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Before the Miami Marlins acquired Jake Burger and Josh Bell at the 2023 MLB trade deadline, they tried to pull off a surprising deal with the Boston Red Sox. The Marlins and Red Sox had extensive discussions about a Justin Turner trade, The Athletic reports. Miami thought it was close to completing a trade for Justin Turner until talks fell through, according to The Athletic.
When the Marlins failed to land Turner from the Red Sox, they shifted gears. Miami pried Burger away from the Chicago White Sox in an unexpected move. The Marlins also picked up Bell, who was moved at the trade deadline for a second straight year.
It's hard to imagine that a Red Sox' trade of Turner would've gone over well with most Boston fans. After posting MLB's best record in July, Boston is just 2.5 games out of the final AL wild-card spot. Turner has played a big role in keeping the Red Sox in contention.
Turner is hitting .286/.356/.481 with 17 home runs and 71 RBI in 102 games. Only Rafael Devers has hit more homers and driven in more runs for the Red Sox in 2023. Turner's .837 OPS is good for 14th in the American League.
Bell and Burger made an immediate impact for the Marlins. Both players debuted with Miami in the Marlins' 9-8 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. Bell had four hits in five at-bats, including a home run and a game-tying single in the 11th inning. Burger had two hits in four at-bats. Burger scored a game-tying run in the 10th inning that kept the Marlins alive.
Miami is tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the final NL wild-card spot.
