North Shore Nine

The Miami Marlins shocked the baseball world on May 4th by trading Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres. Arraez was not only an All-Star last year but one of their better and more consistent players. This led many to speculate that the Marlins could be in a rebuild or, at worst, a retool as their star pitchers are mostly injured and they are one of the worst teams in baseball this season.

As we sit here a month later there are rumblings that they might move Jesus Luzardo as well. If there is any team in need of fire beneath that smoke, then the Marlins are indeed going into a rebuild of sorts. While Luzardo would look great in the Black and Gold, there are two other players to consider who would be more beneficial for the Pirates, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Bryan De La Cruz. While neither has been speculated as available, the Pirates should, given the chance, bend over backward to acquire Chisholm, as well as put serious thought into De La Cruz.

As one can see, Chisholm is the player to covet here. He has a great bat, is wicked fast, and plays a good center field. However, do not sleep on De La Cruz, who is offensively similar to Chisholm and has one more year of control. When it comes to the value of either of these players, it is very hard to determine. For Chisholm, Marlins fans—and probably their front office—would argue he is as valuable as Luis Robert Jr. who reportedly is being held for a Juan Soto level of return.

As seen here, that is a bit ludicrous. Both have had their injury issues; however, Robert Jr. is clearly a far better player across the board. If that is the case, then when this writer suggested a deal of Termarr Johnson, Bubba Chandler, Tsung-Che Cheng, and Hunter Barco for Robert Jr., a lesser offer would be on tap for Chisholm Jr. It also would be very dependent on what the Marlins were looking to do. If they were after a quicker retool, then more ready players would be in order, if they wanted to fully rebuild then farther-off pieces would work. So that means we need to look at two different proposals

Retool:
Thomas Harrington, Mitch Jebb/Tsung-Che Cheng, and Hunter Barco

Rebuild:
Termarr Johnson, Lonnie White Jr., and Zander Mueth/ Michael Kennedy

Chances are the Marlins would want more than these offers, as is their prerogative. However, moving multiple Top 10 prospects in either offer from a very strong farm system should be enticing, especially with Harrington and Barco not being far off from ready. In the rebuild offer, there would be a trio of young talent, all of whom have shown a lot of promise. Now, if the Marlins prefer to focus on Bubba Chandler, Anthony Solometo, or Braxton Ashcraft then that is fine, swap one of them in for Harrington or Johnson. But it would behoove the Pirates not to swap them in for the one of the second suggested pairing. Chisholm Jr. is very good, but he isn’t Robert Jr. good.

De La Cruz might be a sneakier good pick-up on the Pirates’ part. He went to the Marlins in 2021 from the Houston Astros for RP Yimi Garcia, who pitched horribly for the Astros after the trade. Not that this makes him cheaper to acquire, but with a .3 WAR this year a -.3 WAR last year, and a .6 WAR in 2022, the Marlins might not be overly concerned about keeping the 27-year-old. Better yet, his Savant rankings are less than stellar.

So many must be thinking at this point: why? Why would one argue for the Pirates to add such a player to their team? He plays all three outfield positions while primarily an LF, he has shown an aptitude in RF, and played well in CF. Additionally, here are his stats from last year: .257/.304/.411 with a .715 OPS, 32 doubles, and 19 home runs. We can then compare that to a Pirate’s stat line from last year: .263/330/.460 with a .790 OPS, 31 doubles, and 24 home runs. Sure, the Pirate player’s stat line is better, but not by leaps and bounds. That player, of course, was Bryan Reynolds. If the Pirates are able to add a bat similar to Reynolds into the lineup without moving a top prospect like Johnson, Chandler, or Harrington. Then they absolutely must!

The potential closest similar trade was last year when the Marlins themselves added Jake Burger for Jake Eder, their #5 prospect. Eder was coming off of TJ surgery and had an overall scouting score rating of 50. For the Pirates, that would be a Harrington, Ashcraft, or Jebb as things currently stand. However, it would be apropos if the Pirates were able to send Mike Burrows for De La Cruz, as it would be a very similar deal to what Burger came to town for. If the Marlins wanted Jebb for De La Cruz, the Pirates would be smart to do so. Likewise, they could attempt to make it more of a package deal with younger, further-off talent such as Keiner Delgado or Jesus Castillo and another further-off piece.

Regardless, the Pirates need to add a bat, preferably one that can play a good outfield. Either one of these players would be a boon to the Pirates lineup and come with a nice bit of control. Chisholm Jr. would be a splash move to show the league the Pirates mean business and are ready to party down. One will strongly argue, however, that a move for De La Cruz should be cheaper, sneakier, and provide results nearly as good. Either way, it’s time to prime the cannons and ready the boarding party. It’s time to act like Pirates.