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The Marlins offered a star outfielder March starling a three-year, $ 30 million contract extension, reports USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Marte rejected the proposal and Nightengale writes that there is now “a great chance” that the impending free agent will be traded before the July 30 deadline.
It’s not particularly surprising to hear Marte and his Rep 1 Baseball reps pass a $ 30 million proposal. Jordan McPherson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reported last month that Marte was looking for a three or four year contract that made around $ 50 million.
Considering how well Marte has performed this year, this $ 50 million request certainly doesn’t seem extravagant. He should hit free agency as the best center fielder available (excluding utility Chris taylor) thanks to an impressive .286 / .389 / .443 line on 240 plate appearances. Marte has always been a productive player, but he reached his career best this year thanks to a more patient approach. Marte’s throws outside the strike zone at the lowest rate of his career, allowing for a record walking percentage of 12.1%. He achieves a high rate of hard-hits and hits a career-high 10.2% in battes, per Statcast, a mark that places him in the 66th percentile in the league.
Marte will be 33 in October, which will limit the length of any new agreement. Yet it has yet to show the harmful effects of aging. In addition to his strong offense, Marte still leads the bases and defends at a high level. His sprint speed is down a bit from his physical peak, but he’s still an 85th percentile runner. And advanced defensive metrics have set his gloves above par, so there doesn’t appear to be any real concern about his ability to hold up midfield over the next two seasons.
The Marlins’ books are almost completely empty for 2022 and beyond, so there is room for the club to increase their offer to Marte if they want him to stay. If they are unwilling to approach the price Marte asks for a long-term investment, then a trade does indeed seem the most likely course of action. At 40-51, the Fish sit last in the NL East and are almost certain to miss the playoffs in 2021. The Marlins could hang on to Marte until the end of the year and make him a qualifying offer, but contending clubs seem more likely. offer a potential return over the next two weeks that is more valuable than the compensatory draft pick Miami would receive if Marte rejected a QO and signed elsewhere.
A handful of contenders have received little to no production from their center players this season. The Yankees, Braves, Phillies, Rays, Reds, Blue Jays, Mariners, Brewers and Red Sox all received below-par production in this position. A few of those teams (including Tampa Bay, Toronto, Milwaukee and Boston) have viable internal alternatives that might deter them from pursuing a center-field upgrade. It is not clear whether the Yankees and Mariners are in a position to prosecute an impending free agent at the deadline. The presence of the Braves and Phillies in the division could be an obstacle to a deal.
While there are potential obstacles to a Marte trade in any specific case, it stands to reason that a few of these needy central clubs will be in contact with Miami. Teams looking for an assist from the outfield could certainly look to Marte as well. He has plenty of early career experience in left field, or an acquisition team could push his center fielder up into a corner to accommodate a Marte pickup. The reported lack of progress on extension talks will make Marte one of the top contenders for player trading over the next twelve days.
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