The Offishial Show: Could the Marlins Bring Harold Ramírez Home?

A cheap .300 hitter is reportedly on the trade block. The Miami Marlins have to be in the mix for him, right? Ely Sussman discusses the pros and cons of Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Harold Ramírez and what a fair trade proposal might be.

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With two years of club control remaining, the Rays are "shopping" Ramírez in part to open up more playing time for younger players, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Ramírez made his major league debut with the 2019 Marlins, but was designated for assignment entering 2021 spring training. In 2023, he set new career highs in numerous categories, including games played, runs scored, hits, home runs, runs batted in, stolen bases, walks, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, wRC+, total bases and fWAR. He's entering his age-29 season.

Ramírez's ceiling is limited by mediocre defense, overaggressiveness at the plate and a propensity for hitting groundballs. Still a clear upgrade for this Marlins roster! Also, his projected 2024 salary of $4.4M is far lower than what comparable players get in free agency.

Ramírez would not be a seamless fit for the Marlins considering there's some redundancy between his skill set and Avisaíl García. If they are ready to acknowledge that García is a sunk cost, though, this is an intriguing possibility.

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