Marlins may have a surprise trade chip as Winter Meetings open

Marlins may have a surprise trade chip as Winter Meetings open originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Miami Marlins keep telling anyone who will listen that Sandy Alcantara isn’t going anywhere, and that Edward Cabrera will only move if a team comes back with real prospect capital.

So, Ryan Weathers might be Miami’s best leverage trade chip as the Winter Meetings open next week. He doesn’t have Cabrera’s raw stuff or Alcantara’s hardware, but he checks a lot of boxes front offices care about in December. He's young, he throws hard, he gets ground balls, he's had success and he comes with three more seasons of club control.

The Marlins are exploring upgrades at first base, third base and in the outfield, and Weathers may be their cleanest path to those bats. If Miami’s rotation is going to fuel a lineup makeover, the name that makes it happen might not be the one anyone expected.

For pitching-hungry contenders trying to avoid blockbuster prices, he fits the profile perfectly.

Weathers has been limited to 24 starts over the past two seasons because of a lat strain, flexor strain and finger issue, which means any team acquiring him is inheriting legitimate risk. But when he has pitched, he’s looked like a mid-rotation arm ready for a jump. He’s posted a 3.74 ERA in 125 innings since the start of 2024, with a 22 percent strikeout rate, a 6.8 percent walk rate and an 11.7 percent swinging-strike rate that sits right around league average. His fastball has averaged 96.2 mph during that stretch, and he’s kept nearly 46 percent of balls on the ground.

Clubs see that package and picture the upside, especially at his age and cost. Miami acquired Weathers from the Padres in the Garrett Cooper deal in 2023 and has every reason to hold unless a bat they like is available. But with Cabrera carrying a high asking price and Alcantara unlikely to move, Weathers is the most gettable arm with meaningful value. He’s also the one whose acquisition cost could spike the fastest once contending teams begin to pivot off pricier targets.