Marlins may take unexpected route at trade deadline

The Miami Marlins were expected to receive a great deal of interest in their rotation ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Instead, they may look to trade from a different area.

According to Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Marlins are willing to listen on several controllable bats. The trio named catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks, infielders Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards and outfielder Heriberto Hernandez as possible trade candidates.

Should that quartet come available, the Marlins could receive a great deal of interest. ESPN's Buster Olney reported that the Red Sox have inquired about Lopez, although there is no indication as to how serious their interest is. The Red Sox have been looking for help in the middle of their infield and a right-handed hitter; Lopez would help in both areas.

Marlins' willingness to deal from lineup does not make sense

On one hand, this may be the time for the Marlins to trade from that group of players. Lopez and Hicks are in the midst of career years, while Hernandez was signed as a minor league free agent and could be a sell-high candidate.

However, the Marlins have continually struggled to put together a playoff-caliber lineup. They may finally have the production they need, as the Marlins rank eighth in the majors with a .732 OPS. The quartet of Edwards, Hernandez, Hicks and Lopez has been key parts of that performance.

The Marlins have other players who could fetch a solid return on the trade market. Catcher Agustin Ramirez has seemingly fallen out of favor in Miami and is not far removed from a strong rookie season. Impending free agent Pete Fairbanks or reliever Anthony Bender could bring back pieces for the future. Trading from their core of pre-arbitration players should not be a consideration as the Marlins look to build a sustainable playoff-caliber roster.