Marlins Should Trade Pitching Depth amid MLB Rumors on Alcantara, Lopez

The Miami Marlins learned this season that great pitching alone is not enough to compete for a playoff spot.

Miami entered Sunday ranked 14th in the majors with a 3.89 team ERA, led by Sandy Alcantara and a deep starting rotation. Five different pitchers made at least 14 starts while posting an ERA under four.

The problem was an ineffective lineup that ranked 28th of 30 teams entering Sunday in runs scored. It's a major reason the Marlins were a distant fourth place in the National League East throughout the season and well out of wild-card contention.

There's been virtually no consistency or power from the offense throughout the year, especially once Jazz Chisholm Jr. went down with a back injury. Garrett Cooper is the only player with an OPS+ over 100 who played more than 100 games this year, per Baseball Reference.

This means nearly every single player in the everyday lineup was a below-average hitter this season.

It makes sense the Marlins could be willing to trade their pitching in order to find more hitters this offseason.

This likely won't include Alcantara, who is reportedly "as close to untouchable as you can find," according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Heyman reported Pablo Lopez is "more likely" to be traded and was nearly dealt to the New York Yankees ahead of the trade deadline.

Considering the quality alternatives in the rotation, including Jesús Luzardo and Edward Cabrera, this would be a genius move for Miami to improve the roster heading into 2023. Perhaps most importantly, the organization is beginning to understand how to use its home field to its advantage.

According to Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald, the Marlins will be "inclined to pursue contact hitters" this offseason and power hitters "won't be a priority."

LoanDepot Park isn't the worst hitters' park in the league—it's close to league-average in home runs this season, per ESPN—but the expansive dimensions create a lot of opportunities for base hits. The Marlins didn't take advantage of that with heavy strikeout rates at the plate.

If Miami can add more contact hitters and more speed, they can create long rallies and big innings without needing home runs.

A player like Minnesota Twins infielder Luis Arráez could fit that description after earning his first All-Star selection this season. The Marlins might also be smart to call the Boston Red Sox about shortstop Xander Bogaerts, a perennial MVP candidate who was wasted on a struggling team this season.

The Marlins aren't known to spend big in free agency, but they can be aggressive on the trade market if they find opportunities.

Lopez could fetch a strong return as one of the league's most consistent pitchers over the past few years. He finished 2021 with a 3.07 ERA and 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings, and he has kept it up this year despite receiving little run support throughout the year.

After his seven shutout innings on Sunday against the playoff-contending Milwaukee Brewers, the Venezuelan has a 3.75 ERA in 32 starts this season, adding 174 strikeouts.

Still just 26 years old with two more years under team control, the right-hander would be a quality building lock for any team.

With Miami, though, he's an expendable part of an exciting young rotation. With hitting becoming a much bigger need, the team shouldn't hesitate to deal Lopez or even more from their pitching staff.