Marlins' stock of young arms in high demand

MIAMI -- At the Winter Meetings in San Diego last week, more than half of MLB teams touched base with the Marlins regarding their controllable starting pitchers.

Interest likely will heat up again as the top tier of starting pitchers on the free-agent or trade markets are starting to find homes.

On Sunday alone, Madison Bumgarner agreed to a five-year deal with the D-backs, after being a three-time World Series champion with the Giants. And two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber was traded from the Indians to the Rangers.

And at the Winter Meetings, Stephen Strasburg returned to the Nationals and Gerrit Cole signed with the Yankees.

As proven starters change teams, the Marlins are in an enviable spot. They have young, controllable starters at the big leagues, and a wave of pitching prospects getting closer to being MLB-ready. Plus, Miami is in search of offensive upgrades.

“There’s been lots and lots and lots of conversations at [the Winter Meetings] with ways for us to get better,” Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said on Thursday, the final day of the Meetings. “Our starting pitching is valuable. Not just to us, it’s valued in the marketplace.”

There's been no shortage of clubs that have already expressed interest in big league rotation mainstays like Sandy Alcantara, Caleb Smith and Pablo López. Other clubs have expressed interest in right-hander Elieser Hernandez, who offers value as a back of the rotation starter or a reliever.

Miami is cautious about moving any of the four.

José Ureña, the Marlins’ Opening Day starter the past two years, could be the most expendable. The right-hander missed substantial time in 2019 due to a herniated disk, and he was switched to the bullpen when he was activated in September.

Even without a definitive role as a starter or reliever, Ureña may fit very well into Miami’s 2020 plans, because starting-pitching depth is crucial.

“We know how difficult it is to work in that starting-pitching market,” Hill said.

On the trade market, clubs like the Angels, Twins and Rays are potential fits. All three have left-handed-hitting outfield prospects who could interest the Marlins -- Alex Kirilloff (Twins), Josh Lowe (Rays) and Brandon Marsh (Angels). Kirilloff is ranked 15th on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospect list. Lowe is Tampa Bay's No. 12 prospect, and Marsh is the Angels' No. 2 prospect.

The Marlins are looking for power bats, with a preference for left-handed hitters.

Hill underscored the point that Miami is not pressured to trade any of its starters -- unless something makes sense.

That’s what happened at the July 31 Trade Deadline, when the Marlins parted with rookie right-hander Zac Gallen, dealing him to the D-backs for shortstop prospect Jazz Chisholm Jr..

The trade was somewhat surprising because clubs don't usually part with a promising starting pitcher with six years of club control after just seven big league starts. But Chisholm is a high-end prospect who has the makings of being a big league regular at a premium position.

“As I’ve said, Jazz Chisholm for Zac Gallen was a very special deal, in our minds,” Hill said. “If you’ve seen Jazz play, you understand why that’s such a special piece to add to the organization. But short of something that we think is plugging in and helping us immediately, it’s not something we’re looking to do.”

If the Marlins show restraint and go into Spring Training with all of their MLB-experienced starters, trades could still potentially be made, either by Opening Day or the Trade Deadline.

Behind their big league starters are a wave of projectable prospects.

The Triple-A Wichita rotation is expected to include top prospect Sixto Sánchez, plus Edward Cabrera, Nick Neidert and Jorge Guzman. And the Double-A Jacksonville rotation should include left-handers Trevor Rogers and Braxton Garrett.

At some point the Marlins will have to address their surplus of starters. For now, there is no rush to do anything.

“We’re going to continue to make smart decisions and be opportunistic, and add to this team to make it better in 2020,” Hill said.