The Miami Marlins ended their 12-game losing streak on Monday night, but a rut like that in July carries consequences.<\/p>\n
Before the skid, Miami held a wild-card spot, but all the losing enabled five teams to leapfrog them in the standings. Therefore, people familiar with the club\u2019s thinking who were granted anonymity in exchange for candor said Miami has changed its strategy heading into the Aug. 3 trade deadline.<\/p>\n
The Marlins are willing to listen regarding potential offers for some intriguing young players such as middle infielders Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards, catcher\/designated hitter Liam Hicks and outfielder Heriberto Hern\u00e1ndez, league sources said.<\/p>\n
Whether the Marlins actually move any of them, however, is a question.<\/p>\n
All four players are between the ages of 26 and 27 years old. Lopez and Edwards are under team control for three additional seasons. Hicks, four. Hern\u00e1ndez, five. Under Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, who took over in November 2023, the Marlins have generally not traded players that far away from free agency.<\/p>\n
All the years of club control give the Marlins leverage in any trade discussions. Miami\u2019s major-league roster is stronger now than it was in the past, and the team\u2019s farm system is better, too.<\/p>\n
Marlins officials likely view getting to 90 wins and sustaining success as an easier task than it was even a year ago, let alone in 2024. While they can run things back next year and likely compete, it\u2019s possible for them to move key players and still put together a strong team for 2027.<\/p>\n
In particular, Lopez and Edwards would require a significant return, league sources said. Some teams already have expressed interest in Hicks, especially given the lack of viable catcher options available in the trade market. And with teams struggling to find right-handed hitting outfielders, Hern\u00e1ndez is drawing interest as well.<\/p>\n
All four are having strong seasons. Lopez, an All-Star, leads the majors with a .328 batting average while also producing a 4.5 fWAR, almost doubling the value of his previous high (2.5 fWAR in 2024). Edwards holds a .775 OPS with with six home runs and 17 stolen bases. Hicks, who catches about once a week, has 14 home runs and a .798 OPS. And Hern\u00e1ndez has hit 15 home runs since Miami recalled him from Triple A on May 7.<\/p>\n
The Marlins are not looking to acquire players on expiring contracts for this season and plan to keep core players such as Sandy Alcantara, Eury P\u00e9rez, Max Meyer, and Joe Mack, as Miami pre- and postgame analyst Craig Mish first reported.<\/p>\n
Teams are also calling Miami about all their relievers, including Peter Fairbanks, Michael Petersen and Anthony Bender, who is on the injured list because of a shin stress reaction, league sources said. Fairbanks is an impending free agent after signing a one-year, $13 million contract over the offseason, but he has produced a 6.96 ERA (35 games, 32 1\/3 innings).<\/p>\n
At least two Cardinals pitchers in play<\/p>\n
When the St. Louis Cardinals signed Dustin May and Ryne Stanek over the offseason, they expected both veteran arms to help keep the team afloat in the first half. They also knew that with experienced starting and relief pitching always coveted at the deadline, they could easily flip both May and Stanek.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the plan for St. Louis, per multiple team sources briefed on the club\u2019s thinking but granted anonymity to speak freely. Despite a surprisingly competitive first half, the Cardinals aren\u2019t looking to deviate from president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom\u2019s long-term outlook, which projects late 2027 or early 2028 as the team\u2019s next competitive window.<\/p>\n
The Cardinals are looking to acquire \u201cmeaningful pieces\u201d that align with that timeline, a source said. They believe by flipping May, Stanek or both, they can continue expediting a rebuild that is already off to a much quicker start than first anticipated.<\/p>\n
May, who signed a one-year, $12 million deal with a mutual option for 2027, has been a workhorse for St. Louis. His 4.59 ERA in 20 starts is above the league average, but his availability and prior postseason experience make him valuable to a contending team looking to bolster its rotation. The Los Angeles Dodgers took advantage of the same scenario at last year\u2019s deadline, sending him to the Boston Red Sox for two top outfield prospects.<\/p>\n
Stanek signed a one-year, $3 million contract with a $6 million club option for 2027. His 4.46 ERA over 40 1\/3 innings leaves much to be desired. His 13 percent walk rate is concerning. But Stanek has controlled left-handed hitters well, limiting them to a .209 average and .685 OPS.<\/p>\n
St. Louis has succeeded in flipping setup relievers for prospects at past deadlines. In 2023, they packaged Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton to the Texas Rangers for Thomas Saggese, John King and Tekoah Roby, who is one of the most exciting pitchers in the system, despite undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer.<\/p>\n
Their selloff last year included Steven Matz to the Boston Red Sox for third baseman Blaze Jordan, who debuted with the Cardinals in June, and Phil Maton to the Rangers for pitchers Mason Molina and Skylar Hales. Molina is currently regarded as a top-30 prospect in the organization. While John Mozeliak was at the head for all of those trades, Bloom played a key part in helping assemble the 2025 deals.<\/p>\n
The Cardinals will most likely target upper-level prospects in returns. St. Louis has done a considerable job in bulking up what was once scarce pitching depth in Triple A. Quinn Mathews, Jurrangelo Cijntje and Cooper Hjerpe are all on the rise, as is 2025 first-round pick Liam Doyle. Roby should join that group once he returns.<\/p>\n
In addition, the Cardinals possess one of the deepest catching pools in baseball, with top prospects Rainiel Rodriguez (Double A) and Leo Bernal (Triple A) continuing to impress. But there aren\u2019t specific positions in the farm system the Cardinals are looking to bolster. Instead, Bloom\u2019s focus remains on building up a young homegrown core that can fully compete for division titles by 2028.<\/p>\n
Arraez stock on rise<\/p>\n
For further evidence of Luis Arraez\u2019s resurgence, consider the shift over the last six months in how teams perceive him.<\/p>\n
As a free agent for the first time last offseason, Arraez lingered on the market until late January before signing a one-year, $12 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.<\/p>\n
Now, after both an offensive resurgence and defensive revival at second base, virtually every contender is showing interest in trading for Arraez, according to a person briefed on the Giants\u2019 discussions.<\/p>\n
Those interest levels obviously vary, but the Giants need not clear a high bar to trade Arraez.<\/p>\n
If they made him a qualifying offer and he signed elsewhere, they would receive a pick after Competitive Balance Round B as a team that did not receive revenue-sharing money and did not exceed the luxury-tax threshold.<\/p>\n
The Chicago Cubs had such a pick this year after losing outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and it was No. 75 overall.<\/p>\n
Arraez almost certainly will bring back greater value in a trade. He entered Tuesday batting .326 with an .811 OPS, and ranked 10th in fWAR among position players.<\/p>\n
Will Rangers owner quash deadline push?<\/p>\n
The Texas Rangers, one of the teams for whom Arraez might be a fit, have bigger priorities, according to people briefed on their plans but granted anonymity to speak freely.<\/p>\n
Those priorities include a right-handed reliever, a right-handed center fielder to platoon with Evan Carter and a catcher with both Danny Jansen and Kyle Higashioka on the injured list.<\/p>\n
The big question remains whether owner Ray Davis will grant his front office additional payroll flexibility to make moves.<\/p>\n
The Rangers, who started their own TV network last season and recently switched direct-to-consumer streaming platforms, are one of several teams generating less media revenue than in the past.<\/p>\n
Per FanGraphs<\/a>, Davis cut the payroll from $224 million at the end of last season to $187 million. He is a member of the league\u2019s labor policy committee. And with a lockout looming, he might not be inclined to take on salary, even with his team in first place.<\/p>\n Arraez, who played for Rangers manager Skip Schumaker in Miami, no longer is an obvious fit. Shortstop Corey Seager and third baseman Josh Jung are expected to come off the IL this weekend, enabling Ezequiel Duran to slide to second, where the Rangers also are using Nicky Lopez.<\/p>\n Around the horn<\/p>\n \u2022 According to two executives who watched his latest rehab appearance on Tuesday night, Mets starter and trade candidate Clay Holmes \u201clooked big-league ready.\u201d<\/p>\n Scouts from the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks were among those who flocked to Dunedin, Fla., to evaluate Holmes, out since mid-May after a fibula fracture.<\/p>\n Pitching for Single-A St. Lucie, Holmes threw four scoreless innings and 59 pitches. His next start lines up for Aug. 2, one day before the trade deadline. It\u2019s not known whether that start will be for the Mets or someone else.<\/p>\n \u2022 Shortstop is one of the positions the Tampa Bay Rays could upgrade, with the Los Angeles Angels\u2019 Zach Neto among their potential targets, according to Fansided\u2019s Robert Murray.<\/p>\n The Rays, though, place a premium on up-the-middle defense. And Taylor Walls, since his debut in 2021, leads all shortstops by a wide margin in defensive runs saved<\/a>.<\/p>\n Granted, Walls\u2019 career OPS entering Tuesday night was only .588. But with him in their starting lineup, the Rays are 274-207 (.570) according to STATS Perform. Without him, they are 230-205 (.529).<\/p>\n