right-handed pitcher Anthony DeSclafini, drafted in 2011 in the sixth round.
While it's possible that the Marlins may end up with the better end of the deal from a baseball side in a few years; the entire deal for the Marlins depends on the rapid improvement of prospects who have yet to make much of a dent in Major League Baseball.
