At seven games above .500, and a game out of a playoff spot, the Fish made a huge trade with the Padres to make the statement that they are going for it. With the rotation being Miami’s biggest problem, they go out and acquire Andrew Cashner and Collin Rea from the Friars. In return, the Padres finally got rid of the disappointing Cashner, while bringing in a hall.
Unless the Marlins can turn Cashner into an elite #2 behind Jose Fernandez, San Diego is the winner of this blockbuster trade. The highlight of the hall the Friars received, despite Carter Capps becoming the closer for the Padres in 2017, is 1st base prospect Josh Naylor. The big Canadian left-handed hitter is ranked #7 overall on MLB.com’s first base prospects list. Many prospect reports have made indications that Naylor’s raw power is beyond his years, giving him a high score of 60 in the power column. Ever since Adrian Gonzalez left San Diego, the Padres have been trying to obtain a superstar, as obviously Matt Kemp hasn’t worked out, as he just got traded to the Braves, so Naylor could be that guy in a couple short years. In addition to Naylor, the Padres received a solidified right-handed starter in Jarred Cosart (if he can stay healthy) and Dominican pitching prospect Luis Castillo. Compared to the other deadline deals for big name pitchers, San Diego got more back for Cashner and Rea than they were worth. With that saying, the Marlins may really think they do have a chance of going deep into the playoffs.
Respectively, Andrew Cashner has been a huge disappointment, but after 4 years of starting and not putting up better than average numbers, how could the Marlins expect any different, nevertheless a great #2 behind Fernandez? Collin Rea is also no better than what the Marlins already have. A 4.14 ERA as a starting rotation that includes one ace and a bunch of #4’s will not get very far in the NL. If the Marlins were to trade a talent like Naylor, they should have tried to acquire a guy like Chris Archer instead. The Marlins are not at the championship contending level yet, so in the long run, the Padres won this trade.
