Marlins wave white flag with trade
The Miami Marlins signaled they are throwing in the towel on the season Monday by trading right-hander Anibal Sanchez and second baseman Omar Infante to the Detroit Tigers for three minor league players.
The Marlins get right-hander Justin Turner, catcher Rob Brantly and left-handed pitcher Brian Flynn.
The move wasn't a shock. The front office has hinted that moves could be made unless the team improved. The Marlins went into Monday's game against Atlanta seven games under .500 and are still 11 1/2 games out of first place despite their victory over the Braves.
"The team is really not in contention and is in a tenuous spot at best," said Larry Beinfest, Marlins president of baseball operations. "And I think it was time to restructure. We're not winning at the level that we want to be winning with the current group, so let's change things up."
Left-hander Wade LeBlanc will likely move into the rotation to fill Sanchez's spot, Beinfest said, but the team hopes to call up Turner before the end of the season.
"The message to the fans is we're disappointed, they should be disappointed," Beinfest said. "The current team did not win at the level we thought it should, and we need to make some changes. We're not winning as is, so we might as well try something else."
He did not rule out more moves before the July 31 trade deadline.
Turner and Brantley were assigned to Class AAA New Orleans. Flynn was assigned to Class AA Jacksonville.
Turner, 21, was the ninth overall pick in the 2009 draft. He went 1-1 with an 8.03 ERA in three starts for Detroit. He earned his first win Sunday against the White Sox.
Turner was 4-2 with a 3.16 ERA for Class AAA Toledo. Brantly, 23, batted .311 in Class AA. Flynn went 8-4 with a 3.71 ERA for Class A Lakeland and 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in one start with Class AA Erie.
