Miami Marlins Slugger Expected to be Traded to Startling Team

The general consensus is that even if the Miami Marlins don't have another fire sale, they will at least be making some moves before MLB trade deadline.

One of the Marlins players most expected to be dealt is outfielder Jesus Sanchez, who is under team control through 2027 but hasn't really lived up to his lofty billing in South Beach.

Basically, Miami can afford to trade him now, and given that he isn't slated to hit free agency for another couple of years, the Marlins may be able to extract some decent value out of him.

Well, Nick Selbe of Sports Illustrated has revealed an interesting prediction for Sanchez, as he feels that the 27-year-old will be traded to the Cincinnati Reds between now and July 31.

The Reds are not typically a team you would expect to be incredibly active as midsummer buyers, as they usually aren't contenders. However, Cincinnati is actually in the Wild Card hunt this year, so the Reds could potentially get aggressive.

The question, though, is whether or not Sanchez represents enough of an upgrade in their outfield in order for them to surrender valuable assets for him.

Sanchez entered play on Friday night slashing .246/.321/.408 with seven home runs and 28 RBI over 237 plate appearances, which are rather pedestrian numbers. He also owns a very average lifetime .735 OPS since entering the big leagues in 2020.

Neither Will Benson nor Jake Fraley are offensive stalwarts at the corner outfield positions, but Austin Hays actually owns a .901 OPS across 130 trips to the dish this season. So do the Reds actually need Sanchez?

Cincinnati would be more likely to add an infield bat rather than another outfielder, so the idea of Sanchez being traded to the Reds seems a bit unnecessary. We'll see, though.

Read More Miami Marlins Coverage