As soon as the Marlins signed Giancarlo Stanton to his historic $325 million contract extension few weeks ago, they announced to the baseball world they were planning to contend sooner rather than later. Miami won 77 games in 2014 and is clearly a team on the rise thanks to their young talent, but they need more help.
On Wednesday, they got some of that help. At least in theory. The Marlins completed a six-player trade with the Dodgers that brings Dee Gordon to Miami:
So just to restate: #Marlins getting Dee Gordon and Dan Haren from #dodgers for Heaney, Kike Hernandez, Austin Barnes and Chris Hatcher
— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) December 11, 2014
The 26-year-old Gordon hit .289/.326/.378 (101 OPS+) while leading baseball in both triples (12) and stolen bases (64) in 2014, his first full season as a big leaguer. He did struggle in the second half (88 OPS+) but his speed is well suited for spacious Marlins Park. Those big gaps will lead to lots of triples.
Andrew Heaney is one of the best pitching prospects in the game, though, like many top pitching prospects before him, he struggled in his MLB debut this past season, posting a 5.83 ERA (66 ERA+) in 29 1/3 innings. Hernandez is an up-and-down depth player, Hatcher a nice middle reliever, and Barnes a soon-to-be 25-year-old Double-A catcher/infielder prospect.
The most interesting part of the trade is Haren, and not because of what he might bring to the Marlins rotation. Back in September he said he would likely retire if he was traded to a team other than the Angels -- Haren is from Southern California and doesn't want to leave home at this point of his career -- and despite Wednesday's trade, he hasn't backed off that stance:
Dan haren stance is same. If he's traded to team other than angels, he is leaning toward retiring
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 10, 2014
That's, uh, not good for the Marlins. The second piece in the two-player package is now likely to retire rather than pitch somewhere other than Los Angeles.
Now, I highly doubt the Marlins were unaware of Haren's retirement comments. They have young pitching in spades -- that's why they can afford to give up Heaney -- and are probably looking at this as "if Haren pitches for us, great, if he retires, then so be it." It's a salary dump for the Dodgers and the Marlins might not have to actually take on any salary.
Miami's second basemen hit a combined .236/.303/.334 (86 OPS+) in 2014 and entire the team combined to steal 58 bases. Gordon's production can take a step back in 2015 and he's still a pretty significant upgrade, especially in the speed department. The Marlins gave up a quality pitching prospect in Heaney and a lot of other stuff, roster filler stuff that won't make or break the deal.
The Haren angle is the most interesting aspect of the trade. Are the Marlins planning to try to talk him out of retirement? They have been looking for a veteran starter this winter. Or are they expecting him to retire? It's an odd move. I don't think the trade is as lopsided as it appears on the surface, but a lot depends on what Miami gets out of Haren, if anything.
