NL Contender Could Break the Bank in Stunning Trade With Marlins

The Miami Marlins are widely expected to be very active between now and the MLB trade deadline, and there could be some surprises along the way.

While Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera and Jesus Sanchez are surely to be the hottest names coming out of Miami in the coming weeks, a shocking player is surfacing in trade speculation: outfielder Kyle Stowers.

The Marlins acquired Stowers in a deal that sent pitcher Trevor Rogers to the Baltimore Orioles at last year's trade deadline, and apparently, Miami may already be open to moving the 27-year-old.

Buzz has been growing about the possibility of the Fish jettisoning Stowers, and recently, Jim Bowden of The Athletic named the San Diego Padres as a team that could potentially get involved. Not only that, but Bowden feels that the Padres may be willing to "overpay" for Stowers.

San Diego is in desperate need of another outfield bat alongside of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill. Jason Heyward owns a miserable .494 OPS and has been in and out of the Padres lineup due to injuries, and bench pieces such as Tyler Wade and Brandon Lockridge have failed to step up.

Meanwhile, Stowers is slashing .272/.339/.465 with 10 home runs and 33 RBI over 243 plate appearances in what is slated to be his first full big-league campaign. The Stanford product doesn't even hit arbitration until 2027, making him an incredibly attractive trade target.

On that same token, it makes the Marlins that much less likely to trade him unless they land an exorbitant package in return, and if Bowden's intel is any indication, the Padres may be willing to give that to them. There is history between these two franchises, too. Remember: San Diego provided Miami with a massive haul in exchange for relief pitcher Tanner Scott last summer.

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