Ely Sussman

Marlins Podcast Episodes Sunday's winter ball notes: In the Dominican Republic, 3B Vidal Bruján went 0-for-2 with three walks and three stolen bases. Bruján now leads LIDOM with 19 steals. It was his first appearance of the winter at third base.The Marlins made a trade on Sunday, acquiring catcher Christian Bethancourt from the Guardians for cash considerations. I see him as an upgrade over Jacob Stallings, particularly when it comes to throwing, though his offensive ceiling is quite limited due to poor strike-zone awareness. Barring a Bryan De La Cruz trade, either he or Bethancourt will need to change their uniform number (both wore No. 14 last season).Elsewhere around baseball, Shohei Ohtani (10/$700M) signed with the Dodgers, Will Smith (1/$5M) signed with the Royals, Andrew Chafin (1/$4.75M) signed with the Tigers and Austin Hedges (1/$4M) signed with the Guardians.https://fishonfirst.com/non-marlins/shohei-ohtani-free-agency-dodgers/Today at LoanDepot Park, the Marlins are hosting a Holiday Wishes Party for local students, featuring Sandy Alcantara (and Billy the Marlin, of course). Follow Kevin Barral for live coverage.Kevin did a deeper dive on each of the Marlins' Rule 5 Draft selections.Marlins IF Breyias Dean won the Don't Blink Home Run Derby in Paradise. Dean is an unlikely champ considering his age (18) and modest homer total in the Dominican Summer League last season (3 HR in 200 PA). Watch Dean's final derby round on the Fish On First YouTube channel and help us reach the 2,000-subscriber milestone! Photo by 10th Year Seniors

The second Miami Marlins trade of the Peter Bendix era involves the acquisition of yet another former player of his. The Marlins sent cash considerations to the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday in exchange for catcher Christian Bethancourt, as first reported by Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. The trade has been made official. A decade ago, Bethancourt was a borderline Top 100 MLB prospect in the Atlanta Braves farm system. It has been a wild ride since then that's taken him to eight other major league organizations, South Korea and even an experiment as a two-way player (yes, there's a Shohei Ohtani joke to be made somewhere in there). Last season with the Tampa Bay Rays, Bethancourt slashed .225/.254/.381 (74 wRC+) in a career-high 104 games played. He started at catcher 89 times and his teammates had ample success throwing to him (3.60 ERA). Bethancourt got off to a hot start offensively in 2023. He homered six times in his first 21 games. However, he did so only five times in 83 games after that. The Guardians just claimed Bethancourt off waivers from Tampa Bay a month ago, but he became expendable when they reached an agreement with free agent Austin Hedges on Sunday. Bethancourt is a volatile player overall, but if nothing else, he can be trusted to help the Marlins deter base-stealers. His 1.87 second pop time in 2023 was second among all MLB catchers behind only J.T. Realmuto (1.83 sec). The realistic best-case scenario for Bethancourt is that he recaptures his 2022 form. He accrued 1.8 fWAR in 101 games with a .252/.283/.409 slash line (100 wRC+). Even including his 2023 regression, this is a clear upgrade at the plate over incumbent veteran catcher Jacob Stallings, who the Marlins non-tendered. It's also a cost-saving change. Stallings had been in line for approximately $3.6M in 2024 via arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors. Bethancourt's projected salary is $2.3M. It will be his age-32 season. Bethancourt will be arbitration-eligible one final time in 2025. With two months to go until spring training begins, Bethancourt and Nick Fortes project to be Miami's Opening Day catching tandem. That's not set in stone, of course (Fortes has minor league options remaining). The Marlins are "still looking via free agency" for catcher reinforcements, per Craig Mish of SportsGrid. The Marlins 40-man roster is now full. Any more additions—and we fully expect there to be more—will require corresponding moves. Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images

The biggest MLB offseason domino has fallen. As announced by the player himself, Shohei Ohtani is signing a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani's deal will include more guaranteed money than any other in sports history, though most of it is deferred, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. In 2023, Ohtani led the majors with 9.0 fWAR, accumulating 6.6 as a hitter and 2.4 as a pitcher. He became the only player ever to win his league's MVP award unanimously multiple times (he also did so in 2021). Ohtani has been a full-fledged two-way player for the last three seasons, but he'll be confined to position player duties in 2024 while recovering from elbow surgery. Even so, we're talking about a phenom who just led all qualified hitters with a 180 wRC+ while homering 44 times and added above-average baserunning. With Ohtani taking over as DH of the Dodgers, sure seems like the door is closed for J.D. Martinez to re-sign with them. Martinez slashed .271/.321/.572 (135 wRC+) in 113 games for the Dodgers during his age-35 season. The South Florida native would be an intriguing short-term pickup for the Marlins. There's no evidence that the Marlins negotiated with Ohtani at any point during his free agent process. Teams linked to him that fell short in the bidding include the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays. It's particularly painful news for Blue Jays fans after J.P. Hoornstra of Dodgers Nation erroneously reported on Friday that Ohtani was signing with Toronto. Ohtani previously played at LoanDepot Park in 2022 as a member of the Angels and for Samurai Japan during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The Marlins will host the Dodgers during their final homestand of the 2024 regular season, from Sept. 17-19. Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Marlins Podcast Episodes Thursday's winter ball notes: In the Dominican Republic, 2B Vidal Bruján went 0-for-4. In Venezuela, LF Javier Sanoja went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases.Elsewhere around baseball, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports that Shohei Ohtani's free agent decision could be coming "as early as today." Jorge López (1/$2M) signed with the Mets. López lasted barely a month with the Marlins, allowing 29 baserunners in only 11 ⅔ innings of relief. Here is an update on the whereabouts of last season's Marlins players, only four of whom have landed with new teams for the 2024 season:No home yet for Jorge Soler. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that former Marlins hitting coach Brant Brown "grew fond of Soler" last season and might vouch for him as new Mariners bench coach and offensive coordinator. However, it's not his money to spend—Seattle has limited payroll flexibility, already making two trades this offseason to dump contracts.Kevin Barral wrote about the rumor that the Marlins are in pursuit of free agent Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Most fans don't seem enthused!Embedded at the top of the page, Dan Noffsinger had a fascinating conversation with Joe Frisaro that included stories from his tenure in the Marlins front office. During the 2000s and early 2010s, Noffsinger led the franchise's previously non-existent analytics department. He recalls that then-team president David Samson wrote the framework of Giancarlo Stanton's $325 million contract extension on hotel stationery and barely had to change anything when negotiating with Stanton.Marlins prospects Breyias Dean, Cherif Neymour and Toby Simmons are participating in the Don't Blink Home Run Derby in Paradise at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday. Jazz Chisholm Jr. won't be in the derby, but two months since undergoing turf toe surgery, good to see him moving around well. Lastly, I think you'll enjoy this extended Pablo López interview with Nick Pollack of Pitcher List, taking you inside an All-Star pitcher's mind and the intent behind every pitch he threw during a start.

Marlins Podcast Episodes Wednesday’s winter ball notes: In Venezuela, RF Javier Sanoja went 1-for-4. Left unprotected by the Marlins, SS Nasim Nuñez was selected by the Nationals in the major league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Nats general manager Mike Rizzo says Nuñez won't get many at-bats in 2024, but his speed and defense off the bench could be impactful enough to justify holding a roster spot. Miami loaded up on five players in the minor league phase: OF Yeral Martinez (from the Mets), OF Marty Costes (Astros), IF Sean Roby (Giants), LHP Adam Laskey (Cubs) and RHP Julio Dilone (Mariners).Matt Andriese and Devin Smeltzer have both signed minor league deals with the Marlins that include spring training invites. Andriese has a lifetime 4.63 ERA, 4.21 FIP and 1.33 WHIP in 509 MLB innings (217 G/50 GS). He spent last season as a starter with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate. Smeltzer, of course, was with the Marlins organization in 2023. The lefty had four separate stints on the active roster and also threw a seven-inning no-hitter with Triple-A Jacksonville.A.J. Puk will come to Jupiter as a potential starting rotation candidate for the Marlins, our own Isaac Azout reports. Puk had been preparing to start for the Athletics last year prior to being traded. He entered professional baseball as a starter, but moved to the bullpen following Tommy John surgery in 2018 and has stayed there ever since. While working for the Rays, Peter Bendix saw firsthand how longtime relievers could defy conventional wisdom and succeed in the rotation, most notably Jeffrey Springs and most recently Zack Littell.The Marlins and the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation announced a multi-year exclusive partnership for the broadcast rights of the Caribbean Series, giving the Marlins exclusive rights across all platforms globally excluding the confederation's countries. Interesting that it's a multi-year partnership even though LoanDepot Park is only scheduled to host the event in 2024.Elsewhere around baseball, Juan Soto was traded to the Yankees in a seven-player blockbuster, one of those other players being former Marlins prospect Michael King. Eduardo Rodriguez (4/$80M) signed with the Diamondbacks, Jeimer Candelario (3/$45M) signed with the Reds and Craig Kimbrel (1/$13M) signed with the Orioles.On the latest episode of , we reacted to the Rule 5 results, the stretched-out Puk experiment and more. With chiropractic care and functional health, La Pop takes a preventative approach that optimizes wellness and quality of life for all ages. Find out more here! "In a lot of ways, it's not terribly dissimilar to another week in the offseason," Bendix said about the Winter Meetings (via Christina De Nicola, MLB.com). "I think we learned a lot more about the market, about what to expect, and so much of this is just gaining information so that we can understand how best to attack things." With Nuñez going to the Nats, the Marlins have even fewer viable internal options who can play shortstop on a consistent basis. I watched tape on Xavier Edwards from 2023 (and also a bit from 2022) to get a feel for how he'd do there.https://fishonfirst.com/analysis/xavier-edwards-shortstop-defense/Photo by Chris Coduto/MLB Photos

The Miami Marlins made it farther than expected in 2023 despite lousy shortstop production. They got a .226/.265/.313 slash line from the position (MLB-worst 55 wRC+) with only seven home runs to go along with average-ish defense. Understandably, the club let primary SS Joey Wendle leave via free agency without putting up much of a fight. Since Wendle's departure, the Marlins have traded for Vidal Bruján and signed Tristan Gray to a minor league deal. They retained utility man Jon Berti and prospect Jacob Amaya, who started frequently at SS for Triple-A Jacksonville last season. Double-A Pensacola standout Nasim Nuñez would've been a non-roster invitee at big league camp, but he was selected by the Washington Nationals in Wednesday's Rule 5 Draft. There's another internal shortstop candidate who should not be overlooked, per Fish On First's Isaac Azout: Xavier Edwards. Edwards' combination of contact skills and speed could make him the best offensive player of those mentioned above. The question is his defense, and more specifically, his arm. During his first season in the Marlins organization, X initially split time between second base and center field (a brand new position for him). When the CF experiment ended in late July, he began getting occasional starts at third base, though only four appearances at shortstop. The lack of reps show how skeptical the Marlins were about his viability as a SS. However, maybe the new-look front office has a different evaluation of the 24-year-old or a plan to help him improve. Now's not the time for a deep dive on Edwards' defense. There has been hardly any shortstop movement this offseason, so the Marlins still have ample time and opportunities to address the position via trade or free agency (Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic just linked them to Isiah Kiner-Falefa, for example). Let's just take a glimpse of what Edwards looks like over there. I've compiled 11 throws made by Edwards as a Triple-A shortstop. Most are from him as a Jumbo Shrimp player in 2023, but I also included three from when he played against Jacksonville as a Durham Bull in 2022. They are loosely ordered from most routine to most difficult. https://videopress.com/v/TaRdx3ou?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-throw-8_mp4_dvd.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=truehttps://videopress.com/v/IPeViAyu?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-throw-4_mp4_std.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=truehttps://videopress.com/v/Lsurwmxc?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-throw-7_mp4_dvd.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=truehttps://videopress.com/v/0amdzhcL?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-throw-11_mp4_hd.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=truehttps://videopress.com/v/ZFBVT64E?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-throw-9_mp4_dvd.original-1.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=truehttps://videopress.com/v/K3QQaTyN?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-throw-6_mp4_dvd.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=truehttps://videopress.com/v/fA3KfKOK?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-throw-10_mp4_hd.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=truehttps://videopress.com/v/2U3v9i4I?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-throw-2_mp4_dvd.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=truehttps://videopress.com/v/T2X2ran9?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-throw-5_mp4_dvd.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=truehttps://videopress.com/v/spKCxsrQ?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-throw-3_mp4_avc_240p.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=truehttps://videopress.com/v/IBqXmA7D?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-throw-1_mp4_std.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=trueEdwards' arm strength is severely limited. All of these throws made it to the first baseman's glove on the fly, but took a long time to get there. The maximum velocity of Edwards' 2023 shortstop throws was 75.4 mph and his max in the majors when playing 2B/CF was 78.0 mph. For context, 86.3 mph was the average for shortstops, according to Statcast's "arm strength" metric, which uses the top 5% of throws made for qualified shortstops. David Fletcher (Angels) ranked dead last among qualifiers at 77.0 mph. Old friend Joey Wendle was near the bottom of the leaderboard at 80.1 mph. I'll place the other plays involving Edwards as a shortstop here: https://videopress.com/v/HLFalQqa?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-pop-up_mp4_avc_240p.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=truehttps://videopress.com/v/IgiyXDou?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-catch-tag_mp4_hd.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=truehttps://videopress.com/v/1OMpDHg9?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-flip_mp4_hd.original-1.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=truehttps://videopress.com/v/veGkudXj?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-tag_mp4_std.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=truehttps://videopress.com/v/LvS9N8iX?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2Fxavier-edwards-ss-dive-for-grounder_mp4_hd.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=trueLooks good when applying tags, though he would get more opportunities to do that as a second baseman. Shortstops typically cover the bag on stolen base attempts when there's a left-handed hitter up (40.2% of all MLB steal attempts in 2023). This quick review suggests to me that Edwards could at least be an emergency shortstop. That helps his case for making the Marlins active roster considering Luis Arraez will frequently be blocking him from playing second base. I'll revisit this topic in greater detail as spring training approaches. Photo by Danis Sosa/Fish On First

Marlins Podcast Episodes Tuesday’s winter ball notes: In the Dominican Republic, 2B Vidal Bruján went 1-for-3 with a walk. In Venezuela, LF Javier Sanoja went 2-for-3 with an RBI. In Puerto Rico, C Jan Mercado went 0-for-1, dropping his batting average to .102. Dane Myers' winter ball stint is over, Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix has confirmed.Former Marlins LHP Jefry Yan has agreed to a one-year deal with Nippon Professional Baseball's Seibu Lions. Yan undoubtedly boosted his stock in the D.R. with a 1.62 ERA in 17 relief appearances, trimming his walk rate to 4.7% (it had been 17.8% during the regular season). Cool achievement for somebody who was completely out of organized baseball just three years ago.Marlins prospects OF Toby Simmons and IF Breyias Dean are participating in the Don't Blink Home Run Derby in Paradise, being held this Saturday in Nassau, Bahamas. Simmons impressed during the 2022 event, while Dean is making his derby debut. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has done it in previous years, but he's still recovering from turf toe surgery. Elsewhere around baseball, the Red Sox traded Alex Verdugo to the Yankees, the Braves traded Marco Gonzales to the Pirates, Erick Fedde (2/$15M) signed with the White Sox, Victor Caratini (2/$12M) signed with the Astros, Kirby Yates (1/~$4.5M) signed with the Rangers, Luis García (1/$4.25M) signed with the Angels, Chris Devenski (1/$1.1M) signed with the Rays and Michael Tonkin signed with the Mets (1/$1M). The Guardians won the 2024 MLB Draft lottery. It'll be the first time in franchise history that they make the No. 1 overall pick. The Marlins are picking 16th, the same first-round position they had in 2021 coming off of their previous postseason berth.Carlos Collazo's initial mock draft on Baseball America has the Marlins taking North Carolina State catcher Jacob Cozart. Our own Isaac Azout reports that—as the team is currently constructed—Xavier Edwards would get an opportunity to compete for the Marlins' starting shortstop job. Still time for the acquisition of a more experienced shortstop, of course.Kevin Barral lists six big questions that are lingering about this Marlins offseason.Glenn Geffner's View from the Bleachers questions how much pitching depth the Marlins can feel comfortable trading away.Next up, the Rule 5 Draft is today at 2:00 p.m. ET. The Marlins are 18th in the draft order (for the both the major league and minor league phase). Join us tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET for a new edition of Fish On First LIVE on /Twitter/Twitch. With chiropractic care and functional health, La Pop takes a preventative approach that optimizes wellness and quality of life for all ages. Find out more here! Lastly, I noticed that Marlins.com is still featuring Jorge Soler in its desktop wallpaper rotation of Marlins players (along with Chisholm and Sandy Alcantara). Soler opted out of his contract more than a month ago. Oops!Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Marlins Podcast Episodes Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and manager Skip Schumaker addressed the media on Monday from the Winter Meetings in Nashville. Schumaker says that he's "close" to locking in his full 2024 coaching staff ("there's not openings, but you can always add in different spots"). I enjoyed Schumaker's honest reflection about doubting himself last season when making in-game decisions.https://fishonfirst.com/news/peter-bendix-quotes-2023-winter-meetings-day-1/https://fishonfirst.com/video/skip-schumaker-winter-meetings-2023/Andrew Nardi has switched agencies to The Bledsoe Agency, Jon Heyman reports, which happens to be based in Nashville. It's the same agency that represents Jake Burger.Elsewhere around baseball, Wade Miley (1/$8.5M) and Joe Ross (1/$1.75M) both signed with the Brewers. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch and Phillies skipper Rob Thomson received contract extensions. Jim Leyland says he's unsure which team's cap will go on his Hall of Fame plaque, implying that he will likely eschew any team affiliation out of respect for all of his former employers. The Winter Meetings charity auction runs through Thursday, including items and experiences from all 30 MLB teams. The Marlins are offering a "broadcast experience" where the winning bidder receives four tickets with pre-game field access to meet with Bally Sports Florida and Marlins Radio Network broadcasters, including Skip Schumaker's media availability, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Bally Sports Florida broadcast truck, and special photo opportunities. The highest bid is currently $1,025. Proceeds benefit Stand Up To Cancer.The Marlins posted the first episode of "The New Standard," a video series chronicling the 2023 season. Fish On First has partnered with the Marlins Discord server. You can join the server for free to participate in around-the-clock Fish talk. There is also a private channel reserved for our valued Super Subscribers.Glenn Geffner's View from the Bleachers explains what really happens at the Winter Meetings aka "Baseball's Family Reunion." Geffner estimates that he has attended the event approximately a dozen times.We have boots on the ground in Nashville! Be sure to follow Isaac Azout if you don't already.

Skip Schumaker of the Miami Marlins speaks with reporters about his first season as a major league manager, his relationship with new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, the key players on his roster and how he can improve in 2024.