Starling Marte was one of the best rentals available on the trade market and Jim Plunkett Jersey numerous contenders were expected to be interested in the Marlins outfielder.The winner of the sweepstakes, however, was a bit of a surprise. The Athletics managed to win the bidding war for his services, and they're paying a hefty price for the rental.Craig Mish was first to report that the A's were close to acquiring Marte. Then, MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported the return: 23-year-old pitching prospect Jesus Luzardo will be going to Miami in exchange for Marte.Marlins are close to trading OF Starling Marte to the Oakland Athletics per sources. Craig Mish (@CraigMish) Jesus Luzardo goes to Marlins for Marte Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) The Marte deal is one of the many pre-deadline deals that have taken place so far. , and Kendall Graveman are just a few of the bigger-name players that had been moved before Marte.Sporting News graded the trade for both the Athletics and the Marlins.MORE: The A's entered play on Wednesday with a record of 56-46. They're six games back of the Astros in the AL West and are maintaining a one-game lead on the Mariners in the Wild Card race. However, something was still mi sing from the team's lineup.Oakland's teamhas solid power butranks 23rd in the majors in batting average (.233) and just 19th in on-base percentage (.311). In particular, the A's outfield has lacked a true, all-around hitter. They have gotten some power from Ramon Laureano and Seth Brown, but adding an upgrade over the Brown, Stephen Piscotty, Tony Kemp platoon was ideal.Marte certainly provides that. He has been excellent for the Marlinsin 2021, as Marcel Reece Jersey he has posted a slash line of .306/.407/.453 and has produced 3.3 WAR on the season, per . Marte should take over as the leadoff hitter for the A's, and his good speed (22 steals) will provide a boost to the top of the lineup where Mark Canha had previously been a staple.Marte's speed will also help the Athletics in the outfield. They already have a good centerfielder in Ramon Laureano, but adding Marte to the unit will give them two excellent defenders and will allow them to cover a lot of ground at the RingCentral Coliseum.If Marte is such a good fit in Oakland, then why is the team getting only a B for acquiring him? Well, he's a rental and will hit the free-agent market next offseason. The A's don't seem likely to shell out big bucks for Marte, who turns 33 in October, so they likely acquired him for just a half of a season.If the A's win the World Series, it will be well worth it.If not, then Darren Waller T Shirts they will have given up a good resource for very little.Still, it's hard to penalize the Athletics too much for making a win-now move. After all, they do play in one of the toughest divisions in the league, so they'll need all the help they can get during this year's stretch run.FAGAN: The Marlins made a surprise playoff run during the shortened 2020 season, but they have not had the same luck in 2021. Currently, Miami is 44-57 and in the cellar of the NL East. They aren't going anywhere this season.That's what makes this trade so appealing for the Marlins. Marte was likely going to leave in free agency, so offloading him for an a set makes a lot of sense. Doing so and getting a potential-packed 23-year-old pitching prospect is a major victory for Kim Ng and Co.Granted, Jesus Luzardo has struggled this year. Maxx Crosby Jersey He has posted a 6.87 ERA in 13appearances for the A's and has had i sues containing the long ball. He has allowed 2.6 homers per nine innings and has walked 16 batters in 38 innings.Still, Luzardo will only turn 24 in September, and in his previous 18 MLB appearances which came during the 2019 and 2020 seasons his numbers were more respectable. He allowed just 1.3 homers per nine and had a 3.68 ERA. He walked 20 men, but that came in 71 innings pitched. And during that time, he notched 75 strikeouts.The Marlins can afford to be patient with Luzardo and let him work through his struggles on a big-league mound. That wasn't the case in Oakland because of its playoff aspirations, so this change of scenery could be good news for both Luzardo Nate Hobbs Jersey and the Marlins. Also, it's worth noting that Luzardo went toStoneman-Douglas high school inParkland, Fla., so this is a homecoming of sorts for him.Luzardo is under team control until 2026, so the Marlins turned an expiring a set into one that could benefit the team for the next half a decade. That's why they come out on top of this deal. It's all about the long-term picture.