Marlins Could Give Yankees Perfect Anthony Volpe Replacement

In spite of how well the Miami Marlins have been playing, they still might move some players before the MLB trade deadline, and the New York Yankees will almost certainly come knocking.

While the Yankees may seem more likely to target one of the Marlins' pitchers, they may also want to consider asking Miami about infielder Otto Lopez.

In case you haven't heard, Anthony Volpe has been Public Enemy No. 1 in the Bronx over the last several weeks. While the young shortstop rebounded by hitting two home runs in a win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night, his brutal struggles have had Yankees fans — and even Yanks legend Alex Rodriguez — calling for the front office to replace him.

Enter Lopez, who has been one of the Marlins' most prominent rising stars this season. The 26-year-old is slashing .249/.318/.393 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI over 336 plate appearances while playing stellar defense at both shortstop and second base.

Whether or not Miami would actually entertain Lopez is debatable, especially given the fact that the Marlins have now gone 21-10 over their last 31 games. But if the Yankees are willing to offer the Fish a strong package for the youngster, perhaps Miami would listen.

Lopez is under team control through 2029, so the Marlins have no need to trade him now. But maybe they would be open to selling high on the Dominican native, who became a full-time starter for Miami last season and registered a .660 OPS.

Volpe is hitting just .216 on the year, and his defense has slipped tremendously. It stands to reason that his huge performance on Saturday will break him out of his two-month long slump, but right now, the sample size is against him.

If the Yankees are really looking to replace Volpe, the Marlins may be a good team to call. And you know what? Even if New York doesn't want to usurp Volpe, it could acquire Lopez and move Jazz Chisholm back over to third base. That being said, Chisholm — who Miami traded to New York last summer — has made it clear he prefers playing second.

We'll see if the Bronx Bombers inquire about Lopez's availability between now and July 31.