Marlins Could Pull Off Trade Deadline Heist With Floundering Yankees

Even though the Miami Marlins are playing their best baseball of the season to somehow stampede their way back into the playoff picture, there stands a great chance they will still sell at the MLB trade deadline. If they do, the New York Yankees will almost certainly come knocking.

The Yankees have been floundering for the last three weeks. Since sweeping the Kansas City Royals between June 10-12, New York has gone just 6-15 to fall out of first place in the AL East. More injuries have befallen the Yankees' starting rotation, the bullpen has imploded and their bats have gone ice cold.

Enter the Marlins, who have several pitchers — both starters and relievers — that would absolutely interest the Yanks, who did business with Miami at last year's trade deadline to acquire Jazz Chisholm.

This time around, pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera represent the Marlins' top trade chips, and perhaps even infielder Otto Lopez is someone the Yankees could inquire upon. Relief arms like Anthony Bender and Ronny Henriquez could help New York, as well.

Here's the thing: the Marlins are unquestionably in a great position to pull off a heist with the Yankees given that Alcantara and Cabrera are under team control through 2027 and 2028, respectively. Miami technically doesn't have to move either pitcher now, but the Bronx Bombers might be desperate.

The Yankees are known for being rather stingy with their prospects, but last summer, they sent catcher Agustin Ramirez to South Beach in exchange for Chisholm. We see how that has turned out thus far for the Fish, as Ramirez has flashed prodigious power since reaching the big leagues in late April.

Perhaps the Marlins could extract a similar impact player from the Yanks this time around. Spencer Jones and Everson Pereira, for example, are very intriguing bats. Pitching prospects Ben Hess and fast riser Carlos Lagrange could also interest Miami.

Regardless, the Marlins would certainly find itself in a position of strength in trade talks with the Yankees given New York's obvious need to add numerous pieces between now and July 31.

Look for the Fish and the Yanks to engage in discussions in the coming weeks.