Despite a recent slip, the Miami Marlins likely still think they are in the thick of things in the competitive NL East and the NL Wild Card race. But the Marlins could use both a little more pop in their lineup and a bit more consistency from their bullpen. They addressed the former concern on Wednesday, reportedly by trading for Carlos Lee.

Sources: The Marlins are trading Matt Dominguez and P Rob Rasmussen for Carlos Lee.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 4, 2012

Lee will head from Houston, where he has been one of the more reliable contributors for a team that has struggled to stay within spitting distance of .400, to Miami and a squad that was 9.5 games back of the Washington Nationals at the beginning of Wednesday.

Lee has a .287/.336/.411 triple-slash to go with five home runs on the year, but any little bit of help is welcome in Miami. The Marlins had scored just 314 runs, worst in the NL East, entering July 4.

Dominguez had been considered a top prospect since being taken in the first round of the 2007 MLB Draft, but had just four extra-base hits in a brief September stint with Miami in 2011. Rasmussen was taken in the second round of the 2010 MLB Draft, but is likely a long-term project.

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