Trade Rumor: Starling Marte to Yankees Starting To Make Sense

Here's another of those "unwritten rules" of baseball: The Miami Marlins will trade an expensive star player before he's due for a big-money extension. 

Now comes word that center fielder Starling Marte has told the Marlins that he wants to stay in Miami and "would like to speak to the organization about an extension." Marlins General Manager Kim Ng says no contract discussions with Marte have taken place. 

Yup, that could be a sign that the Marlins are ready to cut bait on the free agent-to-be.

Marlins Outfielder Starling Marte told me he wants to stay with the Marlins and end his career here. He told me he would like the organization to speak with him about an extension. I will discuss our entire conversation on the next @SwingsAndMishes.

— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) June 9, 2021

And guess which team that DOES like to acquire players and give them big contracts is in desperate need of an offensive boost AND a star center fielder? Yes, that would be the New York Yankees.

Lots of Starling Marte chatter today, so @rcoles0206 provided some rapid reactionhttps://t.co/W7uCc1UPQg

— Pinstripe Perspective (@pinstripepers) June 9, 2021

After a four-hit night, Marte today sits on a .360 batting average with a 1.054 OPS, along with six stolen bases and Gold Glove defense in center field. 

Starling is actually the second Marte that's rumored to be in the Yankees' sights, and should make for some interesting discussions leading up to the July 30 trade deadline. 

Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports