The Miami Marlins may be sitting only 2.0 games out of a Wild Card spot, but that hasn’t stopped the trade deadline chatter from taking a sharp turn. After a historic 12-game losing streak in the middle of July, Miami has bounced back with two wins over the Philadelphia Phillies - and now the latest report suggests the front office is at least open to hearing out offers on four players who look like the kind of pieces contenders usually cling to.
According to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Marlins are willing to listen on middle infielders Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards, catcher/designated hitter Liam Hicks and outfielder Heriberto Hernandez.
That’s a notable shift for a club that still has a path to the postseason. It also puts four young, controllable players into the center of the deadline conversation ahead of the August 3 trade deadline.
Lopez stands out as the biggest name in the group. The 27-year-old was an All-Star this season and leads Major League Baseball in hits with 136, doubles with 27 and batting average at .328. He is under club control through 2029, which makes him the kind of player most teams would normally build around, not shop.
Edwards fits that same mold. He’s 26, controlled through 2029, and has hit .291 with 2.8 bWAR this season. If he does become available, he would rank among the better infield options on the market.
Hicks has already surfaced in trade speculation before, with Joe Mack making the lefty-hitting catcher/DH expendable. The 27-year-old is under club control through 2030 and has delivered 14 home runs and 2.5 bWAR this season. On a deadline board, he could easily be viewed as one of the best catchers available.
Hernandez rounds out the group. The 26-year-old outfielder is under club control through 2031 and has produced 15 home runs in 249 at-bats, along with 1.2 bWAR and a .787 OPS.
The key point here is that all four are available, but not cheap. The Marlins are not expected to move them for anything less than a strong return.
That’s what makes this rumor so striking. Lopez, Edwards, Hicks and Hernandez are all young, affordable and team-controlled for years.
Those are the exact kinds of players that usually make sense as the foundation of a roster. So even with Miami close enough to the race to make a run, the possibility that all four could be on the table adds a surprising twist to the deadline picture.
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