FOF Staff Roundtable: State of the Marlins entering 2024

[Fish On First Staff]

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[Guest]

Trade Luis Arraez to Boston for Rafaela, who goes to CF for Marlins while Chisholm goes back to 2B.

 

Acquire Noelvi Marte from CINN to be the franchise SS.

[Guest]

Arraez complete deal is Rafaela and Teel from Boston.

[Guest]

Marte complete deal is Luzardo or Garrett for Marte and Spencer Steer.

[Guest]

Those comments above certainly don't inspire confidence. Neither does the preponderance of evidence that this GM is in step with our beloved owner regarding any monetary expense. Furthermore it is most disturbing to read of Luzardo trades and hints of trading our best hitter. If these rumors about Arraez are coming from our FO, then he is obviously a goner.

There is a relatively competent roster at the ML level, and if I had any input, I'd build upon that nucleus rather than start another rebuild. Should that latter course be taken, there will be echoes throughout the ballpark rather than fans.

Our primary strength lies within our pitching in its entirety. To diminish any part of that dominance would be foolhardy at this time. Rather, the team should wait until late Spring Training, or even the commencement of the season to determine whether Rogers and Meyer have returned to their former level of confidence. Should that be the case, then Bendix can trade from a position of strength rather then mild desperation.

Regarding hitting, I would take the present reality and expand upon it. I would put Edwards at 2B and in the leadoff position with Arraez at first and hitting behind him. In my opinion, Edwards is a better fit than some of the mediocracy that we hear about. I see no need to sign a slugger and his numerable Ks within the confines of our budget. Bell would be my DH in most scenarios. As to acquiring a SS, I would emphasize speed and defensive competence. 3b and the outfield would remain as they are. My goal would be to emphasize the one part of the game that Shep largely ignored, and that is stolen bases. It would then feature a more interesting team to watch and potentially lead to more wins for the coming year. Those of you with gray in your hair might remember Whitey Herzog and his Cardinal team what performed exceedingly well under there perimeters. Perhaps most importantly, it falls within the purview of the team's budget. Money can , and should, then be spent to rebuild the farm system through our now more competent scouting staff.

[Guest Kommenter]

Great summary from the FoF team. Not much to disagree with. But it does underscore the inescapable conclusion that we are embarking on yet another rebuild, tearing down's Jeter's work starting with not bringing back Kimberly. Rebuilds take five years, what with having to go through multiple drafts, develop the players through the farm system and give them time in the majors to figure things out.

As a reminder, here is what out team CEO said at the start of the last rebuild, that for some weird reason, be refused to call a rebuild.

"And even though there have been some unpopular decisions, every decision we make is to make the Miami Marlins organization the best organization, a first-class organization from the players to the front office to our fans. This is an organization that will be in envy of other Major League franchises over time. I'm learning that you have to have some patience because nobody wants it to happen sooner than I do, but we will have to have some patience. And what I mean by patience, that does not mean we will not be competitive. We will be competitive. Every single person that takes the field for this organization is going to be playing like they're playing to keep their job. That's the attitude I had when I played and that's the attitude everyone will have to have in the organization."

For those not closely following the Marlins, they did NOT become the envy of other Major League franchises and only became competitive after said CEO departed.

Obviously Sherman saw that despite Kim's pulling a rabbit out of her hat and getting this team to the playoffs, the foundations of drafting and player development were non existent. So he effectively punted on her giving her a demotion he knew she would not accept.

Clearly Bendix's mandate is to replicate the Rays and that means our payroll is about $20 million too high. And we have Avisail for two more glorious years before his salary disapears. Let's hope we get some nice suprises, like performance out of our existing catcher and SS players, a solid year from Rogers, Meyers and Perez and solid drafts starting with the international draft in January. That should be enough for a 500 mark at the trade deadline, some good trades and maybe another fruitless trip to the playoffs and give fans something to cheer for. Happy New Year

[Guest]

When will Troy Johnston get his shot?