Starling Marte #2 of the Arizona Diamondbacks during the MLB game against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field on August 24, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Rockies defeated the Diamondbacks 3-2. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Marlins went from laughing stock to trade deadline buyers.
Starling Marte was one of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ big acquisitions this offseason. They traded Liover Peguero and Brennan Malone to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates to get their star outfielder. It was a surprising turn of events because some thought Arizona was going to mail this season in. Now, seven months later, that’s exactly what they are doing.
The Diamondbacks sent Marte to the Miami Marlins for left-handed pitcher Caleb Smith and right hander Humberto Mejia according to Jon Heyman. The D-backs are getting two high upside pitchers for an outfielder they weren’t going to re-sign at the end of the season. This occurred just minutes after trading Robbie Ray to the Toronto Blue Jays. Meanwhile, the Marlins continue to tinker with their team while refusing to mortgage the future.
The Marlins are a surprise buyer at this year’s deadline
The Marlins are one of the biggest surprises of the season. They are three games back of the Atlanta Braves for the National League East lead. The Marlins are currently under .500, but with baseball’s new playoff rules allowing eight teams to make the playoffs in each league, the Marlins are comfortably sitting in sixth place.
The Marlins immediately turned around and traded second baseman Jonathan Villar to the Toronto Blue Jays, so they aren’t keeping all their pieces, but they made a smart move to get a player in flux that could end up being a very important veteran for a run to the postseason.
Marte is having a down year with his power numbers, but he’s still hitting .311 on a Diamondbacks team that’s struggling to say the least. He also has three playoff runs in his past that could help teach this young Marlins team to win when it matters. There are still more than 20 games left, so anything can happen, but it’s safe to say the Marlins are a better team after this transaction.