Ely Sussman

Mel is too candid to ever be a manager 😅

I still insist that there are teams who will regret passing on him. Particularly for teams without a good incumbent 1B who don't have the urgency to contend for a World Series title in 2024, he was worth taking the flier on. While it's an unsexy profile, if he proves to be viable as a merely okay platoon bat, all of the years of club control you get would make it an extremely efficient investment. Outstanding makeup too, for what it's worth.

Completely fair to bring those two up, though the circumstances were different. Gallen's stock had risen dramatically over a matter of months and they wanted to capitalize on that, while the team's cheapness was largely responsible for shopping López (they were unwilling to extend him at anything close to his market rate). The cautionary tale who comes to mind for me is Brad Hand. He was at a very similar stage of his career. At least in Cabrera's case, they would be getting something in return (Hand departed as a waiver claim).

It's gotta be extremely frustrating for him to produce at an elite level yet still get overlooked. Last season, he focused on adding agility (which translated as a baserunner), so I figured that could help him in the corner OF spots as well and create another route to be called up, but the organization didn't give him any reps there to find out. To force his way onto the roster early in the season, he'll need to decisively outplay Mancini this spring to propel himself ahead on the depth chart (and convince Mancini to opt out of his contract to sign elsewhere). Assuming that doesn't happen, Troy just needs to stay patient.

Berti definitely has some trade value. I don't have a great feel for how much exactly. A decent chunk of his value is tied to his baserunning and that element of his game mostly went away during the 2nd half of last season. It's hard to bet on it fully coming back given his age. That may scare off some contenders from dealing significant prospects for him.

My expectations for him would be low, but it's still the appropriate way to go if the risk is so minimal. I'm grateful they didn't desperately trade for him last summer. Now, he'd be coming in with so much to prove and is hopefully motivated to re-establish himself.

There have been some bold challenge trades across the league, but nothing quite like this with both sides sacrificing guys with that combination of talent, youth and immediate MLB production. Too bold to ever come to fruition considering that it would be a fireable offense if you wind up with the inferior player.

The terms of the offer aren't yet known, but Anderson would be the team's first major league free agent signing of the 2023-24 offseason if they can agree on a deal. Even with Spring Training officially underway, the Miami Marlins continue to pursue new players. During a slow-moving offseason, they've moved the slowest of any MLB club, entering Friday as the only one of the 30 that hasn't signed a player to a major league free agent contract. As first reported by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal (and confirmed by the Miami Herald), the Marlins have offered a deal to free agent Tim Anderson, presumably to be their primary shortstop this season. The 30-year-old Anderson owns a career .282/.312/.422 slash line (98 wRC+) across his eight previous MLB seasons (all with the Chicago White Sox). The two-time All-Star produced 4.6 fWAR as recently as the 2021 season. However, TA has been awful since returning from a groin injury on June 20, 2022. In exactly 162 games since then, he has been sub-replacement level with a .246/.286/.295 slash line (61 wRC+). That led the White Sox to decline what had previously been viewed as a team-friendly $14M club option for the 2024 season. Safe to assume, whether the best offer comes from the Marlins or somebody else, he'll have to settle for a smaller guarantee than that. Rosenthal also reports that the Marlins remain engaged with Gio Urshela "about a role in which he mostly would play first base, third and DH." It is unclear if there is a scenario that involves signing both Anderson and Urshela. Barring injuries, I don't see the fit given all of the Marlins position players who are currently penciled into Opening Day roster spots. View full article

It is frustrating to think about how much more effective he would be with decent fastball command and the additional swing-and-miss potential his changeup would have if he slowed it down to create a wider contrast in velo.

Well GIVING Cabrera away would certainly be a mistake. If the Pirates are only willing to part with fringy utility types and rookie-ball lottery tickets but nothing in between, then that would be selling too low. I would expect some team to step up with a better offer if the Marlins were widely shopping him.

Marlins news roundup for 2/16/24 Here's what you should know with 41 days to go until Marlins Opening Day... Fish On First will have boots on the ground for today's Marlins Spring Training workout. Follow Alex Carver and Noah Berger for live updates from the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex. 🔹 The Marlins held their first workout for pitchers and catchers on Thursday. Check out this YouTube playlist of Spring Training interviews and press conferences! We will continue adding to it throughout the next month-plus. 🔹 Our Marlins injury/rehab tracker is back in business on a near-daily basis. Keep it bookmarked to stay informed on both major leaguers and minor leaguers. 🔹 Fish On First's Noah Berger reports that Huascar Brazoban hasn't made it to Jupiter yet due to visa issues. Brazoban was also delayed last Spring Training and couldn't report until March 1, though he still had enough of a runway to make himself available for the Opening Day roster. Non-roster invitees RHP Elvis Alvarado and C Jhonny Pereda are behind schedule for the same reason. 🔹 Elsewhere around baseball, Rob Manfred announced that this will be his final term as MLB commissioner. It's a five-year term that recently began, so he'll stick around for five more seasons until January 2029, but at least the end is in sight. MLB franchise values have risen substantially under Manfred's oversight as have player salaries, and he's been aggressive with implementing rule changes to "modernize" the game. However, the sport's overall popularity is gradually declining, especially among younger fans. 🔹 On Fish Unfiltered, Kevin Barral, Isaac Azout and I discussed the Edward Cabrera trade rumors and other prominent storylines from camp. 🔹 Deviating from the rest of the industry, Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin of FanGraphs ranked Max Meyer (No. 56 overall) ahead of Noble Meyer (No. 78) on their updated Top 100 prospects list. 🔹 Ethan Budowsky of Just Baseball writes about the Marlins missing out on a huge opportunity this offseason. 🔹 Glenn Geffner's View from the Bleachers wants fans to fill out a series of 10 polls regarding the Marlins' offseason and expectations for 2024. Marlins Podcast Episodes View full article

Marlins news roundup for 2/15/24 Here's what you should know with 42 days to go until Marlins Opening Day... It's time for the first full pitchers and catchers workout of Marlins Spring Training! Follow Kevin Barral and Alex Krutchik for live updates from the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex. 🔹 All of the recently DFA'd Marlins players have now found new homes, with Peyton Burdick going to the Orioles on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations. Burdick's inability to make contact will likely preclude him from finding sustained major league success, but I still think the Marlins pulled the plug on him too soon given his power, athleticism and baseball instincts. 🔹 An article draft by Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was accidentally published overnight saying that the Marlins had agreed to trade Edward Cabrera to the Pirates for UTIL Ji Hwan Bae, RHP Braxton Ashcraft and RHP Jun-Seok Shim. Mackey clarified that he had prewritten it in anticipation of a possible trade and that there's no agreement in place yet. Even so, this misfire suggests the negotiations are still active. 🔹 From Craig Mish and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald: infielders Amed Rosario and Gio Urshela have drawn the most interest from the Marlins among the players still available at their positions. In Jesús Luzardo trade talks with Baltimore, the Marlins wanted catching prospect Samuel Basallo, but "Baltimore wasn’t willing to include him in any deal." Mish and Jackson confirms that the Marlins "never got close to a deal" with Jorge Soler, though they did speak with him in the weeks prior to him signing with the Giants. They also report a brief discussion took place with the Royals last season (while Kim Ng was still GM) that would swapped burgeoning young stars Eury Pérez and Bobby Witt Jr. 🔹 The Marlins won their arbitration case against Luis Arraez. He'll earn a $10.6M salary this season instead of the $12M he was seeking. 🔹 Congrats to OF Victor Mesa Jr. on earning his United States citizenship. He spoke with Kevin Barral this morning about learning from his more experienced teammates this spring. 🔹 On the latest episode of Fish On First LIVE, Marlins radio announcer Kyle Sielaff expressed confidence in the Marlins' new direction and wrapped up the show with some amusing dating advice (in the spirit of Valentine's Day). FOF LIVE is presented by Berger & Hicks! If you’ve been injured as a result of somebody else’s negligence, give them a call at (305) 670-7050. 🔹 Keith Law of The Athletic ranked his top 20 Marlins prospects. Law is particularly high on 1B Brock Vradenburg (No. 7), INF Yoffry Solano (No. 11) and RHP Nigel Belgrave (No. 19). When initially published, Law ranked INF Erick Lara ninth on the list...the same Erick Lara who was traded to the Rays three months ago. Lara was removed only after I commented on the article about the error. 🔹 Three major storylines that Christina De Nicola of MLB.com will be following this spring: previously injured players being ready to contribute, the playing time split at shortstop and catcher, and what impact the new-look front office will have on camp. 🔹 Louis Addeo-Weiss analyzed six pitch types used by individual Marlins pitchers that we should be monitoring closely in 2024. 🔹 Isaac Azout has created the ultimate guide to Marlins Spring Training! It'll be updated and expanded annually to provide fans with all the pertinent info they need to make the most out of their visit to Jupiter. View full article

The Marlins don't have much leverage, unfortunately. Everybody knows that they were shopping Cabrera last year. Took a step back with his control and now he's out of options, so it is a make-or-break season for him. I'd rather take a chance on a prospect deeper down in the Pirates system with more upside rather than the fringy role players that this Pirates writer mentions.

According to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates are "actively" discussing potential trades, with the Pirates focused on acquiring immediate starting rotation help. Mackey singles out Edward Cabrera as the arm that the Marlins would be most willing to move and whose combination of upside and club control would appeal to the Pirates. Last season, Cabrera established new career bests in innings pitched (99 ⅔), FIP (4.43) and strikeout rate (27.2%). However, his control issues were as bad as ever. He led the Marlins with 66 walks allowed despite appearing in only 22 MLB games and he was demoted to Triple-A in August even when the team was thin on rotation alternatives. The Dominican right-hander also missed part of the season with a shoulder impingement. He turns 26 in April and has no minor league options remaining. Mackey believes that one of the Pirates' infielders, Liover Peguero, Nick Gonzales or Ji Hwan Bae, would "likely" go to Miami as the headliner of the return package. Of that trio, Peguero has the most big league shortstop experience. They each could be optioned to the minors if there isn't a fit on the Opening Day active roster. Personally, I'm skeptical of Cabrera's future as a starter and would be amenable to trading him now if the return is appropriate (with Pittsburgh including another asset on top of Peguero/Gonzalez/Bae). Mackey writes that the Pirates are also seriously considering free agent starters, so they could pivot in that direction if unable to compromise with the Marlins. View full rumor

Marlins news roundup for 2/14/24 Here's what you should know with 43 days to go until Marlins Opening Day... 🔹 Designated for assignment by the Marlins last week, Jordan Groshans and Kaleb Ort were claimed off waivers by the Yankees and Phillies, respectively. Both went to teams that had full 40-man rosters, which shows they see some value in them because their acquisitions required corresponding DFA's. Assuming that the Marlins don't reclaim Groshans at some point, it makes them clear losers of the four-player trade that brought him to Miami in 2022. The Blue Jays received Anthony Bass, Zach Pop and prospect Edward Duran in return (they still have Pop and Duran). 🔹 New Fish On First intern Nate Karzmer wrote the article linked above! Give him a follow on Twitter (@NateKarzmer). 🔹 Also on the transactions front, the Marlins have inked Curt Casali and Yonny Chirinos to minor league deals. Casali was limited to 27 starts for the Reds last season, missing the second half due to a foot injury and illness. He has a career .220/.314/.380 slash line (89 wRC+) over parts of 10 MLB seasons. Chirinos got off to an intriguing start in 2023, but struggled with a 8.14 ERA/6.47 FIP over his final 10 games (42.0 IP), then landed on the injured list with elbow inflammation. He demonstrated that he's healthy again by pitching briefly in the Venezuelan Winter League. 🔹 They had already been leaked, but Marlins giveaways for the 2024 season are now listed on the team's website. Most of them apply to the first 8,000 fans through the gates for that particular game. Pretty much everybody who attends Opening Day (first 30,000 fans) will get a rally towel. 🔹 Elsewhere around baseball, MLB and Nike announced (and began selling) new on-field uniforms. At first glance, the changes seem to be a clear downgrade. Jenny Cavnar has been hired as television play-by-play announcer for the Athletics. She'll be the first female primary play-by-play voice in MLB history. 🔹 Join us for a new episode of Fish On First LIVE streaming at 7:00 p.m. ET on YouTube/Twitter/Instagram. Our special guest is Marlins radio announcer Kyle Sielaff. FOF LIVE is presented by Berger & Hicks! If you’ve been injured as a result of somebody else’s negligence, give them a call at (305) 670-7050. 🔹 Luis Arraez and the Marlins had their arbitration hearing on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. The ruling could be coming as soon as today. Tanner Scott is still waiting on his hearing—that will happen by Friday, which is the final day of scheduled hearings. 🔹 Adam Salorio of Pitcher List dug up a fascinating arbitration comp for Arraez: 2017 Avisaíl García. That's when García had just finished runner-up in the AL batting title race. 🔹 Baseball America branched out their Marlins top prospects list to 40 players, with 1B Torin Montgomery, RHP Eliazar Dishmey, RHP Evan Fitterer, 2B Ian Lewis, C Paul McIntosh, LHP Josh Simpson, OF/LHP Janero Miller, RHP Alex Williams, RHP Matt Pushard and LHP Dale Stanavich occupying the No. 31-40 spots. I will admit that I had zero familiarity with Dishmey prior to reading their article. Per BA's Peter Flaherty, the 19-year-old has "already shown flashes of a loud arsenal and big-time upside. There is some reliever risk with the athletic righthander, but he has the stuff to be effective out of the bullpen." 🔹 More from BA: the Florida Complex League will have much earlier start and end dates than we're used to, with the season running from May 4 through July 25. Instead of being heavily populated by new MLB Draft picks, the rosters will instead be centered around players who spent the previous year in the Dominican Summer League. 🔹 The Marlins' Grapefruit League opener vs. the Cardinals on February 24 will be televised. At the very least, it will be carried by Bally Sports Midwest and available through MLB.TV. If previous springs are any indication, expect the broadcast to be simulcast on Bally Sports Florida (even if the game only features Cardinals announcers). Marlins Podcast Episodes View full article

Yeah, from our vantage point, it seems very straightforward. Every step of his MiLB career outside of repeating High-A, he struggled too much as a hitter to merit regular playing time. But can't rule out that perhaps there was something hindering him from performing the way he's capable of, or the organization made some kind of unreasonable request.

Marlins news roundup for 2/13/24 Here's what you should know with 44 days to go until Marlins Opening Day... 🔹 New Marlin Nick Gordon put up an Instagram post expressing how thankful he is to the Twins organization for great memories and life lessons, and how excited he is to be "back home" with a Florida-based team. Gordon will be doing a virtual press conference with the media today. 🔹 The Marlins announced three more front office additions: Sara Goodrum (director, special projects), Sam Mondry-Cohen (vice president, player personnel) and Brandon Mann (pitching strategist). You can find a full summary of this offseason's organizational changes here. 🔹 Elsewhere around baseball, Jorge Soler has finally found a new home in San Francisco. It is reportedly a three-year, $42M deal, topping the $36M guarantee he received from the Marlins as a free agent two winters ago. A 2023 NL All-Star and Roberto Clemente Award nominee, Soler is turning 32 later this month. 🔹 Our second annual Marlins call-up contest is live wherever you get your podcasts. Fish On First's Isaac Azout, Kevin Barral and Alex Carver selected five minor leaguers each who they believe could make their MLB debuts in 2024. 🔹 I shared an updated Marlins roster projection. MLB.com's Christina De Nicola did her own. Our only difference was the final bullpen spot (I went with Bryan Hoeing, she went with Calvin Faucher) 🔹 On Miami Mic'd Up with Jeremy Taché, Sandy Alcantara listed San Diego (Petco Park), New York (Citi Field) and Atlanta (Truist Park) as road environments that he loves to pitch in. 🔹 Congratulations to Xavier Edwards. His alma mater, North Broward Prep in Coconut Creek, retired his No. 9 uniform. Edwards is the only North Broward Prep Eagle to reach the major leagues. Marlins Podcast Episodes View full article

Episode #212 Drafting the players who are most likely to make their MLB debuts with the Miami Marlins this season. Isaac Azout, Kevin Barral and Alex Carver join Ely Sussman for a five-round draft of Marlins minor leaguers. The objective is simple: predict which of them will be called up by the Marlins and make their MLB regular season debuts in 2024. Isaac's team: Anthony Maldonado, Patrick Monteverde, Will Banfield, Victor Mesa Jr., Eli Villalobos Kevin's team: Roddery Muñoz, Josh Simpson, Luis Palacios, Griffin Conine, Elvis Alvarado Alex's team: Troy Johnston, Marty Costes, Zach McCambley, Paul McIntosh, Luarbert Arias Who has the best chance of going 5-for-5? Any unselected players who you believe could sneak up to the majors this season? Let us know in the comments. Find The Offishial Show on the Fish On First YouTube channel, our new-look Apple Podcasts channel and wherever else you get your pods. FOF's audio programming also includes Fish Unfiltered, Big Fish Small Pod, Swimming Upstream and more. Follow Isaac (@IsaacAzout), Kevin (@kevin_barral), Alex (@marlinsminors), Ely (@RealEly) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Join the Marlins Discord server! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. View full article