7 trade targets from the Miami Marlins for the Colorado Rockies

Our trade target series for the Colorado Rockies continues today in the National League East with the Miami Marlins.

The 2020 Marlins, due to the expanded playoff structure, made the playoffs and they even made it to the NLDS but they were swept by the Atlanta Braves. In 2021, they lost 95 games. Both the Marlins and Rockies believe that they can contend in 2022 but the Marlins have taken a step forward through their offseason moves before the lockout.

The Marlins acquired 2021 All-Star infielder Joey Wendle from the Tampa Bay Rays, signed outfielder Avisaíl García via free agency, 2021 NL Gold Glove catcher Jacob Stallings from the Pittsburgh Pirates,

The Rockies, for their part, have not added anyone from outside of their organization to an MLB contract and they have not made any trades either.

Both clubs still have a ways to go to compete in 2022, though. For the Rockies, they are going to be looking at possibly upgrading in a few areas including backup catcher, an infielder (probably a shortstop or third baseman), at least one outfielder (preferably a power-hitting outfielder), another bat at some position in case the DH comes to the NL, perhaps a starter, and some bullpen help.

The Rockies may have limited time to make some moves after the lockout ends and before Spring Training so they, and other teams, may have to go into overdrive to get things done, as some other teams did in the week before the lockout.

But from a Rockies buying perspective and a Marlins selling perspective, there are seven players on the Marlins 40-man roster that the Colorado Rockies should examine further as possible trade targets for them this offseason.

Let’s dive in.

Miami Marlins first baseman Jesús Aguilar is someone that would help the Colorado Rockies

Miami Marlins first baseman Jesús Aguilar would provide the Colorado Rockies with a veteran power bat in the middle of their lineup.

Aguilar, 31, has spent parts of eight seasons in the major leagues but he has only been an everyday player since 2017. He has been a good power for the Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, and the Marlins since then.

In 2021 for the Marlins, he played in 131 games and he hit .261/.329/.459 with 22 homers and 93 RBI along with an OPS+ of 112. In 2020 for the Marlins, he hit .277/.352/.457 with eight homers and 34 RBI in 51 games with an OPS+ of 117.

In 2019, he had a down season as he split the season between Milwaukee and Tampa and, in 131 games, he had an OPS+ of 87. However, in 2018, that was his best season.

For Milwaukee, he hit 35 homers and had 108 RBI in 149 games with a slash line of .274/.352/.539. He also had an OPS+ of 135. He was an All-Star in 2018 and came in 16th in NL MVP voting. In 2017, he had an OPS+ of 117 in 133 games for Milwaukee with 16 homers and 52 RBI.

He’s not a great fit for the Rockies since the Rockies have said that they don’t want someone who would be a DH and Aguilar would have to be at least a part-time DH since the Rockies have C.J. Cron at first base. Aguilar can also play third base and he played the corner outfield spots in the minor leagues as well.

He is a free agent after the 2022 season so Aguilar could be fairly cheap since he only has one year of control left.

Miami Marlins first baseman Garrett Cooper could also help the Colorado Rockies

Miami Marlins first baseman Garrett Cooper has been more of a bench bat in his career or he has been injured (as he was in 2021) but he could be a versatile, power bat that the Colorado Rockies are looking for on their bench.

Cooper, 31, only played in 71 games in 2021 as he tore his UCL in his elbow in July and had to have Tommy John surgery on his non-throwing elbow. As a result, his recovery time shouldn’t be as long as a regular time would be for a) a pitcher and b) on his throwing elbow. In 2021, though, he hit .284/.380/.465 with nine homers and 33 RBI. He had an OPS+ of 129.

In 2020, he hit .283/.353/.500 with six homers, 20 RBI, and an OPS+ of 127 in 34 games. He played the most games in his MLB career in 2019 when, in 107 games, Cooper had 15 homers and 50 RBI with a slash line of .281/.344/.446 and an OPS+ of 108.

Cooper can play first base as well as both left and right field. He played a handful of games at third base in the minor leagues as well so he is fairly versatile.

He is entering the second year of arbitration so he would have the same amount of control that Anderson would have.

Miami Marlins starter Sixto Sánchez could find a new home with the Colorado Rockies

The Miami Marlins may not have Sixto Sánchez on their team much longer and the Colorado Rockies could take advantage of that.

Sánchez, 23, made his MLB debut with the Marlins in 2020 after the Marlins acquired him from the Philadelphia Phillies in the J.T. Realmuto trade before the 2019 season.

In 2020, Sánchez had a good season as he was called up in late August and made seven starts for the Marlins from that point forward. He posted a 3.46 ERA in that span with an ERA+ of 132. He had a FIP of 3.50, a WHIP of 1.205, and he walked 2.5 and struck out 7.6 batters per nine innings.

He also made two postseason starts for them and he had a 4.50 ERA.

The problem with Sánchez is that he is on the outs with the Marlins, according to Craig Mish of The Miami Herald. Sánchez was ready for the majors (as he showed in 2020) but to keep his service time clock back (and have an extra year of service time), the Marlins optioned him to their alternate training site at the end of Spring Training.

In his first simulated outing, he injured his shoulder and required season-ending shoulder surgery. He ended up on the minor league IL so he lost out on an entire year of MLB service.

Sánchez could be a huge help for the Rockies as he is one of the best prospects in baseball. He was MLB.com’s #15 overall prospect entering the 2021 season due to a great fastball (70 rating on a 20-80 scouting scale) and three above-average secondary pitches (a 65-grade changeup, a 55-grade cutter, and a 55-grade curveball). He also has above-average control (60-grade).

If Sánchez could miss a few more bats and stay healthy, he could be an All-Star quality starter.

Miami Marlins reliever Richard Bleier could be a great reliever for the Colorado Rockies

Miami Marlins left-handed reliever Richard Bleier would be a veteran lefty in the Colorado Rockies bullpen that doesn’t have one.

Bleier, who turns 35 in April, has spent parts of six seasons in the majors and he has been a great reliever in that span as he has a career 2.96 ERA (149 ERA+).

In 2021, Bleier appeared in 68 games and he had an ERA of 2.95 (142 ERA+). He had a FIP of 3.01, a WHIP of 0.983, and he walked just 0.9 batters per nine innings while striking out 6.8 per nine innings.

His worst season was in 2019 as he had a 5.37 ERA in 53 games but in every other season, he has had a sub-3.00 ERA with a very low home run rate (0.6 homers per nine innings in his career and six of the 16 career homers he allowed were in 2019), and the aforementioned low walk rate.

Top things off, he is one of the best groundball pitchers in baseball. Since 2019, Bleier has a groundball rate of 63.4 percent. Among relievers with at least 100 innings pitched in that span, that is third-highest.

Bleier is entering the final of arbitration, though, so he would be a rental for only a season but if they don’t get him in a trade, perhaps he could be a free agent target in the near future.

Miami Marlins reliever Dylan Floro is another good bullpen option for the Colorado Rockies

Miami Marlins reliever Dylan Floro could also be a good bullpen option for the Colorado Rockies.

Rockies fans probably remember Floro for his three seasons (2018 through 2020) with the Dodgers but he is entering his second season with the Marlins and in 2021, he ended up being their closer.

Floro, 31, appeared in 68 games and had 15 saves with an ERA of 2.81 for the Marlins. He had a 149 ERA+, a 2.81 FIP, a 1.219 WHIP, and he walked 3.5 and struck out 8.7 batters per nine innings.

He was not great in 2019 (95 ERA+) but he had a good season in 2018 (54 games, 181 ERA+, 3.08 FIP, 2.25 ERA) and in 2020 (25 games, 170 ERA+, 2.60 FIP, 2.59 ERA).

Floro could be good for the Rockies because of his groundball rate. Since 2019, his groundball rate is 51.1 percent, which is 27th-highest among relievers with at least 100 innings since then. That would put him at number one among Rockies relievers.

Considering his closing experience last year, the Rockies could also use him as a closer, which is questionable for the Rockies since they had some issues with that in 2021. He also could be a good setup man.

Floro is entering his second year of arbitration so, at least under the current CBA, he will have two years remaining until he becomes a free agent.

Miami Marlins reliever Anthony Bass is another veteran option for the Colorado Rockies

Miami Marlins reliever Anthony Bass is another veteran relief option that could help the Colorado Rockies troublesome bullpen.

Bass, 34, has bounced around a bit in the majors as he has spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors with seven different teams. Bass spent his first season with the Marlins in 2021 and he had a spotty record, depending on what stats you look at.

In 70 appearances, he had an ERA of 3.82 (110 ERA+) but he had a record of 3-9. He also had a 4.93 FIP and a 1.288 WHIP and both of those are a bit high as well. He walked out 3.5 and struck out 8.5 batters per nine innings.

He pitched for Toronto in 2020 and he had an ERA of 3.51 in 26 appearances along with an ERA+ of 127, a FIP of 3.62, a WHIP 1.013, and walked 3.2 and struck out 7.4 batters per nine innings.

The thing that may make him intriguing for the Rockies is his groundball rate. Since 2019, it is 50.1 percent and, like Bleier and Floro, that would make him the top groundball pitcher in the Rockies bullpen. Overall, among relievers with at least 100 innings pitched in that span, that is 32nd-highest.

He is entering the final year of a two-year deal, as he is owed $3 million in 2022. Additionally, there is a team option for $3 million in 2023.

Our trade target series will continue next with the New York Mets as we continue through the NL East.