As the July 30 trade deadline nears, possible buyers and sellers will continue to be sorted out in coming weeks and names will be bandied about.
On that front, the Miami Marlins are looking like a seller, and center fielder Starling Marte would be an obvious trade candidate. He's having a great season, has a great track record and his contract is up after the season. Monday, the Miami Herald reported that the Marlins have offered Marte a multiyear extension. The report mentions that the team is hopeful to wrap up negotiations before the deadline, but that if no deal is reached, he's likely on the move. Marte is said to be seeking something in the range of $50 million over the course of three or four years.
The Marlins sent pitchers Caleb Smith and Humberto Mejia in addition to minor-league pitcher Julio Frias to the Diamondbacks for Marte at the Aug, 31 trade deadline last season.
This is a situation that has a ripple effect around the league. If Marte is made available, any team looking for outfield help would get in on the action and if he's extended, any other outfielders possibly on the block would see increased demand on the market.
Marte, 32, entered Monday's action hitting .296/.403/.456 (138 OPS+) with seven doubles, a triple, six homers, 18 RBI, 38 runs and 13 steals in 46 games. He missed time earlier this season with a fractured rib, but he's been back for weeks and is playing well.
Marte can handle center field well, has played left in excellent fashion in the past and has the arm to handle right field if any acquiring team wanted him to fit there.
Again, he'll be a hot commodity later this month if the Marlins don't complete an extension with him.
If they do, they'll have locked down a nucleus type player for the next several years as they look to break through into sustained contention.
