Marlins would make perfect trade partners for Yankees

Marlins 1B Justin Bour is a perfect fit for Yankees

As the 2017 MLB trade deadline draws nearer, the New York Yankees still appear to have a couple of holes to fill. Over in the National League, the Miami Marlins could make for a perfect trade partner.

The Yanks are treading water of late. They sit with a 50-45 record following games of Friday night, July 21. The Bronx Bombers are 3.5 games behind the arch-rival Boston Red Sox in the AL East race. They control an AL Wildcard spot, but have a pair of teams just two games back.

For much of the season, the Yankees have failed to get reliable offensive production from the first base position. Chris Carter received 208 plate appearances over 62 games, but hit for just a .201/.284/.370 slash line and was released.

Greg Bird began the season as the starter at first, and kept that role through May 1 despite hitting for just a .100/.250/.200 slash line. Then Bird was lost to the DL, and after undergoing ankle surgery, he is likely gone until September.

The Yankees completed a big trade this past week, shoring up their bullpen with the additions of David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle from the Chicago White Sox.

Also acquired in that deal was 31-year old veteran third baseman Todd Frazier. With his arrival, Chase Headley has been moved across the diamond to play first base.

However, the 33-year old Headley has managed just four homers. Only once in his career, all the way back in 2012, as he displayed the type of offensive production that contending teams normally like to see from the first base position.

Another area of potential concern is the starting rotation. The loss of Michael Pineda to Tommy John surgery has created an opening that needs to be filled.

MARLINS COULD FILL YANKEES NEEDS

The Marlins have a pair of players who could step in immediately and fill those roles in the Bronx. Those players would be first baseman Justin Bour and pitcher Dan Straily.

The 29-year old Bour is hitting for a .288/.367/.555 slash line. His 21 homers and 63 RBI are exactly the type of production needed to support Yanks’ slugger Aaron Judge.

At age 28, the right-handed Straily has gone 7-5 with a 3.49 ERA and 1.129 WHIP for the Fish. He has allowed just 96 hits over 113.1 innings over 20 starts with a 105/32 K:BB ratio.

The Yankees would probably not make such a deal from the very top of their prospect collection. But perhaps a package led by high ceiling 19-year old outfielder Estevan Florial would get it done. Emerging second baseman Nick Solak and a young prospect pitcher, maybe the resurgent Dillon Tate to round it off?

Whether or not those prospects tickle the fancy of Miami general manager Mike Hill, there are plenty of good Yankees minor league pieces to get a deal done.

Another possibility for the Yankees could be the Philadelphia Phillies. The combination of starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson and first baseman Tommy Joseph would fill their holes in a similar fashion.

July has already seen a number of deals get done. Yankees GM Brian Cashman has already pulled the trigger one time. A deal such as this one with the Marlins would go a long way towards ensuring a return to October baseball at Yankee Stadium.