As you've presumably read by now, the Miami Marlins have effectively punted their season (though admittedly not as badly as the Blue Jays punted rounds 4-10 in this year's draft) by trading Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to the Tigers earlier today. With assets like Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson still available and AA always looking to find surplus value, I am curious how well the two teams mesh in a potential trade.

There has been considerable noise made (and justifiably so) about the defensive limitations of Hanley Ramirez going forward, as well his developing inability to hit or get on base the year and a half. Pair those issues with his apparent lack of desire and intensity, and he's the type of talent AA would lick his chops for. That being said, I'm not sure how he would profile as a 2B, or a LF, and with Lawrie locking down 3B for the foreseeable future, a DH/utility role would seem to be where he would fit in Toronto. All this being said, He's had nearly 680 AB's the past two years of sub-.750 OPS, and his career OPS still rests above .870. The talent is clearly there, and this buy-low opportunity seems timely given the managerial "tilting" of the Miami Marlins.

Josh Johnson, a year removed from Tommy John surgery, is another elite-caliber player who should find himself available given the tumultuous state of the Miami franchise. The stuff is obvious with Josh Johnson, and as many pitchers with arm injuries experienced inconsistency the year after their respective surgeries, Josh Johnson is no different. That said, Johnson's FIP (3.13) and SIERA (3.79) all indicate that he's capable of being a difference-maker.

The focal point of the Blue Jays prospective acquisitions should in my view, be all about gathering pitching by sacrificing major/minor league hitting talent, in an effort to harmonize the upper level imbalance between hitting and pitching. Miami has a desolate minor league system (even with Brantly/Turner being added), and the Blue Jays have the flexibility to offer the Marlins a multitude of packages. Simply put, Josh Johnson could be the ace we Jays fans have been looking for.

Thoughts?

Go Jays Go.