Which players Marlins are most likely to sell at trade deadline – Marlins

That’s why they play the games, right?

Going all the way back to the 2024 MLB trade deadline, it seemed so simple to forecast that the Miami Marlins would be out of the postseason race in 2025 as well. They still are, as of this writing, but sustaining their recent excellence for a few more weeks would change the calculus.

The Marlins can wait until much closer to the July 31 deadline before officially picking a lane. However, this will very likely culminate in making short-term sacrifices to optimize their chances of winning in 2026 and beyond. While unusual, it’s possible to go that route and stay in contention anyway.

President of baseball operations Peter Bendix—cut from the same cloth as other former Tampa Bay Rays executives—is an unemotional decision-maker. There are few, if any, untouchable players on the current Marlins roster. “We’re always having conversations,” as Bendix loves to say. On the other hand, a lot of Miami’s top talent is pre-arbitration eligible, so inexpensive and far away from free agency that it would be illogical to shop them at this juncture.

The following 10 Marlins players ought to be available for the right price. I have ordered them based on the likelihood of getting moved prior to the deadline. All historical comps were also midseason trades.

 

RP Anthony Bender

2025 stats: 2.21 ERA, 4.07 FIP, .169 BAA and 0.0 fWAR in 36.2 IP (36 G/0 GS)

Contract: $1.42 million in 2025; arb-eligible in 2026-27; free agent in 2028

Anthony Bender has never fully recaptured the magic from the first half of his rookie campaign, but he’s an effective high-leverage option against right-handed batters.

Bender has the longest major league track record among Marlins relievers and he is the only one who has already entered his arbitration years. The Fish can potentially get comparable production from internal options. Yielding the highest hard-hit rate of his career and compiling fewer strikeouts than ever, he’d be best suited for a team with strong infield defense.

Historical comp: Oakland Athletics trade Sam Moll with international bonus pool money to Cincinnati Reds for Joe Boyle (2023)

 

OF Jesús Sánchez

2025 stats: .248/.317/.407, 7 HR, 8 SB, 100 wRC+ and 0.5 fWAR in 63 G

Contract: $4.5 million in 2025; arb-eligible in 2026-27; free agent in 2028

Jesús Sánchez‘s slash line this season is almost identical to last season and his overall career average, though the underlying details are more exciting. He has trimmed his strikeout rate to 22.2% and his expected weighted on-base average is a personal best. He smokes the ball…when he has the platoon advantage. The 27-year-old continues to be unplayable against left-handed pitchers.

The Marlins have several promising outfielders with their Triple-A affiliate in Jakob Marsee, Victor Mesa Jr. and Andrew Pintar who could use second-half reps in the majors. There is also Double-A Pensacola’s Kemp Alderman, who has plus-plus raw power comparable to Sánchez. Between them and Griffin Conine returning from a shoulder injury in 2026, they’re in a position to use outfield depth to address other areas.

Historical comp: Pittsburgh Pirates trade Daniel Vogelbach to New York Mets for Colin Holderman (2022)

 

SP Cal Quantrill

2025 stats: 5.42 ERA, 4.58 FIP, .283 BAA and 0.5 fWAR in 73.0 IP (16 G/16 GS)

Contract: $3.5 million in 2025; free agent in 2026

The Cal Quantrill experience has been odd. He signed a one-year deal with the Fish presumably under the impression that he would get the chance to re-establish himself as a solid starting pitcher. Although his rotation spot has been secure, there’s been zero faith in him once opposing lineups turn over for a third time. At least he’s demonstrating that his 2024 walk issues were an anomaly.

Given his pending free agent status, there is a greater urgency for the Marlins to trade Quantrill than any of their other players. But I do not have him atop this list because I’m unsure if any contender actually wants him. He could be an August waiver wire guy, unloaded for simple salary relief, which wouldn’t count as a deadline deal, in my opinion.

Historical comp: Texas Rangers trade Michael Lorenzen to Kansas City Royals for Walter Pennington (2024)

 

SP Edward Cabrera

2025 stats: 3.41 ERA, 3.83 FIP, .228 BAA and 1.0 fWAR in 71.1 IP (14 G/14 GS)

Contract: $1.95 million in 2025; arb-eligible in 2026-28; free agent in 2029

This season began inauspiciously for Edward Cabrera with yet another injured list stint and a 7.23 ERA through the end of April. He has been fantastic ever since. The right-hander’s control is suddenly very reliable and his curveball has emerged as an elite offering. Any doubts about him being a viable starter have been squashed—the question moving forward is how close he can come to reaching his top-of-the-rotation ceiling.

The Marlins have entertained trade offers for Cabrera in the past. Aided by his ongoing stretch of consistency and the dearth of impact arms on the market this summer, his value has spiked. Whereas Bender, Sánchez and Quantrill are likely to be goners by month’s end, Cabrera is closer to a toss-up.

Historical comp: Oakland Athletics trade Sonny Gray with international bonus pool money to New York Yankees for Dustin Fowler, James Kaprielian and Jorge Mateo (2017)

 

RP Calvin Faucher

2025 stats: 4.31 ERA, 3.79 FIP, .235 BAA and 0.2 fWAR in 31.1 IP (35 G/0 GS)

Contract: $776k in 2025; arb-eligible in 2026-29; free agent in 2030

One of Bendix’s first acts as Marlins POBO was acquiring Calvin Faucher from his former employer. Faucher’s best attribute has been long ball prevention, allowing only two home runs in his last 85 innings pitched. In the midst of his first full season at the major league level, the 29-year-old has endured a few ugly blow-ups, but he’d have a role in any team’s bullpen down the stretch. He leads Miami with eight saves in 2025.

With so much club control still ahead of him, Faucher’s fate largely depends on how he performs in July. The better he does, the more likely the Marlins get what they deem to be satisfactory compensation.

Historical comp: Oakland Athletics trade Lucas Erceg to Kansas City Royals for Mason Barnett, Jared Dickey and Will Klein (2024)

 

SP Sandy Alcantara

2025 stats: 6.98 ERA, 4.69 FIP, .260 BAA and 0.3 fWAR in 80.0 IP (16 G/16 GS)

Contract: $17.3 million in 2025, $17.3 million in 2026 and $21 million club option in 2027 ($2 million buyout)

On the heels of great spring training, Sandy Alcantara had us all overly confident in what his first post-Tommy John season would look like. There have been few bright spots for the former NL Cy Young award winner thus far. Crucially, though, he’s been injury-free and attacking the strike zone with increasing regularity. Even on his best days, Alcantara has maxed out at six innings in his starts.

There are certain to be suitors attempting to buy low on Alcantara, banking on him improving as he gets farther away from surgery. With the Marlins having MLB’s lowest payroll this season and hardly any future commitments, they should be willing to eat as much of his contract as possible to sweeten the return. Ultimately, it will be tricky to reach a consensus on what Alcantara is worth at this complicated stage of his career.

Historical comp: Nothing comes particularly close, but…Colorado Rockies trade Ubaldo Jiménez to Cleveland Guardians for Drew Pomeranz, Joe Gardner, Matt McBride and Alex White (2011)

 

C Nick Fortes

2025 stats: .243/.288/.359, 2 HR, 0 SB, 78 wRC+ and 0.5 fWAR in 45 G

Contract: $1.86 million in 2025; arb-eligible in 2026-28; free agent in 2029

Nick Fortes remains an above-average defender behind the plate and his bat has perked up a bit this season. Even during rough patches, you can count on him to put balls in play (career 16.3 K%). You’re right, Kevin: he has value!

This homegrown Marlin is expendable because of encouraging strides that the club’s young catchers have made. A player like Fortes at another position would appear earlier in this article, but it is uncommon for contenders to make midseason catching changes.

Historical comp: Chicago White Sox trade Matt Thaiss to Tampa Bay Rays for Dru Baker (2025)

 

OF Derek Hill

2025 stats: .233/.300/.370, 2 HR, 6 SB, 86 wRC+ and 0.6 fWAR in 24 G

Contract: approx. $780k in 2025; arb-eligible in 2026-28; free agent in 2029

After crushing left-handed pitching last season (.994 OPS), Derek Hill has flopped with the platoon advantage in limited action this season (.494 OPS). At least you know what you’re getting with him as a baserunner (97th percentile in MLB) and rock-solid center fielder.

As mentioned in the Jesús Sánchez blurb, the Marlins have plenty of outfield reinforcements on the cusp. Hill seems to be standing in the way. His appropriate place on this list is muddled by the possibility of him exiting as a waiver claim rather than a real trade.

Historical comp: Detroit Tigers trade Jonathan Davis to Marlins for Brady Allen (2023)

 

RP Ronny Henriquez

2025 stats: 2.85 ERA, 3.92 FIP, .218 BAA and 0.3 fWAR in 41.0 IP (38 G/0 GS)

Contract: $778k in 2025; pre-arb in 2026-27; arb-eligible in 2028-30; free agent in 2031

Another player originally obtained by the Marlins via waivers, Ronny Henriquez leads their pitching staff in relief appearances. His whiff rate is in the 96th percentile among all qualified big leaguers.

Henriquez just turned 25 last month and has another half-decade of club control left. Those factors would preclude most players from being on the trade market, but the rules are different for relievers. Despite his inexperience, the Dominican right-hander would probably fetch a better package than any other Marlins RP.

Historical comp: Chicago Cubs trade Scott Effross to New York Yankees for Hayden Wesneski (2022)

 

OF Dane Myers

2025 stats: .298/.355/.415, 4 HR, 13 SB, 116 wRC+ and 1.2 fWAR in 57 G

Contract: $769k in 2025; pre-arb in 2026; arb-eligible in 2027-29; free agent in 2030

Dane Myers has asserted himself as the Marlins’ primary center fielder. He has standout athleticism, including a plus-plus arm. With that being said, Myers has been the beneficiary of a sky-high .371 batting average on balls in play during parts of three MLB seasons—that will come down eventually. Marlins fans have grumbled about how he’s frequently placed at the bottom of the lineup, but that’s where he profiles best once the BABIP normalizes.

To be clear, Myers is the least likely trade candidate covered in this piece. However, in addition to the organization’s aforementioned outfield depth, he’s worth including because of his age (29). If the Marlins believe that his career is peaking right now slightly ahead of the rest of their core, they’ll be open-minded.

Historical comp: Washington Nationals trade Lane Thomas to Cleveland Guardians for for Alex Clemmey, Rafael Ramirez Jr. and José Tena (2024)