The Miami Marlins have been one of the biggest surprises in the National League this season. After failing to reach the playoffs in each of the last 12 years, Miami is currently third in the NL Wild Card standings. They have decent expectations to reach the playoffs if the season ended today, and they’ve been solid both in terms of pitching and hitting.
The future also seems bright, too. Jose Fernandez is one of the best starters in all of baseball. Giancarlo Stanton is going through a slump, but he’s still one of the best hitters in the majors. Young players like Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna have been pleasant surprises, while veterans like Martin Prado have played above expectations.
Fernandez and Stanton, however, are the cornerstones of the franchise. The Marlins’ owner Jeffrey Loria invested a lot in those two players, but he’s been avoiding the fact that he’s needs to make a decision pretty soon. Does he stay with Stanton and loses Fernandez as a free agent in 2018, or does he trade Stanton and tries to sign the right-hander to an extension?
It’s a tough choice, and it seems there’s no correct answer at the moment. Stanton has been a shelf of his former self this season. He’s hitting only .211 with 13 HR and 32 RBI, and he hit only .173 during last May. He’s struck out a whopping 85 times in 218 at-bats.
Fernandez, on the other hand, has been a dominant starter. He was in the conversation for the best starter in baseball (not named Clayton Kershaw) until a few weeks ago. The 23-year-old continues to make a comeback form Tommy John Surgery, and this season he’s in the Top 10 in most categories in the NL including ERA, strikeouts and WHIP.
The Marlins, unfortunately, don’t have enough money to keep them both. They can build around Stanton and hope the slugger returns to his 2014 form. They can trade him and build around Fernandez who, of late, has been the better player. Both carry injury-related problems, too, so Loria will have to make a tough decision.
There’s no way Miami can keep both players on the roster past the 2018 season. Sometimes, you just need to choose the lesser evil and live with that. It seems that’s what Miami will have to do.