For those used to the New York Yankees battling for pennants and division titles, while the Miami Marlins are often stuck in rebuilding purgatory, the current state of affairs, with the Yankees thinking which players to offload before the deadline, while the Marlins are out there trying to find a trade that makes them better, can be a little bit confusing.
The Yankees are fourth in the AL East with a 44-46 record, 9.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles, and quite far behind in the Wild Card Standings as well, with 5.5 games between them and the coveted spot. The Yankees never like to admit that they’re already thinking about next season, but they are, and it’s a matter of how they’re willing to give up on. Right now, it seems Carlos Beltran and Aroldis Chapman are the big favorites to be traded.
Aroldis Chapman is having a very good season, with a 2.39 ERA, 0.911 WHIP and a fantastic 6.67 strikeouts-per-walk ratio. He’s also on the final year of his contract, worth $11.3 million overall. Being one of the best relievers in baseball if not the best, the Yankees are hoping they can find something for him before he leaves them for nothing, not wanting to land him on an expensive, long term deal. Beltran, 39, is also in a contract year, making the All-Star game, batting .294 with a .872 OPS, hitting 19 home runs so far. He’s on the books for $15 million this season and a free agent next year. The Yankees might have to pay some of his salary, but they’re hoping a contender looking for some hitting takes him off their hands.
Who isn’t going? Andrew Miller isn’t, and despite rumors circulating their rotation, including C.C. Sabathia, Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Pineda, the Yankees are probably going to wait until the offseason, and then decide if they’re going to move one, two or all three of them.
As for the Marlins, they’re out there looking for a starting pitcher. With their dwindled prospect corps standing in the way of making deal, they might be willing to hand over Adeiny Hechavarria, who is under control through the 2018 season, and has had a disappointing season, but isn’t someone to count out of bouncing back. They have Miguel Rojas waiting to fill in for him, while their sights are set on Chris Archer of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Marlins are tied for second in the NL East with a 48-42 record,7 games behind the Washington Nationals.