Healthy Pablo Lopez must be top priority for Miami Marlins

Win or lose over the next month, nothing can be more important to the Miami Marlins than the health of starting pitcher Pablo Lopez.

The Miami Marlins have had plenty of injuries to deal with this season. More than their fair share ,honestly, and it’s somewhat remarkable that their record is only five games under .500. But if it comes to the question of which injury is most concerning, the answer is easy:

Pablo Lopez- the most important member of the Miami Marlins organization.

Now, that might sound slightly off base at first glance, given the growing star power of two of his teammates. Even if Lopez himself is enjoying a career year, and looks to be a lock to make his first All-Star appearance. Staff ace Sandy Alcantara is just on another level right now, and is pushing hard for Cy Young consideration. Meanwhile, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. is having a breakout season, and just might be the coolest player in baseball. That last bit is only worth so much on the field, but it’s invaluable in marketing and media buzz for a franchise desperate to capture some.

However, because of all those above points, Alcantara and Chisholm Jr. aren’t going anywhere. If Alcantara tweaks a shoulder, he’s still your Miami Marlins Opening Day Starter every Opening Day he’s healthy until 2027. Same goes for Chisholm Jr. at second base. Come what may, they are the franchise faces.

In contrast, the same can’t be said for Lopez. He’s looks to be uniquely on the fence for this organization, both indispensable to any kind of 2022 run and also perhaps a luxury the Miami Marlins can’t afford. With big name prospects like Max Meyer, Eury Perez, and Jake Eder knocking on the door, his production can be replaced.

But what can’t be replaced is his status as Miami’s biggest trade asset.

Despite pretty favorable rankings in terms of run differential, the Marlins offense just doesn’t move the needle as a playoff caliber unit, and perhaps not even one capable of winning more than they lose. Quite frankly, none of Miami’s top offensive prospects look like slam dunks to do anything about that fact either. The club needs more hitting.

Dealing Lopez can get them that help…assuming he’s healthy enough either this summer or this offseason to fetch the kind of haul he would warrant.

Ideally, the Marlins would keep him, and simply spend more on payroll to add to a roster that includes him. But the Marlins don’t have a history of spending ideally, with this offseason’s overpay for Avisail Garcia looming as particularly relevant example. Garcia is not tradable, which means that’s $53 million Miami isn’t spending on the next big free agent hitter- or Lopez himself. I covered this in depth about a month back, and nothing has really changed, save for Lopez’s now questionable health.

So as painful as it is, if it takes a brief IL stint or a few games with a pitch count to ensure that health, the Miami Marlins need to do it.

Bottom-line, the Miami Marlins need Pablo Lopez back healthy as soon as possible. It makes the team better right now, and could be the only way they get better moving forward.