Breakout reliever Declan Cronin expected to draw heavy trade interest at deadline

[Ely Sussman]

Offishial News for 6/3/24

On Sunday, former Marlins first-round draft pick Andrew Heaney worked six scoreless frames. Miami's offense was held without an extra-base hit. Speaking of extra-base hits, Tim Anderson has not had one since April. He's 1-for-his-last-21 at the plate. Trevor Rogers set a season high by completing six innings himself, but he surrendered three runs in the opening minutes of the game. Rogers' average fastball velocity was lower than any other appearance of his MLB career. The Marlins lost, 6-0.

Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville lost, 3-1. Avisaíl García went 0-for-3 with a walk, an error and a double play grounded into. He slashed .105/.190/.211 this past week in five rehab games. JT Chargois threw two more innings of hitless relief and his reinstatement from the injured list seems imminent. High-A Beloit won, 7-2. RHP Ike Buxton (5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 84 pitches/57 strikes) recorded his first win of the season. Low-A Jupiter won, 2-1. RHP Jake Brooks (6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 71 pitches/48 strikes) retired 18 of the 21 batters he faced.

Here's more Marlins news and content for you:

🔷 The same bothersome right shoulder that derailed Sixto Sánchez's career from 2021-2023 has landed him on the injured list again. Frankly, the Marlins won't miss him—Sánchez's 10.5% strikeout rate was second-lowest among major leaguers with a minimum of 30 innings pitched. In seven starts, he never exceeded five innings, taxing the rest of the pitching staff. Roddery Muñoz is the leading candidate to fill his vacated starting rotation spot.

🔷 Listen back to the latest State of the Fish call-in show. Beginning at the 44-minute mark, we were joined by Craig Mish from SportsGrid for an extended Q&A about Marlins trade candidates and the direction of the franchise. Perhaps the top news nugget was that Avi García's Marlins tenure "may be coming to the end of the line," per Mish. Do not assume that he will be reinstated from the IL this week. García is earning a $12M salary from the Marlins this season and is still owed $17M more beyond 2024. Mish also considers right-hander Declan Cronin the second-most likely Marlin to be traded behind only pending free agent closer Tanner Scott. He compared Cronin to Nick Anderson in 2019, who was flipped in the midst of his first full MLB campaign to acquire then-prospect Jesús Sánchez. Mish wrapped up the show by acknowledging he's been very "negative" about Sixto through the years...and insisting that he has formed that opinion through conversations with members of the Marlins organization.

🔷 Through 19 Marlins series, @Isaac Azout has soared into second place on the Prediction Time leaderboard. Make series predictions with us all season long when you become a Fish On First SuperSub.

🔷 On Saturday, Alex Carver wrote about the keys to Cronin's success, particularly his excellence during the month of May. His first June appearance on Sunday was more of the same.

🔷 Louis Addeo-Weiss ponders a possible position change for Jazz Chisholm Jr. Would potential trade suitors give up more for him if he demonstrates that he can be a solid defensive shortstop?

🔷 The 2024 Dominican Summer League season begins today. The Marlins continue to field two affiliates in the league: DSL Marlins and DSL Miami. OF Luis Cova (Fish On First's #6 Marlins prospect) will be making his professional debut. Several international signings from recent years who never made it stateside have been released, including LHP Luis Baldiris, RHP Willian Campos, OF Anthony Rodriguez and RHP Nicolas Uriepero.

🔷 On this day in 2017, Edinson Vólquez threw the most recent Marlins no-hitter against the Diamondbacks. A month shy of his 34th birthday at the time, he's the oldest pitcher to throw a no-no with the Fish. Due to injuries, he would make only 10 more starts during the rest of his MLB career.

🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Tigers demoted former No. 1 overall draft pick Spencer Torkelson to Triple-A. After tapping into his immense power frequently toward the end of 2023, Tork has just four home runs through 54 games played this season. Vladimir Guerrero started at third base in a regular season game for the first time since his rookie season. The Yankees completed their sweep of the Giants with a ninth-inning comeback that featured Juan Soto's go-ahead, two-run homer. Teammates Aaron Judge and Soto now rank first and second among qualified MLB hitters in wRC+ (200 and 191, respectively). Old friend Giancarlo Stanton reached 1,500 career hits (960 of those came with the Marlins).

🔷 Today's MiLB schedule:

• DSL Marlins at DSL Giants Orange, 11:00 a.m. ET
• DSL Miami vs. DSL Rangers Red, 11:00 a.m. ET
• FCL Marlins vs. FCL Cardinals, 12:00 p.m. ET

 

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Marlins podcast episodes

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[THOMAS JOSEPH]

Yes, I am a flawed individual - perhaps I need more self-examination. I detest these "theme" days. Of course, fighting to cure diseases and advocating for causes are admirable.  But I simply want to watch a baseball game - an entertainment diversion without distraction or wagging of fingers in my face. Sorry.

[THOMAS JOSEPH]

Ok, another probably unpopular opinion re-ignited from the Marlins podcast discussion. I, for one, will be happy to move on from Chisholm. I hope he has a great season, so the haul is enhanced. I'd like to see him leading the league in bling and on-field dancing elsewhere. Now, I feel better!

[One Regend]

7 hours ago, THOMAS JOSEPH said:

Ok, another probably unpopular opinion re-ignited from the Marlins podcast discussion. I, for one, will be happy to move on from Chisholm. I hope he has a great season, so the haul is enhanced. I'd like to see him leading the league in bling and on-field dancing elsewhere. Now, I feel better!

Selling high on him right now would indicate that the Marlins are all-in on blowing the team up. If that's the case, I'm all for it. Jazz is a good player, but he isn't going to be around when the Marlins become good again. Best to trade him now while he still has trade value. I think the Dodgers would be a perfect fit for him -- Jazz has Hollywood written all over him, Gavin Lux is on the IL, and they don't have a good answer at 2B in the pipeline. I also don't see Mookie Betts sticking at SS long-term.

And even when the Dodgers get all of their guys back, Jazz still offers value as a lefty in a platoon role -- something that he will eventually be, because with his poor offense against lefties, he's not full starter material. This is probably the best time to trade Jazz, and the Marlins would be foolish to not take this opportunity while they are tearing down the team.

[Stanley J Makowski]

So much to say and so little enthusiasm to even make the attempt. My youth was spent rooting for the old Brooklyn Dodgers, followed then by the NY Mets. Now as my waning years decline, the Marlins have been my team of choice. So, I have experienced exultation as well as despondency following this wonderful game. But now, as my waning years decline, the Marlins have been my team of choice.  Do I have opinions? Oh yes! But today I would like to present just one, as unpopular decisions seem to be the theme of choice. 

I do not think that the Marlins need an upgrade at catcher. Heresy? Perhaps. In this ancient's opinion, pitching is the primary route to happiness. The Marlins have a preponderance of good, and relatively young pitchers, although some of significance are unavailable until next year. But then, Bendix can have his fill of trading for batting help and from a position of strength rather than haplessness. And whom do these youngish pitchers prefer to have at their receiving end? Yup. Fortes. He is great from a defensive standpoint, is close to their generation, can relate to nearly all. 

And then we come to the fine art of hitting. No, he will never be an assent here, but the guy has a good level swing. His primary weakness is pitch selection. Can this skill be taught? I can remember Branch Ricky making Duke Snider and I believe Gil Hodges stand in the batter's box during Spring Training solely to call the pitches presented, they were not there to swing at all. It seemed to work pretty well in their regard,

Pitching is this team's forte, and Fortes is, in my opinion, a large plus in that factor. Keep the guy, Consider what's out there. Some behemoth who can hit 15 HRs and bat a "solid" .240 would be no improvement and probably a detriment. Now you can all tell me how full of a certain effluent that I am.

[Ely Sussman]

2 hours ago, One Regend said:

Selling high on him right now would indicate that the Marlins are all-in on blowing the team up. If that's the case, I'm all for it. Jazz is a good player, but he isn't going to be around when the Marlins become good again. Best to trade him now while he still has trade value. I think the Dodgers would be a perfect fit for him -- Jazz has Hollywood written all over him, Gavin Lux is on the IL, and they don't have a good answer at 2B in the pipeline. I also don't see Mookie Betts sticking at SS long-term.

And even when the Dodgers get all of their guys back, Jazz still offers value as a lefty in a platoon role -- something that he will eventually be, because with his poor offense against lefties, he's not full starter material. This is probably the best time to trade Jazz, and the Marlins would be foolish to not take this opportunity while they are tearing down the team.

I'll be intrigued to find out how the league values him. Good offensive player when accounting for his baserunning, but mixed interpretations of his defensive impact and his injury history hangs over everything. For a massive haul, I agree it'd be appropriate to deal him. But I would guess that offer is only forthcoming if he ups his slugging percentage over the next couple months.

[Ely Sussman]

1 hour ago, Stanley J Makowski said:

I do not think that the Marlins need an upgrade at catcher. Heresy? Perhaps. In this ancient's opinion, pitching is the primary route to happiness. The Marlins have a preponderance of good, and relatively young pitchers, although some of significance are unavailable until next year. But then, Bendix can have his fill of trading for batting help and from a position of strength rather than haplessness. And whom do these youngish pitchers prefer to have at their receiving end? Yup. Fortes. He is great from a defensive standpoint, is close to their generation, can relate to nearly all. 

Fortes' defense and intangibles make him a major league-caliber backup. I just don't see how the team can justify giving him the lion's share of playing time at the position. Particularly when Sandy and Eury come back, it's important to pair them with a catcher who controls opposing runners. And as a hitter, although Fortes frequently puts the ball in play, there's been frustrating lack of "productive outs" that manufacture runs.

Prototypical backup.

[THOMAS JOSEPH]

16 hours ago, One Regend said:

Selling high on him right now would indicate that the Marlins are all-in on blowing the team up. If that's the case, I'm all for it. Jazz is a good player, but he isn't going to be around when the Marlins become good again. Best to trade him now while he still has trade value. I think the Dodgers would be a perfect fit for him -- Jazz has Hollywood written all over him, Gavin Lux is on the IL, and they don't have a good answer at 2B in the pipeline. I also don't see Mookie Betts sticking at SS long-term.

And even when the Dodgers get all of their guys back, Jazz still offers value as a lefty in a platoon role -- something that he will eventually be, because with his poor offense against lefties, he's not full starter material. This is probably the best time to trade Jazz, and the Marlins would be foolish to not take this opportunity while they are tearing down the team.

No problem with anything you stated. Perhaps we will get lucky and pawn him off before he's hurt again. I suggest doing so at the deadline if he's healthy.  As a tangent, though, I believe the Marlins will be "competitive" quicker than most anticipate - pitching is the key. Also, they are positioned nicely to clear the roster of deadwood anytime. Lots of one-year deals that are easy to clear early if needed. Garcia is the exception, of course, and there is the $10m each of three consecutive years starting in 2026 for the Stanton deal - after Garcia's liability is cleared. The team can pick up cheap fillers while the Bendix plan fully develops. He's playing chess and I wager that he is good at it.