Ely Sussman

Here's what you should know with 77 days to go until Marlins Opening Day... Wednesday’s winter ball notes: In the Dominican Republic, 3B Vidal Bruján went 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base, while RHP Anderson Pilar struggled in relief (0.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K).Ismael Granadillo, who was the operations manager at the Marlins' Dominican Academy, is leaving the organization to work for the MLBPA.Jazz Chisholm Jr. livestreamed his hitting session supervised by Skip Schumaker at Cal State Fullerton (hitting starts around the four-minute mark). Luis Arraez briefly called in.On of Fish On First LIVE, we discussed Rachel Balkovec, Marlins trade candidates, Jorge Soler, Avisaíl García and more. FOF LIVE is now being 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. Elsewhere around baseball, today is the deadline for MLB teams to exchange salary figures with arbitration-eligible players (it was previously scheduled for Friday). The Marlins have 11 arb-eligibles, headlined by Luis Arraez, Jesús Luzardo and Tanner Scott. I will have an article covering the settlements as they happen.With 146 BBWAA ballots entered into Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame tracker, former Marlin Gary Sheffield has received 75.3% of the vote (needs 75.0% for election). I’ll continue updating his status in Offishial News as more ballots come in. from full-season minor leaguers by Lance Brozdowski found that Marlins players chased pitches outside the strike zone more than those from any other organization. I imagine that the new player development hires will be determined to change that.Happy 19th birthday to Fish On First's Kevin Barral. Yes, we have somebody on staff who wasn't even alive for the Marlins' most recent World Series title, but Kevin always has an appetite for learning his history and growing our audience. Very proud of him!Chase "Loud Marlins Fan" Blake has started a GoFundMe to cover his dog's emergency surgery. Please consider donating if you're able to.Show your Miami Dolphins pride during their NFL playoff run by shopping for new gear from our partners at FOCO.Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire

Here's what you should know with 78 days to go until Marlins Opening Day... Tuesday’s winter ball notes: In the Dominican Republic, 3B Vidal Bruján went 1-for-4.The Marlins are hiring Rachel Balkovec to be their new director of player development. Balkovec has been a pioneer for women in baseball, the first of her gender to work in affiliated ball as a full-time strength and conditioning coach, full-time hitting coach and (most recently) minor league manager.https://fishonfirst.com/news/marlins-hire-rachel-balkovec/Marlins insider Craig Mish joined Fish On First for an 83-minute Twitter Space on Tuesday night, addressing specific rumors and answering fan questions about the direction of the franchise.Speaking to Spanish-language media on Tuesday, Jorge Soler said the Marlins still have not approached him regarding the possibility of re-signing him (h/t Pelota Cubana). Mish anticipates him eventually landing a two-year deal from a non-Marlins team.Join us tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET for a new edition of Fish On First LIVE streaming on /Twitter/Instagram. Elsewhere around baseball, Shota Imanaga has agreed to a multi-year deal with the Cubs. Once finalized, that'll leave the Marlins and Yankees as the only MLB teams who haven't made any regular major league free agent signings.With 136 BBWAA ballots entered into Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame tracker, former Marlin Gary Sheffield has received 75.0% of the vote (needs 75.0% for election). I’ll continue updating his status in Offishial News as more ballots come in.Josh Bell tells the Marlins Hot Stove Show (embedded below) that phone calls from Bruce Sherman and Skip Schumaker played a part in convincing him to exercise his $16.5M player option for 2024. He also mentioned that reaching 10 years of MLB service time is "at the forefront of my mind" as a career goal. Bell will enter this season at seven years and 53 days of service.Happy 19th birthday to Marlins top prospect RHP Noble Meyer. The Oregon native was Miami's first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and finished the season in Low-A Jupiter's starting rotation. In the new MLB Pipeline Poll of front office executives, Meyer received at least one vote for best pitching prospect in baseball.Show your Miami Dolphins pride during their NFL playoff run by shopping for new gear from our partners at FOCO.Marlins Podcast Episodes

A cheap .300 hitter is reportedly on the trade block. The Miami Marlins have to be in the mix for him, right? Ely Sussman discusses the pros and cons of Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Harold Ramírez and what a fair trade proposal might be. Subscribe to the Fish On First YouTube channel to watch video versions of every episode of The Offishial Show. With two years of club control remaining, the Rays are "shopping" Ramírez in part to open up more playing time for younger players, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Ramírez made his major league debut with the 2019 Marlins, but was designated for assignment entering 2021 spring training. In 2023, he set new career highs in numerous categories, including games played, runs scored, hits, home runs, runs batted in, stolen bases, walks, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, wRC+, total bases and fWAR. He's entering his age-29 season. Ramírez's ceiling is limited by mediocre defense, overaggressiveness at the plate and a propensity for hitting groundballs. Still a clear upgrade for this Marlins roster! Also, his projected 2024 salary of $4.4M is far lower than what comparable players get in free agency. Ramírez would not be a seamless fit for the Marlins considering there's some redundancy between his skill set and Avisaíl García. If they are ready to acknowledge that García is a sunk cost, though, this is an intriguing possibility. Follow Ely (@RealEly) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Join the Marlins Discord server! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. Our Fish On First podcast programming includes The Offishial Show, Fish Unfiltered, Swimming Upstream, Big Fish Small Pod and What a Relief. All new episodes are posted to FishOnFirst.com/podcasts. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean, Megaphone or wherever you normally get your pods from.

Here's what you should know with 79 days to go until Marlins Opening Day... Monday’s winter ball notes: In the Dominican Republic, 3B Vidal Bruján went 0-for-4 and RHP Anderson Pilar pitched in relief (1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K).The Marlins re-signed Jonathan Davis to a minor league deal. Davis was something of a good-luck charm last year, playing regularly during the hottest stretch of Miami's 2023 season despite merely putting up replacement-level production himself. He missed the second half of the campaign while rehabbing from meniscus surgery. The Marlins don't have a conventional backup center fielder on their 40-man roster, so Davis has a potential path back to the majors if he impresses in spring training.https://fishonfirst.com/news/jonathan-davis-re-signs-with-marlins-contract-details/Single-game tickets to Marlins Grapefruit League games have gone on sale to the general public. The standard price is $42 per ticket for reserved box seats at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, but it's juiced to $56 per ticket when the Yankees and Phillies come to town. That seems inflated compared to last spring, doesn't it? For context, there are literally thousands of Marlins Opening Day tickets available for less than $42.Elsewhere around baseball, the Cardinals hired Chaim Bloom as an advisor to the president of baseball operations. It figures to be a short-term gig for Bloom—who was previously chief baseball officer for the Red Sox—until he pursues another opportunity to run his own front office.With 129 BBWAA ballots entered into Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame tracker, former Marlin Gary Sheffield has received 76.7% of the vote (needs 75.0% for election). I’ll continue updating his status in Offishial News as more ballots come in.Episode 6 of "The New Standard" reflects on Jazz Chisholm Jr. hitting grand slams in consecutive games.Show your Miami Dolphins pride during their NFL playoff run by shopping for new gear from our partners at FOCO.Marlins Podcast Episodes Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

A valuable role player for the 2023 Miami Marlins, outfielder Jonathan Davis announced on Monday via Instagram that he has re-upped with the organization for another season. Davis' minor league deal includes an invite to spring training. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C12Udivujjm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==Davis began 2023 in the Detroit Tigers organization. Desperate for center field depth, the Marlins traded for him on May 22. In 34 games, he slashed .244/.307/.378 with a 85 wRC+ (far better than his career norms), and Miami had a dominant 25-9 record in those appearances. On July 4, Davis suffered a meniscus injury that required season-ending surgery. He has since fully recovered. https://fishonfirst.com/analysis/2023-marlins-season-review-jonathan-davis/Davis was on track to be arbitration-eligible for the first time in 2024. Rather than commit to his projected pay raise and guarantee him a roster spot, the Marlins outrighted him to the minors and he elected free agency. They never really replaced him—trade acquisition Vidal Bruján is another speedster who can contribute in center field, but he's primarily an infielder and has no track record of producing against big league pitching. Re-signing Davis while maintaining roster flexibility is a clear win. Given the extensive injury history of starting center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., the Marlins needed insurance like this. Davis will have an opportunity to earn an Opening Day job, something he's only done once before in his MLB career (2021). Photo by Danis Sosa/Fish On First

Here's what you should know with 80 days to go until Marlins Opening Day... Sunday’s winter ball notes: In the Dominican Republic, 3B Vidal Bruján went 2-for-5. His Estrellas Orientales team has won six straight playoff games and eight of nine overall. In Venezuela, LF Javier Sanoja went 0-for-1 off the bench.Focused on adding to their starting rotation via the trade market, the Yankees "have had serious conversations with the Miami Marlins about Jesús Luzardo and their surplus of starters," according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Although Luzardo's name has been percolating in trade rumors for more than a month, this is the first time we've seen him linked so emphatically to a particular suitor. I'm still of the opinion that Luzardo will not be moved this offseason.Elsewhere around baseball, Sean Manaea (2/$28M) signed with the Mets and Teoscar Hernández (1/$23.5M) signed with the Dodgers. Jeff Passan of ESPN clarifies that Hernández had multi-year offers from other teams, but went in this direction instead. Although he may be technically maximizing his annual earnings, the present-day value of the deal is lower than $23.5M due to $8.5M in deferrals.Héctor Gómez describes the Red Sox as the "frontrunner" to get Jorge Soler, with the Blue Jays, Mariners and Diamondbacks continuing to show interest. No mention of Miami.With 125 BBWAA ballots entered into Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame tracker, former Marlin Gary Sheffield has received 76.0% of the vote (needs 75.0% for election). I’ll continue updating his status in Offishial News as more ballots come in.Ryan Schlesinger writes about the pros and cons of trading Luzardo.Contrary to what the team originally announced, Marlins FanFest will be a six-hour event (from 4-10 p.m. on January 26). Claim free FanFest tickets here.Marlins Podcast Episodes Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images

The Miami Marlins remain open to adding another catcher before Opening Day, but we now know for certain that they won't be reuniting with Jacob Stallings. On Friday, the 34-year-old free agent signed with the Colorado Rockies. Coming off a sub-replacement-level season, Stallings predictably had to settle for a pay cut. He gets $1.5M guaranteed for 2024 plus a mutual option with a $500k buyout that can escalate to $1M, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Last season in Miami, Stallings made a $3.35M salary. He was projected for a slight raise before the Marlins non-tendered him on November 17. When the Marlins traded a package of young players for Stallings, they envisioned him being their primary backstop for the next three seasons (his remaining club-controlled years). Unfortunately, his tenure in Miami was an unequivocal bust, only lasting two campaigns. He disappointed both offensively (63 wRC+) and defensively (-8 DRS). Nick Fortes overtook Stallings as the main Marlins catcher in 2023 despite having his own struggles. https://fishonfirst.com/analysis/2023-marlins-season-review-jacob-stallings/Stallings' top highlights as a Marlin were homering on Opening Day 2022, catching every pitch of Sandy Alcantara's Cy Young-winning season and setting a modern MLB record for most consecutive games caught without allowing a passed ball. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2022/2022-04/08/2cbe4e3f-5dc225b1-f8134492-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4In Colorado, Stallings will be the backup to All-Star Elías Díaz. Coincidentally, that's the same relationship they had as teammates with the 2019 Pirates. For what it's worth, Stallings owns a career .899 OPS at Coors Field in nine career games there, his best mark at any National League venue. Stallings joins Dylan Floro (Nationals), Garrett Hampson (Royals), Jorge López (Mets) and Joey Wendle (Mets) as 2023 Marlins players who've signed major league deals this offseason. This is your periodic reminder that the Marlins have not signed any free agents to major league deals themselves. Barely a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, the two backstops on the Marlins 40-man roster are Fortes and Christian Bethancourt. Will Banfield and Paul McIntosh are likely to be at big league camp as non-roster invitees. Photo by Jesus Sanchez/Fish On First

There's so much more to baseball fandom than just knowing the start times for regular season games. As this calendar demonstrates, from January through December, the Miami Marlins have events and milestones worth monitoring and celebrating, and there are deadlines that influence how the 2024 team will be assembled. Click any of these shortcuts to skip ahead to a specific month: JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberBirthdays are included for all players on the Marlins 40-man roster and major league injured list. More events will be added once their dates are confirmed. January 11—Deadline to exchange salary arbitration figures The Marlins have 11 arbitration-eligible players for the 2024 season: Luis ArraezAnthony BenderChristian BethancourtJT ChargoisJazz Chisholm Jr.Jesús LuzardoSteven OkertA.J. PukTrevor RogersJesús SánchezTanner ScottJanuary 15—New international signing period opens International amateurs ages 16 and up (predominantly from Latin America and the Caribbean) are eligible to sign with MLB teams.The Marlins' bonus pool will be $6,520,000. Any signings of $10,000 or less do not count against the pool.Although the signing period remains open through December 15, the vast majority of deals will be announced on the first day. These deals are typically agreed upon months if not years in advance.Signings can officially begin at 9:00 a.m. ET.January 22—Jon Berti's birthday (turning 34 years old) January 26—Marlins FanFest The club's annual FanFest will be held at LoanDepot Park from 4:00-10:00 p.m.https://fishonfirst.com/news/2024-marlins-fanfest-announced/February 1—Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s birthday (26) February 3—Anthony Bender's birthday (29) February 5—Kaleb Ort's birthday (32) February 6—Anthony Maldonado's birthday (26) February 9—Vidal Bruján's birthday (26) February 15—Marlins pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training This date also roughly coincides with the return of the 60-day injured list. Marlins players like Sandy Alcantara who are expected to be sidelined through May 2024 (and beyond) can be transferred to the 60-day IL to create room on the 40-man roster.February 20—First Marlins full-squad workout February 22—Spring Training Photo Day February 24—Grapefruit League opener The Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals meet at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.First pitch at 1:05 p.m.The Marlins are scheduled to play 30 Grapefruit League games.February 26—Peyton Burdick's birthday (27) March 6—Dane Myers' birthday (28) March 12—Max Meyer's birthday (25) March 15—Spring Breakout exhibition As part of a new MLB initiative, the Marlins will select 20-25 of their top prospects to face Cardinals prospects in a seven-inning exhibition game at Roger Dean.First pitch is at 2:05 p.m.March 24—George Soriano's birthday (25) March/April Game ScheduleHome Games | Away GamesMarch 28—Marlins Opening Day The Marlins host the Pittsburgh Pirates to begin their 2024 regular season.The Marlins' all-time record on Opening Day is 12-19.First pitch at 4:10 p.m.March 29—Triple-A Jacksonville regular season opener The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are scheduled to play 144 games. This is their 15th season as a Marlins affiliate and fourth season at the Triple-A level.April 5—Double-A Pensacola, High-A Beloit and Low-A Jupiter regular season openers The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are scheduled to play 138 games. This is their fourth season as a Marlins affiliate.The Beloit Sky Carp are scheduled to play 132 games. This is their fourth season as a Marlins affiliate.The Jupiter Hammerheads are scheduled to play 132 games. This is their 22nd season as a Marlins affiliate and fourth season at the Low-A level.April 9—Luis Arraez's birthday (27) April 10—Jake Burger's birthday (28) April 13—Edward Cabrera's birthday (26) April 14—Roddery Muñoz's birthday (24) April 15—Eury Pérez's birthday (21) April 25—A.J. Puk's birthday (29) May Game ScheduleHome Games | Away GamesJune Game ScheduleHome Games | Away GamesJune 12—Avisaíl García's birthday (33) July Game ScheduleHome Games | Away GamesJuly 9—Steven Okert's birthday (33) July 14-16—MLB Draft The Marlins have the 16th, 57th and 72nd overall picks in the draft and the 19th pick in all subsequent rounds.This will be Miami's first draft with Frankie Piliere in charge of the amateur scouting department.July 16—MLB All-Star Game Every MLB team is guaranteed to have at least one All-Star representative.In 2023, the Marlins' All-Star representatives were Luis Arraez and Jorge Soler.July 22—Tanner Scott's birthday (30) July 29—Sixto Sánchez's birthday (26) July 30—MLB Trade Deadline The Marlins have made moves on deadline day each of the last six seasonsTrades must be submitted for MLB approval by 6:00 p.m. ETAugust Game ScheduleHome Games | Away GamesAugust 5—Braxton Garrett's birthday (27) August 9—Xavier Edwards' birthday (25) August 14—Josh Bell's birthday (32) August 18—Andrew Nardi's birthday (26) August 19—Josh Simpson's birthday (27) September Game ScheduleHome Games | Away GamesSeptember 2—Christian Bethancourt's birthday (33) September 3—Jacob Amaya's birthday (26) September 7—Sandy Alcantara's birthday (29) September 8—Victor Mesa Jr.'s birthday (23) September 15—5,000th (regular season) game in Marlins history September 22—Calvin Faucher's birthday (29) September 30—Jesús Luzardo's birthday (27) October 1—MLB postseason begins The Marlins hope to qualify for the postseason in consecutive years for the first time in franchise history.October 7—Jesús Sánchez's birthday (27) October 15—Huascar Brazoban's birthday (35) October 19—Bryan Hoeing's birthday (28) First day after World Series—Eligible players become XX( free agents If not extended beforehand, Josh Bell and Tanner Scott will be granted free agency.November 10—Jordan Groshans' birthday (25) November 11—Nick Fortes' birthday (28) November 13—Trevor Rogers' birthday (27) November 14—Deadline for clubs to file reserve lists Rule 5 Draft-eligible prospects must be selected to the 40-man roster to be protected from the major league phase of the draft.Marlins prospects who will be Rule 5-eligible for the first time in 2024 include Dax Fulton, Patrick Monteverde, Cody Morissette and Paul McIntosh.Deadline at 6:00 p.m. ET.December 3—JT Chargois' birthday (34) December 15—International signing period closes December 16—Bryan De La Cruz's birthday (28) December 17—Ryan Weathers' birthday (25) Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images

Here's what you should know with 83 days to go until Marlins Opening Day... Thursday’s winter ball notes: In the Dominican Republic, 3B Vidal Bruján went 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases. More than two weeks after being designated for assignment by the Marlins, Ryan Jensen was claimed off waivers by the Twins. The Marlins 40-man roster remains full, so another corresponding move will be needed to make room for any further additions.Nearly three months removed from undergoing turf toe surgery, Jazz Chisholm Jr. is facing live pitching. Also encouraging to see Eury Pérez throwing again after ending 2023 with a back injury.https://fishonfirst.com/news/tracking-miami-marlins-injury-rehab-updates/Elsewhere around baseball, Chris Sale signed an extension (2/$38M) with the Braves, Harrison Bader (1/$10.5M) signed with the Mets and Cody Poteet (one-year split contract) signed with the Yankees. You remember Poteet, right? Drafted and developed by Miami, he showed flashes of being a potential back-end starter in 2021 and 2022 before blowing out his elbow. His contract provides a 40-man spot, but he still has to earn his way onto the Opening Day roster.Beginning today at 12:00 p.m. ET, there's an exclusive spring training tickets presale for Marlins Members.Today is the final day to register for free winter clinics being held for baseball and softball players ages 13-18 through the Marlins Youth Academy at Babcock Park. It's also the deadline to register kids ages 5-12 for the spring baseball and softball season (also being held at Babcock Park).https://www.instagram.com/p/C1sfr0BuyA7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==With 119 BBWAA ballots entered into Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame tracker, former Marlin Gary Sheffield has received 74.8% of the vote (needs 75.0% for election). I’ll continue updating his status in Offishial News as more ballots come in.Kevin Barral is excited to find out how the Marlins will utilize Xavier Edwards this season.Skip Schumaker explains to Christina De Nicola of MLB.com what he learned and observed from meeting Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra at a recent game. "Just to see him and how he interacts with the players and how he interacts with his coaching staff and how he empowers his coaches, it's just everything that you strive for one day.”Glenn Geffner's View from the Bleachers came up with New Year's resolutions for Bruce Sherman, Peter Bendix, Skip Schumaker, Edward Cabrera and Jazz Chisholm Jr.MLB Pipeline picks LHP Thomas White as their Marlins breakout prospect for 2024.Answering a question inspired by the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Effectively Wild's Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley conclude that Billy the Marlin would likely be the tastiest MLB mascot to eat.Marlins Podcast Episodes Photo courtesy of marlinsyouth/Instagram

Here's what you should know with 84 days to go until Marlins Opening Day... Wednesday’s winter ball notes: In the Dominican Republic, 3B Vidal Bruján went 2-for-4. His team, Estrellas Orientales, has now won five of their first six postseason games as they inch closer to the LIDOM championship and a Caribbean Series berth. Marlins coaches Luis Urueta and Wellington Cepeda, who both work for Gigantes del Cibao, won LIDOM's GM of the Year and Manager of the Year awards, respectively.Venezuelan outfielder Luis Cova is in agreement with the Marlins on an international free agent deal. He's eligible to sign on January 15. Cova is 27th on Ben Badler's international bonus board at Baseball America, implying a bonus well above $1M (my best guess is $1.4M). I expect him to rank in the top 15 when we next update our Fish On First Top 30 prospects list.https://fishonfirst.com/farm/luis-cova-marlins-signing-details/Jeff Passan of ESPN describes the Marlins as being in "listening mode" regarding every player with the exception of Eury Pérez. Passan estimates that Jesús Luzardo has the highest trade value among Miami's non-Pérez assets—I think that's stating the obvious given his combination of production, salary and club-controlled years. In case you missed it, FOF's most-read article of 2024 thus far is from Alex Carver, citing three Luzardo trade proposals.The Marlins promoted Tiago Pinto to chief marketing officer and Robert Gelman to vice president, head of partnership development and strategy. Also, Sara Sanchez has been hired as vice president of human resources.Ryan Jensen remains in DFA limbo. We should have clarity about his status by the end of this week.Elsewhere around baseball, Korean reliever Woo-Suk Go (2/$4.5M) signed with the Padres.With 109 BBWAA ballots entered into Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame tracker, former Marlin Gary Sheffield has received 74.3% of the vote (needs 75.0% for election). I’ll continue updating his status in Offishial News as more ballots come in.Marlins Podcast Episodes