First of all, ignore the guy who said Ichiro "has a history of getting hurt." Other than missing a handful of games this season he has not finished any of his previous eight season with less than 157 games played. He's about as reliable as they come.
As for the match up, it sounded a bit one-sided to me (in favor of the team getting Ichiro) but when I looked at the numbers it was pretty close. As others have said, you get certain things with Markakis that you don't get with Ichiro, and vice versa. So whatever makes sense for your team -- keeping in mind, of course, that you don't want to supply your opponent with the category they need.
Markakis has cooled off lately but he deserves the benefit of the doubt...he's bound to bounce back my mid-season at the latest. Ichiro is sporting a typical average (.342) and although speed seems a tad low (8 SB) he's surely going to rack up yet another fine season.
In other words, seems pretty fair for both parties. Go with your gut. My gut says Ichiro over Markakis, but what do I know?
