Giancarlo Stanton, Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes are likely the only players for sure to be Marlins on August 1st. They are really trying to deal Josh Johnson and the Rangers are hot on his trail. They would get a King’s ransom for him. The Marlins will likely also try to move 1B Carlos Lee, closer Heath Bell, starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano and catcher John Buck. They might be able to get a decent prospect for those guys. Gaby Sanchez, Austin Kearns and Greg Dobbs are also likely on the block. Hopefully the Marlins are spenders over the winter again to try to rebuild the team quickly.

The Marlins really need another impact bat if they are going to make a run in the N.L. East. They are currently tied for last in the N.L. East with a 35-40 record, which has them 9 games behind the Nationals. The Marlins could aim big for a 1B like Justin Morneau, Carlos Lee or Bryan LaHair or they could make a move for Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Quentin, Michael Cuddyer or Will Venable. If they go the outfielder route, Logan Morrison would move to 1B. I really like the idea of going for Justin Morneau, who would give the offense more balance, as he is a lefty swinger. The Marlins aren’t likely go be sellers at the trade deadline, as they want to build the fan base with their new stadium.

The Florida Marlins aren’t going to trade any of their younger players this week at the trade deadline with them moving into a brand new stadium next year. I still see them making some deals for prospects though. Closer Leo Nunez is the top trade chip the Marlins will likely make available this week. The Angels, Rangers, Phillies, Braves, Pirates and Diamondbacks will likely line up for a shot to get Nunez. Righty relievers Brian Sanches and Burke Badenhop could also be on the move as long as the Marlins get what they want for them. Infielder Omar Infante will be pursued by the Rangers, Braves, Brewers, Cardinals, Giants and D-Backs so he could be on the move by this Sunday too. The Marlins would love to dump righty starting pitcher Javier Vazquez or veteran infielder Wes Helms, but I don’t see them having much luck in those ventures.

The Florida Marlins need to keep most of the team going into the new stadium next year. But, I think they should deal some of the older guys in the bullpen for some young players with upside. First off, I would be calling the Detroit Tigers and I would offer them righty reliever Brian Sanches for 2B Will Rhymes and rookie shortstop Dixon Machado. I would then turn around and deal lefty reliever Randy Choate and righty reliever Burke Badenhop to the Milwaukee Brewers for rookie 3B Taylor Green. Green would immdiately become the everyday 3B for the Marlins for the rest of this season. Rhymes could compete for P.T. at 2B right away too. The beautiful thing about these deals is that Sanches, Badenhop and Choate weren’t likely to be on the Marlins next year anyways.

I could see the Marlins being buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. If the Marlins get on a hot streak, I think they will look to deal for a starting pitcher due to the failure of both Chris Volstad and Javier Vazquez so far this year. If the Marlins become buyers I think they will look at starting pitchers like Jeff Francis, Francisco Liriano, Chris Capuano, Wade LeBlanc, Kevin Slowey, Jeremy Guthrie, Aaron Harang and maybe Hiroki Kuroda. If the Marlins are in the hunt they would be smart to make some deals to improve the team as a good faith gesture to the fans building momentum for the opening of the new stadium in 2012. If the Marlins are sellers I don’t see them trading any of the future away. I see relievers like Clay Hensley, Brian Sanches and Randy Choate becoming available in late July if the current tailspin goes on for the Marlins. I also see Greg Dobbs, Omar Infante, Emilio Bonifacio, Wes Helms and Jose Lopez being available if the Marlins don’t start turning things around soon.

The Florida Marlins only have three free agents heading into the winter. Here is how I think they will handle dealing with these guys:

Will Ohman: 33-year old lefty reliever Will Ohman pitched in 17 games (0 starts) for the Marlins after coming over in a deal with the Orioles and he was 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Ohman pitched in 68 games (0 starts) for the O’s & Marlins in which he was 0-2 with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. VERDICT: The Marlins should try to re-sign Ohman as long as they don’t get into a bidding war for him.

Chad Tracy: 30-year old lefty swinging 1B/3B Chad Tracy played in 41 games for the Marlins last season and he was 25 of 102 (.245 avg, .630 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 homer and 10 RBIs. Tracy played in 69 games combined with the Cubs & Marlins last season and he was 36 of 146 (.247 avg, .628 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 1 homer and 15 RBIs. VERDICT: The only way I see the Marlins bringing Tracy back is on a minor league deal.

Jorge Sosa: 33-year old righty reliever Jorge Sosa pitched in 22 games (2 starts) for the Marlins last season and he was 2-3 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. VERDICT: The Marlins let him walk.

I just have a feeling that all of the talk around Cody Ross, Dan Uggla, Ricky Nolasco and Jorge Cantu is nothing more than a smokescreen. I do see the Marlins moving Leo Nunez and Brian Sanches possibly to the Yankees for a package of righty reliever Mark Melcanon, outfielder Colin Curtis and infielder Ramiro Pena. I also think the Marlins will move lefty starting pitcher Nate Robertson and I think the Dodgers are a good fit. Rule 5 Draft pick Carlos Monasterios would be a solid return for a guy like Robertson. With a new stadium coming in 2012 the Marlins can’t afford to have a traditional firesale but look for them to still dump a little bit of salary in Nunez.

The Marlins are 39-43 on the season which has them in fourth place in the N.L. East, 8.5 games behind the Braves. If the Marlins are buyers they will likely look to add help to the bullpen and maybe the bench. If they become sellers they will field a ton of calls as they could trade Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, Cody Ross, Ricky Nolasco and Brian Sanches. The Marlins could get a nice haul of prospects who would get to play in the new stadium in 2012 if they could move those guys. It will be interesting to see what kind of directive Marlins’ owner Jeff Loria gives to his GM. I have a feeling they will be selling.

Cameron Maybin looks overmatched and Chris Coghlan is looking like the pitchers have figured him out. With that in mind the Marlins should be calling the Royals about David DeJesus. I think the Royals would definitely trade DeJesus and cash to the Marlins for Renyel Pinto and Bryan Petersen. This is a trade the Marlins would have to make because they need to start getting some production out of the top of the lineup which is where DeJesus would bat (1st or 2nd). Maybin is clearly overmatched right now both at the plate and in the field as he looks like he needs more time in AAA.