This season, your esteemed writer will be breaking down every trade across the league—blockbusters, bench shuffles, and the annual tradition of Florida and Arizona trading with each other because… of course they did.
The Florida Marlins trade CF Lance Blankenship, P Pedro Martinez (no, not that one), and $90,000 to the Arizona Diamondbacks for OF Alex Cole.
Go ahead, raise your hand if you’re surprised the Marlins and Diamondbacks linked up for yet another deal.
Looks around. Still no hands.
Florida’s intentions here were pretty transparent. They wanted to move on from Lance Blankenship and get back something that didn’t feel so locked into a single outcome. Enter Alex Cole, a player who won’t wow anyone but does a few things competently. He brings speed, a passable eye at the plate, and just enough versatility to justify a roster spot. As a bench piece, he’s fine—and being cost-controlled through next season sweetens the deal for a Marlins team that treats payroll like it’s radioactive.
Arizona, meanwhile, is rolling the dice on Blankenship in a way that actually makes sense. Since last season, their center field situation has been a rotating cast of “once pretty good” (Kunkel) and “probably shouldn’t be playing here” (Curtis, Huskey). Blankenship at least comes with a green defensive rating, which already puts him near the top of Arizona’s depth chart by default. Whether that earns him real playing time or just a well-dressed bench seat remains to be seen.
Pedro Martinez—again, not that one—has pitched well for Arizona before, so this is a reunion more than a mystery. Toss in the $90,000 to balance the books, and suddenly this trade looks less like a gamble and more like a shrug from both front offices.
Overall, this isn’t a headline-grabbing deal—and that’s okay. It’s the kind of trade that’s defensible for both teams, unlikely to age poorly, and probably won’t be regretted six months from now.
Trade Grades
Arizona Diamondbacks: B+
Florida Marlins: B+
Call it a mutually beneficial exchange, or just two teams that know each other’s phone numbers a little too well.