Josh Johnson Rumors: Marlins Plan to Keep Johnson

While teams such as the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles, Angels, Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles have been tied to Miami Marlins starting pitcher Josh Johnson recently, the club is telling teams "they’re just going to keep their ace unless something unforeseen happens," reports Jayson Stark of ESPN:

After all that Josh Johnson talk, the Marlins were telling teams Monday they're just going to keep their ace unless something unforeseen happens. With 15 scouts watching closely Sunday, Johnson turned in a six-walk, four-whiff, five-inning start that one scout summed up with one word: "Uninspiring." So the Marlins are informing clubs they see more value in keeping Johnson, heading into his free-agent year, than trading him just to say they did.

Last week, some around the game said they’d be shocked if the 28-year-old Johnson wasn’t traded this summer. However, Stark was never as convinced, as the reported asking price for the right-hander has been extremely high. According to Stark, Miami was seeking a "star-caliber player who isn’t arbitration eligible." He said this would be a player such as Stephen Strasburg, Mike Trout or Chris Sale.

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Should the Marlins trade Johnson this summer?

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