MLB trade rumors: Marlins expected to trade Adeiny Hechavarria soon

UPDATE (Friday): Miami is likely to trade Hechavarria within the next 24-48 hours, per Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. The Rays appear to have “created some traction” in talks, while the Cardinals are reportedly out.

Our Jon Becker ran down the best fits for the shortstop this afternoon, predicting where he would fit with each club.
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ORIGINAL (Thursday): The Marlins are expected to trade shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria “within a few days,” sources told both Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald and Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports.

Passan’s sources said the Marlins are “still shopping offers” for Hechavarria, who is currently recovering from a left oblique strain. The 28-year-old has played in 20 games this year, slashing .277/.288/.385.

Jackson said the Rays and the Orioles have expressed interest in acquiring the Cuban, while other reports have linked the Cardinals.

There is interest in Hechavarria because he is more known for his elite defensive skills. In his six seasons in the majors, he has a career .979 fielding percentage and has made only 51 errors in his five seasons in Miami after being traded from the Blue Jays as part of the 12-player deal in which the Marlins sent Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes.

In addition, Hechavarria is eligible for arbitration after this season and is not a free agent until 2019. Passan says Hechavarria is owed around $2.5 million for this year and can make up to $6-7 million next season depending on performance.

Though Hechavarria is not owed a ton of money in the grand scheme, Jackson says Hechavarria and the Marlins have never agreed to an extension in the past because they were “far apart on money.” Plus, the Marlins are OK with letting him go after 2018 because their other infielders, J.T. Riddle and Miguel Rojas, are comparable in terms of production and are earning less than $550,000 apiece.