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Could the Yankees and Marlins match up to make a trade at the deadline?

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins currently lead the National League wild card, sit in second place in their division, and are rumored to be looking to add some pitching this summer. Meanwhile, the Yankees are a game below .500 and are in danger of falling into last place in the AL East. Because of the strengths and weaknesses of these two teams, it makes sense that they could easily become trade partners in just a few weeks time.

As the MLBTR report mentions, the Marlins could stand to upgrade the starting rotation around Jose Fernandez, as well as build a stronger bullpen. While the Yankees don't have much of a chance selling Miami on their starting pitching, they very clearly have plenty to offer when it comes to relievers. Right now, the Marlins have a strong core including closer A.J. Ramos, breakout reliever David PhelpsKyle Barraclough, Dustin McGowan, and Nick Wittgren, but to make a real playoff run, adding another reliever on top of all this could make them very dangerous against their National League opponents.

The Yankees currently have three closer-type pitchers who could very well take the closer label from Ramos. The arm that makes the most sense to trade is Aroldis Chapman, since he will be a free agent in the offseason. Then there's Andrew Miller, who is signed through 2018 and should bring back a nice haul if he were to be moved. However, trading Miller would be a statement about their intention to compete in 2017. Finally, Dellin Betances–despite having a down year so far–will be under control through 2020, giving him the most service time and maybe the most value.

Wondering about what the Yankees would get back in return is where a potential deal seems to hit a roadblock. If New York trades a reliever, the team will be selling in order to reload talent for next year. Unfortunately, the Marlins don't seem to have a lot of that on them at the moment. Not a single one of their prospects are on the top 100 list, and teams looking to buy generally don't start tearing down their team if they can help it.

The one prospect that caught my eye was former second overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft Tyler Kolek. He was throwing 100 mph in high school before the draft, but ended up losing some velocity once he turned pro, and ultimately required Tommy John surgery in 2015. Kolek has a heavy-sinking fastball, helping him to keep the ball on the ground, and could be a good fit for Yankee Stadium down the road. He's still only 20 years old, but the long road to recovery, followed by the patience the Marlins will need as he works through his command and velocity troubles, could cause Miami to give up on him, especially when it could mean scoring Aroldis Chapman for a team that is actually good.

Of course, Miami's core will remain intact for many years to come, giving them absolutely no incentive to start sacrificing the future for the team they have now. It isn't going anywhere. In the end, it might seem like a trade between these two teams just isn't going to happen. The Yankees might have what the Marlins want, but Miami has very little to offer New York in return. When you consider the amount of teams who will be looking for an elite reliever by the deadline, there should easily be a better offer out there somewhere.