The fire sale may already be underway for the struggling Miami Marlins, who are reportedly close to trading away two-time batting champion Luis Arraez.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, a deal to send Arraez to the San Diego Padres for a package that includes three prospects is nearly finalized, with only medical reviews standing in the way of a formal announcement.
Meanwhile, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reported that the Marlins will receive two of the Padres’ top-10 prospects, outfielders Dillon Head and Jakob Marsee, along with first baseman/outfielder Nathan Martorella and relief pitcher Woo Suk-Go headed to Miami.
Head is the prize of the package, rated as the Padres’ No. 6 prospect by MLB.com. Selected 25th overall by San Diego in the 2023 Amateur Draft, the 19-year-old slashed .267/.363/.400 with a home run and 11 RBI, with eight extra-base hits and four stolen bases over 27 combined games in rookie ball and Single-A last season.
The rumored deal came to light only minutes before Arraez was scheduled to bat lead-off for the Marlins against the Oakland Athletics.
For the 16-18 Padres, who trail the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers (20-13) by 4.5 games early on, they’re adding a difference-maker to their lineup in Arraez, who has recorded the second-most hits in the majors since 2022, per Baseball Reference.
Conversely, the trade of Arraez may only be the start of a mass exodus in Miami. Entering Friday’s action, the Marlins had one of the worst records in MLB (9-24), with only the Colorado Rockers (8-24) and Chicago White Sox (6-25) sitting lower in the league-wide standings.
It’s unclear if the Marlins are looking to trade away anyone else from their lineup, but if the franchise was keen on dealing a multiple-time All-Star in early May, no one may be untouchable.