For the Phillies and Yankees, center field has actually been a revolving door thanks to injuries.
Marte alone could conceivably be included with a bit of navigating under the tax line, however that would get rid of pretty much all offered payroll space for additional trade needs like pitching.
Marte might also be consisted of as part of a bigger trade bundle that might see numerous players swap clubs, with perhaps a larger contract sent back Miamis method as some kind of salary offset.
Reports from earlier today showed that Starling Marte declined the Marlins offer of a three-year, $30MM agreement extension, making it even more likely that the outfielder would be dealt prior to the July 30 trade due date. Agreement settlements are now over in between the 2 sides, according to The Miami Heralds Craig Mish (Twitter links), as Marte didnt desire the talk with end up being a diversion for him as the 2nd half of the season advances.
MLB Networks Jon Heyman (via Twitter) adds the detail that the Marlins extension deal was greater than 3 years and $30MM, however regardless, it now appears that the group will concentrate on dealing Marte. As one may anticipate, Marte is already drawing interest from several suitors, as Heyman writes that the Astros, Phillies, and Yankees are three of the groups who have been in touch with the Marlins about the previous All-Star.
Marte would be an upgrade for almost any team, considering his excellent.288/.387/.443 slash line, 7 house runs over 249 plate appearances this season (though Statcast mean some regression). In addition to his bat, the 32-year-old Marte also has 20 steals from 23 opportunities and he has actually displayed some remarkable glovework in center field.
This is all music to the ears of outfield-needy teams like Houston, Philadelphia, and New York. The Astros have actually gotten extremely solid results both offensively and defensively from Myles Straw and Chas McCormick up the middle, however there is no doubt Marte would represent a big upgrade. For the Phillies and Yankees, center field has been a revolving door thanks to injuries.
In terms of contract, Marte is owed around $5.1 MM of his initial $12.5 MM income for the 2021 season. This adds another wrinkle to the trade market, as Martes three known suitors are all really near exceeding the $210MM Competitive Balance Tax threshold. Marte alone might possibly be added with a little bit of navigating under the tax line, but that would remove basically all readily available payroll area for additional trade needs like pitching.
Throughout the winter season and into the season, the Yankees and Astros have in particular made several moves suggesting that staying under the tax line (and avoiding an escalating repeater penalty) is a top priority, though both Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner and Astros GM James Click just recently specified that they would go over the CBT line in the best situation. The Phils have never ever surpassed the luxury tax line, but owner John Middleton has actually stated in the past that he would likewise be willing to make a tax payment for a difference-making addition.
An argument can definitely be made that Marte is such an addition, though it is also possible that he could be obtained in a trade that would not need any CBT overage. The Marlins could be more ready to eat most or all of Martes salary if they were used higher-caliber potential customers, though then it ends up being a concern of just how much possibility value any of the three teams would want to give up for a rental gamer. Marte could likewise be included as part of a bigger trade plan that may see several players swap clubs, with perhaps a bigger contract returned Miamis method as some kind of salary balanced out.