The Marlins’ recent 12-game losing streak put a serious dent in their postseason hopes and ostensibly changed president of baseball operations Peter Bendix’s course at the deadline. While Miami isn’t expected to act as a pure seller, the Fish appear more open to making some sell-side moves if they bring back help in other areas of need. There have already been reports that they’re open to offers on catcher/designated hitter Liam Hicks. Today, the trio of Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon and Katie Woo at The Athletic report that Miami will at least listen to offers on controllable bats, including shortstop Otto Lopez, second baseman Xavier Edwards and outfielder Heriberto Hernández. The Athletic’s report suggests that pitchers Sandy Alcantara, Max Meyer, Eury Pérez and young catcher Joe Mack are largely believed to be off limits.
It’s always worth emphasizing this year: listening on players of this nature is far different from shopping them. Miami certainly isn’t in a rush to push someone like Lopez or Edwards out the door, but there’s no harm in seeing what offers could materialize in what increasingly looks like a seller’s market. Several clubs are on the lookout for infield help and/or right-handed bats, all of which looks to be in short supply.
Notably, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that the Red Sox have inquired on Lopez, in particular. There’s no indication talks are serious, but Boston just stunned many in the industry by shipping five-plus years of control over left-hander Connelly Early to the Nationals in exchange for four-plus years of breakout infielder and former top prospect Curtis Mead. (In a brutal twist of fate for the Sox, Mead suffered a broken wrist in his team debut.) The Sox have been looking for right-handed bats and shortstops. Lopez would check both boxes.
Lopez, 27, has a relatively similar late-bloomer vibe to Mead. Miami plucked him off waivers after he’d been cut loose by the Jays and Giants alike. He’s been a quality glove-first infielder for each of the past two seasons but has exploded at the plate in 2026. Lopez leads the majors in batting average and is slashing .328/.362/.492 overall.
Lopez doesn’t walk much (5.1%) and has at best average power (nine homers, .164 ISO), but he’s extremely difficult to strike out (13.1%) and provides huge value both on defense and on the basepaths. Lopez has been credited with positive marks from Defensive Runs Saved (7) and Outs Above Average (5) through two-thirds of the ’26 season, and he’s 22-for-26 in stolen base attempts. He’s been an absolute menace versus lefties in ’26, hitting .388 and slugging .571 this season, although he’s well below average versus southpaws in his career overall.
The Marlins control Lopez through 2029. He’s earning barely more than the league minimum this season but is going to get a substantial raise in arbitration this winter. He’ll be owed two additional arb raises ahead of the 2028 and 2029 seasons. That remaining club control, coupled with the lack of an obvious heir in the upper minors, will create a huge asking price. Last year’s No. 7 overall pick, Aiva Arquette, could eventually claim the long-term shortstop role in Miami, but he’s only played 27 games above High-A and has yet to produce much in Double-A. Twenty-year-old Starlyn Caba is having a breakout season in the minors but hasn’t even reached Double-A yet.
There would be similar risks in trading Edwards, who’s also under control for three additional seasons. The 26-year-old switch-hitter is batting .291/.372/.403 with six homers and 27 steals. Like Lopez, he’s extremely difficult to strike out (13.6%). Unlike Lopez, Edwards is adept at drawing free passes, which he’s done at an 11.9% clip in 2026. Edwards graded out very poorly at shortstop before he and Lopez flipped infield spots early last season. He’s since posted strong marks at second base. As is the case with Lopez, there’s no immediate replacement champing at the bit for a major league opportunity in the upper minors. Of course, since Edwards and/or Lopez would command significant returns, either could net a younger, more controllable infielder in addition to various other prospects.
Hernández is also 26 years old but isn’t as established as either of the infielders mentioned. He’s posted a nice .253/.329/.457 line (115 wRC+) in 569 big league plate appearances but done so with a higher-than-average 26.4% strikeout rate and contact trends that suggest he might struggle to even keep his strikeout rate down at that level. Hernández’s chase rate on pitches outside the zone is excellent, but his contact rate is bleak — both on those chases and on swings within the zone. The league-average contact rate when chasing is just over 59%. Within the zone, it’s all the way up to 86%. Hernández has a 44.6% contact rate when he chases and just a 76.6% rate when swinging at pitches in the zone.
While Hernández has been better than average overall against both righties and lefties, he’s only slightly north of par versus right-handed opponents. The majority of his damage in the majors has come when facing lefties, who he’s roughed up for a .259/.342/.503 line (129 wRC+).
That should still create some interest in Hernández. Right-handed bats are scarce on this year’s market, and that paucity combined with his remaining five years of club control makes him a compelling under-the-radar name. The Red Sox, Mariners, Yankees, Twins, D-backs and Guardians could all use a right-handed bat and/or help in the outfield corners.
There’s zero pressure for the Marlins to trade Hernández, who can’t even reach arbitration until at least the 2028-29 offseason, but given that the Marlins picked him up in minor league free agency in the 2024-25 offseason, they might be more willing to sell high on a player they essentially added for free.
Hernández is a well above-average runner with a strong but (to this point) inaccurate arm. He’s limited to corner outfield work but has the tools to be a quality defender there. His underlying metrics in the batter’s box are also impressive. Hernández has averaged 91.2 mph off the bat with an 11.9% barrel rate and 48.3% hard-hit rate in the majors. This year’s average bat speed of 74.8 mph is in the 79th percentile of MLB hitters. Hernández swings hard and, accordingly, hits the ball hard … when he makes contact.
It’s not clear precisely what the Marlins would seek in return for any of these names — or for the bevy of relievers they could move in the next five days. A plug-and-play rotation option or a controllable third baseman should be on the team’s wish list, though subtracting someone like Lopez or Edwards would only create another hole in the infield. Presumably, Lopez and Edwards would require packages of multiple young big leaguers and/or big league-ready prospects. Hernández has only been back in the majors for a couple months after being optioned earlier this year, and Miami is deeper in outfielders than infielders. The price on him probably isn’t as steep.
Again, no one from this controllable group — Hicks, Edwards, Lopez, Hernández — should be seen as especially likely to change hands. Even after their 12-game freefall in the standings, the Marlins are in the Wild Card race. They’re not likely to deal anyone from this group for pure prospects. Miami’s aim is going to be to remain competitive this season and to better position the club for success in 2027 and beyond. But with so few clear sellers this season, teams in this spot are going to be tempted to trade from the big league roster in order to address multiple areas of need. Call it “threading the needle,” “walking the tightrope” or whatever cliché you prefer; the Marlins are one of several teams around the league who’ll have some interesting calls to make on unconventional trade candidates over the next five days.
