2011 MLB Trade Deadline Seller's Profile: The Florida Marlins

After a surprising May and a dreadful June, the Marlins will do what they usually do come late July: jettison veterans in search of upside-heavy youngsters. Don’t hate, the Marlins have won two World Series this way. In the past 15 years only the New York Yankees have won more. I know—it’s crazy—two World Series and no division titles.

This year looks a bit different for the Marlins, though. With a new stadium on the way in 2012 and a solid stable of cheap young players, management won’t gut the Fish the way they have in the past.

Had the Marlins held him over the offseason, the main target for the 2011 deadline would have been Dan Uggla. With that move out of the way, I expect a couple of savvy, small-time deals with an eye towards next year.

The Marlins system is weak on pitching, so they’ll look for young arms at the lower levels. Second and third base could be up for grabs as soon as next year, so big-league-ready infield help could be in order as well.

UPDATE: Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria thinks the Marlins can make the playoffs THIS year. I can only assume he has not fully grasped the concept of the solar calendar.

Group I: The Untouchables

Hanley Ramirez
Logan Morrison
Mike Stanton
Josh Johnson
Gaby Sanchez
Matt Dominguez

This year’s list of untouchables runs a bit deeper than past Marlins’ lists. Most of their best players are homegrown and affordable, and I’d be shocked if the Marlins parted with any of these six.

Dominguez, the only minor league player on this list, is a defensive wizard at third base with glaring offensive deficiencies. Still, he’s only 21. I anticipate the Marlins giving their top prospect a chance in September before they even consider moving Dominguez.

The others on this list are no-brainers.

Even with Hanley’s struggles, recent reports suggest he’s turning things around. The Marlins have far too much invested in their star shortstop to move him.

Stanton is a rising star, and Morrison, probably the more complete hitter between the two, is just a few paces behind.

Gaby Sanchez joins this elite group based on his surprisingly successful season-and-a-half at the big-league level. Maybe the Marlins would sell high on him if the pot was super sweet, but it’d take a windfall to get the All-Star. And with so many contenders set at first base, a trade seems highly unlikely.

Group 2: Wow Me and We'll Talk

Anibal Sanchez
Ricky Nolasco
Chris Coghlan

As Matthew Pouliot of HardballTalk explains, Sanchez could be the ideal trade candidate in a depressed pitching environment. The mere mention of Sanchez, who is having his best big-league season at the ripe age of 27, could spark a bidding frenzy among teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Cardinals and Indians.

The Marlins would have to get some fantastic prospects in return, but with Sanchez’s injury history the Fish might do well selling high.

Nolasco is Vazquez-like. He's a little older and less dominant—with a diminishing, not rising, K rate—but would still command some real value. Nolasco would fit nicely as No. 3 or No. 4 on a contending team, but the Marlins signed him to an extension this offseason and seem committed to the righty in the near future.

Coghlan is perhaps the most intriguing chip on this list. After performing solidly, if unspectacularly, in the Minors, Coghlan ran away with the NL Rookie of the Year in 2009 after hitting .321/.390/.460 in 128 games. 2010 was less kind to Coghlan; 2011 has been even worse.

The Marlins eventually put Coghlan on the DL with a knee injury and then shipped him back to AAA when he got healthy. Obviously the organization soured on the kid. That said, he’s still 26, cheap and a recent Rookie of the freaking Year. He wouldn’t garner nearly the same booty as Vazquez or Nolasco, but I doubt the Marlins would simply give him away.

Group 3: 1 Foot out the Door

Omar Infante
Leo Nunez
Greg Dobbs
Randy Choate
Brian Sanchez
Edward Mujica

Dobbs is the type of cheap bench bat that always comes into play this time of year. By virtue of his having outplayed fellow third baseman Wes Helms this year, I’ll give him a higher trade-value rating.

But Dobbs isn’t the prize here. Infante and Nunez are far more attractive. With Placido Polanco and Chipper Jones on the DL, the versatile infielder might even move within the division. Couple his defense with moderate hitting ability and Infante fits well into a lot of the contenders' scenarios.

Nunez front-lines a list of solid bullpen options. Though Nunez won’t earn the closer's role on a contender, he could be a useful arm on a lot of good teams. Right now it seems Nunez is the player being most aggressively shopped by the Marlins' president of baseball operations, Larry Beinfest. I'm not high on Nunez—he has too many walks and not enough Ks for my taste—but I could see a team slotting him into the seventh- or eighth-inning role.

Choate, Sanchez and Mujica fit the role of secondary bullpen options. Each could be a decent Plan C or D for a team seeking bullpen help. Among the three, Choate holds the most value; the left-hander is having a career year at age 35. Supposedly, the Yankees have already inquired about him.

Group 4: If Anyone Will Take Them...

Javier Vazquez
Chris Volstad
John Buck
Wes Helms

Buck and Vazquez have been overwhelming disappointments.

After a career year in 2010, Buck has been an OBP black hole at the bottom of the lineup. I imagine the Marlins would love to move Buck, but his three-year deal will probably deter potential suitors.

Vazquez’s deal is much more manageable, and in a pitching market that lacks the Lees and Oswalts of 2010, he’s got trade potential. The problem is that he just isn’t that good anymore. After a resurgent 2009, Vazquez sputtered in 2010. The Marlins thought a move back to the NL would revive him, but they were wrong. His velocity is down and the high K rate that sustained him for so many years seems to have vanished. If someone is willing to bite on Vazquez the Marlins would surely listen.

Volstad is the youngest player on the list, but one has to wonder if the franchise is losing patience with the 24-year-old. After shooting through the Minor Leagues and reaching as high as No. 40 on Baseball America’s prospect list, Volstad seems stuck on the margin between bottom of the rotation and utter uselessness.

His K:BB ratio is actually better this year than last, but a high ERA and a rising HR/BB percentage portend poorly for the young righty. At this point, I’m guessing the Marlins would trade him if another organization saw potential.