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The Miami Marlins are not the worst team in all of Major League Baseball anymore but they are very close. That doesn’t matter right now though. What matters now is that the Marlins are looking towards the future with more excitement and promise than they have had in a couple of years. This time it should really turn out well for the franchise if they stick to their guns, keep the guys they need and get something back for the guys they do not. That is exactly what they did this trade season and they did it perfectly.
Obviously the name that got the most phone calls regarding in the Marlins’ front office was Giancarlo Stanton. The Marlins answered trade rumors about Stanton early on this year by suggesting there was little or no chance they would trade Stanton. They were absolutely right to hold on to him with all of the crazy deals that were surely being thrown their way. Standing strong and keeping Stanton will be a very important non-trade for the Marlins future.
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The one big move they did make was sending Ricky Nolasco to the Los Angeles Dodgers for some nice return prospects. Nolasco was going to be traded and most people knew that as early as June or earlier. It was only a matter of who made the best return deal and that turned out to be the Dodgers. The plus possibility is what matters to the Marlins as they try and fill their farm system with plus side prospects while keeping a strong young core at the major league level.
Obviously that is something that is way easier to say than to do but the Marlins have pulled it off well this year. They could have had a huge fire-sale and angered everyone in Miami even more but they didn’t. They sent a message to the city that they were serious about building a winner. I saw good moves and non-moves by the Marlins.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google Plus.
