The Miami Marlins have expanded their first baseman search beyond Adam LaRoche, Chris Davis and Evan Gattis. While they look for trades on that front, they acquired a right-hander to join the bullpen on Friday.
Miami made an offer to LaRoche, but the lefty signed with the Chicago White Sox last week. Then they inquired about the Orioles' Chris Davis and the Braves' Evan Gattis, but not much has developed on that front. It's now speculated Oakland A's first baseman Brandon Moss and Boston Red Sox first baseman/outfielder Allen Craig have been added to the mix, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro and Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
Moss has had a good tenure with the Oakland Athletics. Since joining the team in 2012, the slugger has batted .248/.326/.460 with 76 home runs and 220 RBIs. He was an All-Star in 2014 and nearly propelled the A's past the Kansas City Royals in the AL Wild-Card Game after going 2-for-5 with two home runs and five RBIs in the 9-8 loss. Although it's unknown if the A's are willing to part with Moss, the 31-year-old is entering his second year of arbitration eligibility, which could indicate Oakland might want to deal him and avoid paying him a significant raise.
Now does their acquisition of Billy Butler make more sense?
As for Craig, the Red Sox are probably willing to trade him. Craig is currently serving as the team's backup first baseman behind Mike Napoli and will also be used in the outfield behind the slew of players out there. Although the team has been listening to offers for Yoenis Cespedes, the emergence of the Marlins in the trade market can help them get Craig off their hands. There is little room for Craig because of the presence of capable starters and young players (Mookie Betts, Brock Holt and Jackie Bradley Jr.).
Despite his poor 2014 campaign, Craig logged an All-Star season in 2013 after batting .315/.373/.457 with 13 home runs and 97 RBIs. In 2012, Craig added a good stat line of .307/.354/.522 with 22 home runs and 92 RBIs in 119 games. The Marlins perhaps feel they can get Craig on the cheap since his trade value is low after his stints with the Cardinals and Red Sox in 2014.
But Miami isn't only concerned with the first base position. The team acquired right-handed reliever Aaron Crow from the Kansas City Royals on Friday in exchange for left-hander Brian Flynn, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. Crow was a member of one of the best bullpens in the league last season and helped the Royals to their first postseason appearance since 1985.
However, Crow was left off the team's postseason roster and was unhappy with manager Ned Yost's decision. As a result, the Royals shipped the 28-year-old to the Marlins to join another solid bullpen. Kansas City received a 24-year-old left-handed starter in Flynn. The youngster posted an 8-10 record with a 4.06 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 25 starts with Triple-A New Orleans and has made six appearances in the big leagues.
It's good to see teams are being active in the trade market, especially those who are in need of roster improvement.
