The Miami Marlins reportedly want Red Sox first base prospect Triston Casas and have young pitchers to trade. Could the sides strike a deal?
It's a possibility, according to a report in the Miami Herald, which says the Marlins covet Casas, a Florida native with massive power potential, and would be willing to move a "significant player" off their roster to get him.
If there's one asset the Marlins possess in abundance, it's young starting pitching. Though NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara and top prospect Eury Pérez are considered untouchable, the Marlins boast a number of other arms who could be appealing to Chaim Bloom and Co.
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The Herald mentions three of them: right-handers Pablo Lopez and Edward Cabrera, and left-hander Trevor Rogers. Of the three, Lopez has the most experience and Cabrera the most upside.
Lopez, 26, is 21-19 with a 3.52 ERA over the last three seasons while striking out a batter an inning. The 25-year-old Rogers was an All-Star two years ago en route to a second place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting after going 7-8 with a 2.64 ERA, but he dropped to 4-11 with a 5.47 ERA last year.
As for Cabrera, the 24-year-old entered last year as MLB.com's No. 34 overall prospect, and he went 6-4 with a 3.01 ERA in 14 starts. At 6-foot-5 and nearly 220 pounds, he is built like a frontline starter, and he excels at limiting hard contact.
Boston Red Sox
Whether any of them is worth surrendering Casas for remains to be seen, but it's worth noting the Marlins are reportedly interested in explosive center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, as well. Rafaela may not quite be ready to contribute in 2023 with the bat, but he's already considered a plus defender in the outfield and at shortstop.
What's clear is that if the Red Sox want to improve the big league roster, they're going to have to start trading from the top end of their prospect ranks. Perhaps they'll use Casas or Rafaela to reel in a fish.