If the Miami Marlins choose to sell, the Oakland Athletics will reportedly be ready to pounce.
Oakland is showing interest in Marlins outfielders Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich as potential trade targets, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The A's would apparently prefer to acquire a right-handed hitter, meaning the righty-hitting Ozuna could be their preferred target of the two outfielders.
It's not clear if the teams have engaged in trade discussions about either player, or what the Marlins might be interested in as a return.
Both Ozuna and Yelich would appeal to the cost-conscious Athletics on at least one level, as young outfielders with several years of team control remaining. Ozuna has another two years of arbitration eligibility, though MLB Trade Rumors projects his salary will rise significantly in arbitration this winter - from $3.5 million to $10.9 million. Yelich, meanwhile, is on a team-friendly contract that runs through 2022; his salary will jump to a still-reasonable $7 million in 2018.
Thanks to their recent ownership change from Jeffrey Loria to Derek Jeter, the Marlins are looking to slice payroll significantly and are reportedly aiming to get below the $90-million mark. Dealing one of Ozuna or Yelich is a possible route they could take, rather than trading Giancarlo Stanton.
Related: This is how the Marlins can keep Giancarlo Stanton
Ozuna broke out at the plate in 2017, slashing .312/.376/.548 with 37 homers, 124 RBIs, and a 142 wRC+ - all career-high totals for the 26-year-old. He also took home his first Gold Glove, having tallied 11 defensive runs saved in left field this year.
Yelich, a native of Thousand Oaks, Calif., slashed .282/.369/.439 with 18 homers, 81 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases in 156 games last season. The 25-year-old won a Gold Glove as a left fielder in 2014, and a Silver Slugger award in 2016.
