Over the weekend, the Miami Marlins and the Minnesota Twins completed a trade that sent pitcher Pablo Lopez (plus two prospects) to the latter and infielder Luis Arraez to the former.
Arraez is a natural second baseman, just like Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jon Berti, Jean Segura, and Joey Wendle.
As it turns out, all of them are expected to be part of the Opening Day lineup.
But how?
How are they going to be aligned defensively when so many of them play the same position?
Flexibility, that is.
And an experiment or two.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. is going to play center field, per #Marlins GM Kim Ng
— Jordan McPherson (@J_McPherson1126) January 20, 2023
In his stint as a major leaguer, Chisholm has never player center field.
However, everybody in the organization – including himself – are on board with the plan and eager to see him win a Gold Glove as a center fielder.
He certainly has the speed and athleticism associated with an elite fielder at the position.
Center field is much more than that, though: he will have to learn footwork, instincts, running the right routes, and making the right jumps.
It’s easily the most difficult of outfield positions.
Will he have what it takes to succeed there?
Arraez, the reigning AL batting champion, will play his natural second base.
Segura will play third, Wendle will be the shortstop, and Berti will be a bench player.
The Marlins hope that everybody involved can ace their new defensive assignments, but it’s certainly going to be a challenge.
Acquiring top-end offensive talent hasn’t been as easy as they probably envisioned, and they have had to get creative.
NEXT: The Marlins Aren't Done After The Luis Arraez Trade