The Marlins obviously want to win now, and I think they probably do insist on Pineda which makes this a real tough call.
Pineda for Ramirez could be a tremendous win or a tremendous loss, with very little room for middle ground. Ramirez is still young and has consistently performed at a high level from a premium position, but he's got so many risks - injuries, the poor 2011, transitions to the AL, whining personality.
I do think the most likely scenario is something like .300 Avg, 25 HR's, 35 SB's with only slightly below average SS defense - which would be worth Pineda. However, it is not too hard to picture Ramirez pulling a mini-Figgins and turning into a disgruntled, .700 OPS player making $15 million and insisting on playing SS when he belongs in LF. Either he'll be untouchable or untradeable.
Adding Ramirez at the cost of Pineda fixes the offense but creates a short-term hole in the rotation, and I don't see Hultzen/Walker/Paxton stepping up big until Ramirez only has a year or two left on his contract.
All things considered, not too thrilled with the prospect of a Ramirez trade unless the Marlins are shopping him at a discount.
The M's would probably be better off trying to package non-elite prospects for Wright, acquiring Jones+Reynolds from Baltimore, kicking the tires on Ethier, or ideally seeing if Arizona is willing to shop Justin Upton again. No shortage of options out there....
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