Trade for Marlins, Tigers makes sense | MLB.com: News
July 23, 2012 in Trades
The Marlins know a little bit about expectations. With an abnormally aggressive offseason, they created them for themselves.
Now, in shipping off what could be the first of several established players and bringing back a prospect package, Miami is embracing the grim reality of a 2012 gone awry and firmly looking forward.
If nothing else, you have to appreciate the Marlins’ honest evaluation of their standing.
“The current team really is not in contention,” president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said. “In a tenuous spot, at best. I think it was time to restructure.”
Turner is a fine building block, in that regard, even though his three starts at the Major League level this season revealed him to be not quite prepared for the big league spotlight. The No. 9 pick in the 2009 Draft, Turner is widely considered to be one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball, thanks to his mid-90s sinker and poise for pitching. He just turned 21, and he’s far from a finished product, but Turner has a high ceiling.
“This is a tough get,” said Beinfest. “To get a Major League-ready starter is probably the toughest thing to acquire in the game.”
They also got a prized catching prospect — another tough commodity to acquire — in Brantly, who was recently promoted to Triple-A just two years after the Tigers acquired him in the Draft. Double-A lefty Brian Flynn was the third player acquired, and the two clubs also swapped competitive balance Draft picks for 2013.
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