Marlins' Top Trade Candidate is Blatantly Obvious, But Not Who You Think

The Miami Marlins will likely be sellers at the MLB trade deadline once again. While they have been fairly scrappy this year, they are almost certainly not going to be contending for a playoff spot, and, let's face it: this is just what the Marlins do.

While starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara has generated most of the headlines as far as tradable pieces out of Miami, he is actually not the Marlins' most likely trade candidate.

Alcantara has struggled in his recovery from Tommy John surgery this season, so his trade value is definitely not where the Marlins would like it to be. However, there is another Miami player who has absolutely been catching the eyes of rival teams (particularly recently), and when it comes to this slugger, the Fish may want to strike when the iron is hot.

That player is outfielder Jesus Sanchez.

Sanchez is slashing .262/.342/.402 with five home runs and 25 RBI over 187 plate appearances in 2025 (he missed the first couple of weeks due to injury), and while those numbers may not look especially impressive, he has been raking recently.

The 27-year-old slashed .289/.375/.434 in May, and thus far in June, he owns a .290/.303/.484 slash line. Sanchez is not going to anchor anyone's lineup, but he owns a solid lifetime .737 OPS and has proven that he can be one heck of a hitter for stretches.

Here's the catch with Sanchez: he is under team control through 2027, making him a very valuable potential addition. And let's face it: for the Marlins, having just two years of club control left is not a whole lot, so they may simply opt to move him now.

There are plenty of teams around Major League Baseball that would part with a decent prospect to nab Sanchez, who has also been a good defensive outfielder in the past (he had five defensive runs saved as recently as 2023).

You wouldn't think Miami would be in any rush to deal Sanchez due to the fact that he isn't slated to hit free agency until 2028, but his value right now may be higher than it will ever be, so it would actually be smart for the Marlins — who suddenly have an impressive crop of young hitters — to jettison Sanchez and recoup some minor-league talent in return.