Ely Sussman
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Offishial news, 10/27/23: Friday start times; Johnny Almaraz; Jack McKeon
Ely Sussman posted an article in Marlins
Marlins Podcast Episodes Thursday's AFL/winter ball notes: 3B Jacob Berry went 1-for-5 with a home run, C Paul McIntosh went 1-for-4 and LHP Dale Stanavich blew a save and took the loss for the Peoria Javelinas. Dane Myers (LIDOM) went 1-for-5 with an RBI.The Marlins website is now updated with the scheduled start times of every 2024 home game. This fully confirms that first pitch for Friday games has been pushed back to 7:10 p.m.—in recent years, typical Monday-Friday night games had 6:40 p.m. starts. Seems like a logical change to me. The later start time gives fans a better chance of seeing the entire game once they're done navigating traffic around the ballpark, and with the implementation of the pitch clock, the final out will still be recorded before 10:00 p.m. on most nights. Elsewhere around baseball, the Red Sox officially hired Craig Breslow to be their chief baseball officer. Hopefully, that will accelerate the Marlins' job search. Jack McKeon retired from his Washington Nationals special adviser position. He won a 2019 World Series ring with them. McKeon had been in professional baseball since 1949!The latest included our World Series predictions. I'll tell you mine here: Rangers in six games with Marcus Semien earning MVP honors. 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! https://fishonfirst.com/la-pop/Pictured atop this article, old friends Nathan Eovaldi and Zac Gallen will toe the rubber for tonight's Game 1 of the Fall Classic. The Diamondbacks made it thus far in spite of Gallen, who allowed nine runs (all earned) in 11 total innings over the course of his two NLCS losses. Our 2023 Marlins Season Review series keeps expanding. The latest installments cover Andrew Nardi, Garrett Hampson and Trevor Rogers. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.We posted the revised FOF Top 30 prospects list earlier this week. This table illustrates how players rose and fall from where we previous ranked them in July. I found lots of similarities between the D-backs and the World Series-winning Marlins of 20 years ago.https://fishonfirst.com/history/comparing-2003-marlins-2023-diamondbacks/Joe Frisaro reports that Johnny Almaraz quietly joined the Marlins' scouting department and has made a great impression on his colleagues, so much so that some of them want him to be considered in the franchise's front office executive search. Almaraz's career has included gigs with the Reds, Braves and Phillies. At the very least, he figures to be a candidate for Miami's vacant director of amateur scouting position, having run the MLB Draft in Philadelphia as recently as 2019.Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors writes an offseason outlook for the Marlins ("Whoever is eventually hired to make the baseball decisions in Miami will have quite a to-do list").Regardless of lottery results, the Marlins are set to hold the 19th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. It will be the lowest first-round draft position for the Fish since 2010, though that worked out pretty well: they took Christian Yelich with the 23rd pick that year.Fish Army asks what would it take for you to stop being a Marlins fan. The most common response is "relocation," but there's an interesting range, including fans who are close to decommitting and others who insist they're locked in for life no matter what the team does.Photos by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images and Kyusung Gong/Icon Sportswire -
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8 similarities between the 2023 Diamondbacks and 2003 Marlins
Ely Sussman posted an article in Marlins
I'm not trying to convince Miami Marlins fans to root for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. On the contrary, it's natural to be envious of the D-backs making it this far. They got what was generally considered the "easier path" through the 2023 National League postseason field. Moreover, their pitching staff is headlined by former Marlin Zac Gallen, who takes the mound for Arizona in Game 1. It's nonetheless fascinating to draw parallels between the latest NL pennant winner and the one that brought South Florida its latest World Series title 20 years ago. Here's what they have in common... Closely removed from non-competitiveness—Citing financial issues, the Marlins notoriously ripped apart their roster on the heels of winning the 1997 championship. They plummeted from 92 victories to 54 in 1998, a .333 winning percentage which still stands as the worst single-season mark in franchise history. However, some of the prospects acquired via their fire sale became key contributors to the 2003 squad, and tanking in '98 earned them the second overall MLB Draft pick in 1999, which was used to select eventual postseason hero Josh Beckett. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are only two years removed from a 52-110 record. The vast majority of their roster has turned over since then thanks to outstanding player development, augmented by some aggressive trades.Projected for mediocrity—According to SportsOddsHistory.com, oddsmakers set the Marlins' win total prop at over/under 74.5 entering the 2003 season. The D-backs faced nearly as much skepticism (over/under 75.5). FanGraphs initially gave them about a 15% shot to make the postseason and barely a 1-in-100 chance of reaching the Fall Classic.Quirky home ballpark—"Quirky" is putting it politely. During their '03 run, the Marlins were tenants of the football stadium with an ever-changing name (known as Pro Player Stadium at the time). It wasn't long after hoisting the trophy that they began loudly campaigning for a venue to call their own. Arizona's Chase Field is a glorified airplane hangar. More than a quarter-century into the franchise's existence, it's overdue for renovations. Those would have been completed by now if ownership were willing to pay for it rather than holding out for public assistance.Veteran closer added at trade deadline—Neither of these teams were the best versions of themselves by midseason. The D-backs in particular spent July in a free fall and needed to shake things up come deadline time. Ugueth Urbina solidified the back end of the Marlins' bullpen, though they had to part with a three-player package, headlined by future perennial All-Star Adrián González. Paul Sewald likewise forced Arizona to ship three guys out of town. He's done everything possible to justify the cost of acquisition, putting up zeroes throughout the postseason. The D-backs have won 25 of the last 26 games that Sewald has appeared in (regular season and postseason combined).Snuck into postseason as lowest NL seed—The Marlins were the NL Wild Card team back in the days when each league had only one. In 2023, postseason seeding was still undecided entering the season finale, but a Diamondbacks loss locked them into the third Wild Card spot and sixth overall seed in the Senior Circuit. Major League Baseball has made tweaks to the postseason format through the years to minimize the amount of rest and number of home games that low-seeded teams receive. What they're finding out is this sport will always be unpredictable in tiny sample sizes.Trailed 3-2 in NLCS and had to clinch on the road—Both of these underdogs seemingly ran out of gas at the same stage of the postseason. Facing elimination, they had to go into raucous road environments and win a game, then they had to do it all over again the next night. Fun while it lasted, right? The Marlins improbably prevailed with their bats, scoring 17 runs off the Chicago Cubs over the final 11 innings of their series. The Diamondbacks relied on their arms and gloves to limit the Phillies offense to three total runs in NLCS Game 6 and Game 7.Small national footprint—Although Miami and Phoenix are surrounded by massive metro areas, they behave like small-market franchises. Most of their ballparks seats are empty throughout the summer. They're in the news far more often for losing stars than adding them. Their front offices run on modest budgets that make it difficult to contend for the postseason consistently. As a result, casual MLB fans lack familiarity with them and would prefer to see them sent home in favor of sexier brands. Just like the Fish two decades earlier—to the dismay of many—the Snakes remain very much alive. Ken Kendrick kinda looks like Jeffrey Loria—This is not a joke about how "all old, white owners look alike." Seriously, quite a resemblance, don't you think?The 2023 World Series between the D-backs and Texas Rangers gets underway on Friday at 8:03 p.m. ET. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images -
Several times throughout the year, in response to new information, recent on-field performances and player movement, the Fish On First staff revises our ranking of Miami Marlins top prospects. The table below illustrates how each player's position on the FOF Top 30 has changed from one update to the next. Any prospect who appeared on a Top 30 list over the last 12 months is included in the table, which is sorted in alphabetical order. "UR" means the player was in the Marlins organization at the time, but not a Top 30 prospect "N/A" means the player was either not with the organization or has graduated from prospect eligibility. Name May 2025 August 2025 October 2025 January 2026 April 2026 Maximo Acosta 14 11 12 15 17 Kemp Alderman 23 16 8 10 8 Aiva Arquette N/A 3 4 7 7 Nigel Belgrave 30 28 25 UR UR Keyner Benitez 17 15 17 21 19 Starlyn Caba 5 8 9 8 6 Owen Caissie N/A N/A N/A 4 N/A Cam Cannarella N/A 17 14 14 11 Brandon Compton N/A N/A N/A 29 25 Luis Cova 20 13 10 12 12 Deyvison De Los Santos 9 18 23 28 UR Kevin Defrank 15 6 5 6 4 Eliazar Dishmey UR 21 15 18 15 Josh Ekness 26 24 22 27 20 Drew Faurot N/A UR 28 UR UR Dax Fulton 13 27 UR UR UR Payton Green UR UR UR UR 28 Dillon Head 7 9 8 9 9 Cristian Hernández N/A N/A N/A 23 24 Ryan Ignoffo UR UR 29 UR UR Chase Jaworsky N/A 23 UR UR UR Carter Johnson 16 30 UR UR UR Brendan Jones N/A N/A N/A 17 14 Dillon Lewis N/A N/A N/A 5 5 Joe Mack 3 2 2 2 3 Jakob Marsee 24 7 N/A N/A N/A Liomar Martínez 28 UR 27 UR UR Juan Matheus N/A N/A N/A 30 29 Aiden May 29 UR UR UR UR Adam Mazur 8 10 N/A N/A N/A Victor Mesa Jr. 19 UR UR UR N/A Noble Meyer 10 14 18 22 27 Karson Milbrandt 21 20 13 13 10 Jacob Miller 22 UR UR UR UR PJ Morlando 18 19 16 26 26 Nate Payne UR UR UR UR 30 Andrew Pintar 25 UR UR UR UR Agustín Ramírez 2 N/A N/A N/A N/A Andrew Salas 4 5 6 11 13 Jared Serna 11 22 24 UR UR Grant Shepardson 27 29 UR UR UR Robby Snelling 6 4 3 3 2 Santiago Solarte N/A N/A N/A 20 18 Fenwick Trimble 30 UR 20 19 16 Esmil Valencia N/A 26 19 24 23 Andrés Valor 12 12 11 16 22 Josh White UR UR 21 25 21 Thomas White 1 1 1 1 1 View full article
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Relive all of the ups and downs of the 2023 Miami Marlins with our Fish On First Season Review, containing detailed articles about a wide variety of players. The FOF staff analyzes the individual impact that each of them had and what it means for their future with the organization. This installment focuses on left-handed reliever Andrew Nardi. 2023 TimelineJuly 4—placed on 15-day injured list (left triceps inflammation)July 25—sent on minor league rehab assignment to Jacksonville Jumbo ShrimpAugust 1—activated from 15-day injured listSeason stats: 63 G/0 GS, 57.1 IP, 2.67 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.15 WHIP, 0.8 fWAR (age 24) Andrew Nardi's excellence this past season shouldn't have come as a major shock to those who followed his minor league journey. He had a career 2.64 ERA and 3.05 FIP in the minors to earn his way to The Show in August 2022. He led all Marlins prospects in strikeout rate during that period (min. 100 IP) while frequently facing older competition. However, Nardi's initial cup of coffee threw most folks off his scent. He made 13 MLB relief appearances and allowed hits in 12 of them. Righties and lefties both OPS'd over 1.000 against him. He was terrible. By the time 2023 spring training arrived, the young lefty had already put that behind him. Nardi secured an Opening Day roster spot by dominating the Grapefruit League (8.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K). Just as he was seemingly settling in, he allowed three home runs during the final week of April (two to Cody Bellinger). The real breakout began once Nardi ditched his changeup. From May 6 onward, he threw exclusively fastballs and sliders. After making that adjustment, he surrendered only one (unearned) run over his next 19 appearances. In 48 total games as a two-pitch reliever (43.2 IP), he posted an outstanding 1.85 ERA with a 32.2 K% and ranked 15th among all MLB pitchers with a 2.44 WPA, per FanGraphs. Nardi became Skip Schumaker's go-to guy for escaping mid-inning messes. Nardi inherited 40 baserunners this season and stranded all but five of them. Only MLB relievers to strand at least 30 inherited baserunners in 2023 | Baseball-ReferenceNardi may have been outshined early in the season by A.J. Puk and then by Tanner Scott throughout the second half, but he was a massive reason why the Marlins bullpen thrived in high-leverage situations. Highlights/Lowlightshttps://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-05/07/6f0ecb1c-becd55b6-af74164c-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Records first career save to beat Cubs in 14 innings (5/7/23) https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-10/04/e1b32970-915b7d71-dec298fb-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Allows grand slam to Phillies' Bryson Stott in Game 2 of NL Wild Card Series (10/4/23)Future with the MarlinsTo establish himself as an elite reliever, Nardi needs to get a bit better against right-handed batters. That improvement could come from refining and reincorporating his changeup, or from throwing more backdoor sliders to earn called strikes early in the count. No reliever will be considered "untouchable" in the eyes of Miami's incoming baseball operations head, particularly if that hire comes from outside the organization. That being said, Nardi's performance and five remaining years of club control make him a relatively safe bet to reprise his role in the Marlins 'pen. Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves -
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Tuesday's GamesMarlins Podcast Episodes Here is our updated Fish On First Top 30 prospects list. Isaac Azout, Kevin Barral and I ranked the top talent in the Marlins farm system entering the 2023-24 offseason, with RHP Noble Meyer in the No. 1 spot.In postseason news, the Diamondbacks pulled off the upset! They defeated the Phillies on the road in NLCS Game 7 to clinch the National League pennant, only their second in franchise history. NLCS MVP Ketel Marte set an MLB record by recording a hit in his 16th straight postseason game to begin his career. After shining brightly in the NLDS, Nick Castellanos went 1-for-24 at the plate during this series with strikeouts in all seven games.Elsewhere around baseball, Craig Breslow is reportedly the new chief baseball officer of the Boston Red Sox. That resolution should allow the Marlins to kick their own job search into high gear. The Giants' official hiring of manager Bob Melvin could happen as soon as today. Melvin's replacement in San Diego is expected to come internally.Join us tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET for a new edition of Fish On First LIVE on YouTube/Twitter/Twitch that will include our World Series predictions. 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!https://fishonfirst.com/la-pop/Our 2023 Marlins Season Review series keeps expanding. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.Kevin Barral spoke to Paul McIntosh (#25 on the FOF Top 30) about his Arizona Fall League experience.Glenn Geffner's View from the Bleachers concludes that the Marlins' payroll must continue to rise in order to give the new baseball operations head a chance of assembling a competitive team in 2024.Marlins players Nick Fortes, Jesús Luzardo, Braxton Garrett and Anthony Bender(!) checked out Tuesday's Florida Panthers game. Garrett had the honors of banging the drum. Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald notes that today is the one-year anniversary of Skip Schumaker's hiring as Marlins manager. In the words of Luis Arraez, "he's the best."On this day 20 years ago, Josh Beckett's shutout of the Yankees in Game 6 clinched the Marlins' second World Series title.For Palm Beach Stories, Joe Capozzi details what made Beckett's final out so unique. The ball from that series-clinching play remains in the right-hander's home, still being held inside the glove he was using on that historic night.Photo by Victor Baldizon/Getty Images -
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Offishial news, 10/24/23: Baseball United's Marlins ties; another Game 7
Ely Sussman posted an article in Marlins
Monday's GamesMarlins Podcast Episodes Monday's fall/winter ball notes: SS Nasim Nuñez (AFL) went 1-for-4 with a walk. CF Dane Myers went 0-for-1 with a HBP.In postseason news, congratulations to the Rangers on defeating the Astros to advance to the World Series. Road teams won all seven games of the ALCS. Adolis García slugged his way to MVP honors. Dusty Baker is believed to have managed his final game, The Athletic reports. "Baker wants to remain in the game in some capacity," but understandably might prefer a lightened work schedule at the age of 74. For the first time this postseason, the Phillies lost at Citizens Bank Park, scoring one measly run against Merrill Kelly and the Diamondbacks.Elsewhere around baseball, a new professional league serving the Middle East and South Asia, Baseball United, held its inaugural draft. There are two former Marlins among the draftees: RHP André Rienzo and OF Alejandro De Aza. They were both selected by the Abu Dhabi Falcons, who are managed by another ex-Marlin, Dennis Cook (reliever from the World Series-winning 1997 team).After trading zeroes during a Game 3 pitcher's duel, Brandon Pfaadt and Ranger Suárez match up once again in tonight's winner-take-all NLCS finale.Our 2023 Marlins Season Review series keeps expanding. The latest installment covers Garrett Cooper. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.The Miami Marlins Radio Network announced that they have new content on the way next month. The Marlins Hot Stove Show will be live on Tuesdays starting November 7 and "Marlins Rerun" episodes will be posted on Thursdays starting November 9.Maybe something, maybe nothing: Skip Schumaker's Twitter account has blocked several Marlins fans and multiple FOF staffers. At least a few of these blocks were put in place during the week-plus since Kim Ng left the organization. Schumaker rarely addresses Marlins fans/media in public tweets, but he's known to use the app on a near-daily basis.Photo courtesy of MLB -
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What seems clear is Bell won't be able to match the $33M guarantee he got last winter. I think there will be some kind of 2-year offer out there for him though. I lean toward him testing the market because he is a Scott Boras client. Boras isn't always right! There have been times where his aggressiveness has backfired, but that hasn't changed his behavior. Of course, Bell can reject Boras' recommendation if he's fully comfortable in Miami.
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Relive all of the ups and downs of the 2023 Miami Marlins with our Fish On First Season Review, containing detailed articles about a wide variety of players. The FOF staff analyzes the individual impact that each of them had and what it means for their future with the organization. This installment focuses on first baseman/designated hitter Garrett Cooper. 2023 TimelineMay 3—placed on 10-day injured list (inner ear infection)May 12—sent on minor league rehab assignment to Jacksonville Jumbo ShrimpMay 14—activated from 10-day injured list —traded along with RHP Sean Reynolds to the San Diego Padres for LHP Ryan WeathersOverall season stats: 123 G, .251/.304/.419, 96 wRC+, 17 HR, 0 SB, 0.3 fWAR (age-32 season) Marlins stats: 82 G, .256/.296/.426, 93 wRC+, 13 HR, 0 SB, 0.2 fWAR There weren't a whole lot of spicy "position battles" to monitor during 2023 Marlins spring training, but the role of backup first baseman was still yet to be decided. Although Garrett Cooper had been a good hitter throughout the past half-decade and earned a National League All-Star selection the year before, he had repeatedly failed to stay on the field. However much you want to attribute that to fragility vs. simple bad luck, the Marlins needed to account for his perennial lack of availability. The club wanted newcomer Luis Arraez to focus entirely on second base, though at least he could cover first in emergencies. Catcher Nick Fortes got some spring reps at the position. So did Jordan Groshans and Jerar Encarnación—like Fortes, that wasn't their natural position. None of these internal options distinguished themselves, so with less than three weeks until Opening Day, the Marlins inked free agent Yuli Gurriel to a minor league deal. He showed enough during that brief trial (particularly defensively) to secure the final roster spot. Gurriel's presence allowed the Marlins to manage Cooper's workload, resting him about once per week and occasionally sliding him over to the designated hitter spot. Overall, it was the most durable season of his major league career. However, Coop's effectiveness at the plate was below his usual standards. He lacked discipline and struck out in nearly 30% of his Marlins plate appearances while walking only 5.3% of the time; from 2018-2022, those rates were 25.9% and 9.0%, respectively. He was mashing left-handed pitching (138 wRC+), but every other aspect of his offensive profile was underwhelming. Coming out of the All-Star break, it was unsurprising to see rumors swirl about the slumping Marlins pursuing lineup upgrades, but they wouldn't mess with the Cooper/Gurriel duo...right? The possibility of shaking up the first base situation began feeling very real the week before the trade deadline when Miami was reported to be one of the bidders for Carlos Santana, who was ultimately dealt from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee. Mere hours before the Aug. 1 deadline arrived, Kim Ng and her front office shook up the Marlins offense in a series of moves. They acquired Josh Bell from the Cleveland Guardians to be their primary first baseman down the stretch. Cooper and minor league reliever Sean Reynolds departed for the San Diego Padres in exchange for Ryan Weathers. As a pending free agent in the midst of an unremarkable season, Coop understandably carried very minimal surplus value. At the time, Bell's numbers were not clearly better than Cooper's, but the Marlins were richly rewarded for betting on his underlying batted ball data: Later that month, Cooper faced his former teammates when the Fish visited Petco Park. He reached base safely five times during the series (3-for-8, 2 BB). He started about half of the Padres' post-deadline games. His platoon splits were even more pronounced and he was a net-negative in terms of win probability added. The Padres finished two games back of the final NL Wild Card spot. This wasn't the kind of walk year that Cooper hoped for. That being said, he avoided significant injuries and set new personal bests for home runs, RBIs, total bases and games played. Highlights/Lowlightshttps://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-04/27/25bacd68-dd42eebf-831bd2e2-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Cooper's game-winning double completes comeback vs. Braves (4/27/23)https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-06/22/4ea363c6-703f684b-1a3adf48-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Cooper's go-ahead home run vs. Pirates (6/22/23)https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/39c144cb-44e4-47ee-8bd8-6e4690365355.mp4Cooper completes "golden sombrero" vs. Cardinals with strikeout on non-competitive pitch (7/18/23)Future with the MarlinsIt's not like Cooper and the Marlins ended things on bad terms, so there is at least a longshot scenario that involves them reuniting. For that to happen this offseason, Bell would have to opt out of his contract and sign elsewhere—there's too much redundancy in their skillsets to justify paying market rate for both. Cooper's highest bidder should be willing to go slightly above his 2023 salary of $3.9 million. Given his injury history and recent issues performing against same-handed pitching, perhaps there'd be performance bonuses in the deal based on plate appearances. Photo by Noah Berger/Fish On First -
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There's a Bob Nightengale report suggesting that the Padres will promote from within (Ryan Flaherty or Mike Shildt, who are already on their coaching staff). Should get more clarity this week. New managers are often introduced right before the World Series and seems like that will apply to Melvin.
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Enjoy top plays from Miami Marlins outfielder Victor Mesa Jr.! Mesa spent his age-21 season with the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos. In 123 games played, he slashed .242/.308/.412 (91 wRC+) with 18 HR and 16 SB. He also had 11 outfield assists. In October 2018, the Marlins signed Mesa along with older brother, Victor Victor Mesa. Although Victor Victor received the much larger signing bonus at the time, Victor Jr. has clearly established himself as the better player. He's likely to earn a 40-man roster spot in November and advance to the Triple-A level next year. Where would you rank Mesa among the top prospects in the Marlins organization? -
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What to expect from first phase of Marlins offseason roster moves
Ely Sussman posted an article in Marlins
The Miami Marlins have had a chance to catch their breath during the week since they parted ways with general manager Kim Ng, but the Major League Baseball transaction calendar will soon require them to get back to business. Interim GM Brian Chattin and principal owner Bruce Sherman have moves to make between now and early November. Entering Monday, the Marlins 40-man roster is at 39 players. Several of them are goners following the World Series as the team makes room to reinstate members of the 60-day injured list. Yuli Gurriel, David Robertson and Joey Wendle are pending free agents. Although there is an exclusive five-day negotiating window between free agents and their former clubs, it's doubtful that new deals will be consummated so soon in these cases. Gurriel and Wendle are low-priority bench players. Robertson surely will want to test the open market after a rocky experience in Miami. Johnny Cueto and Matt Barnes will join them in free agency after their 2024 club options are declined. Due to injuries and illness, Cueto was limited to 13 sub-replacement-level appearances in 2023. As much as the Marlins need a veteran innings-eater next season, Cueto ain't that guy. They'll pay him a $2.5 million buyout to go away rather than pick up his $10.5 million option. Barnes is coming off a slightly better season than Cueto and has a slightly cheaper option ($9 million), but he's also a middle reliever coming off hip surgery. No reason to overthink this. Barnes will take home a $2.75 million buyout. Barnes wasn't counting against the 40-man, but Gurriel, Robertson, Wendle and Cueto were. Their subtractions take the roster count from 39 to 35. Anthony Bender (Tommy John surgery), Jonathan Davis (right meniscus surgery), Max Meyer (Tommy John surgery) and Trevor Rogers (right lat strain) will each be reinstated from the 60-day IL. Barring setbacks, all four are expected to be ready for spring training and hold positive trade value. It's an easy call to re-add them to the 40-man, bringing the Marlins back up to 39 players. Tommy Nance's campaign began with a shoulder strain, ended with an oblique strain, and in between, he never threw a pitch for the Marlins (though he was effective on minor league rehab assignments). I don't have a feel for what the Marlins will do with him. They temporarily have room for him on the roster and he'll be cheap in 2024 (pre-arb), so no urgency to get rid of him during "Phase I" of offseason transactions. All-Star Jorge Soler is opting out of his contract, forgoing the $13 million salary he's currently in line for, knowing there will be more money out there for him. I recommend that the Marlins extend a qualifying offer to Soler, retaining him for approximately $20.5 million if he accepts and making themselves eligible to receive draft-pick compensation if he declines and signs elsewhere. Will they? Likely not. No outcome would surprise me in the case of Josh Bell. Like Soler, he can opt out and test the market as one of the most talented run producers in the 2023-24 free agent class. Unlike Soler, he would not be bogged down by draft-pick compensation because he's ineligible for a qualifying offer. However, his existing contract already calls for a $16.5 million salary and his 2023 production was below average by first base/designated hitter standards, although he finished on a very high note. Bell's agent, Scott Boras, has historically encouraged his clients to enter free agency when they're on the fence. My best guess is he'll opt out. Lastly, there is Jon Berti's situation. In February, he signed a contract that included a club option for 2024. The option's value has increased from $3.5 million to $3.625 million based on his total plate appearances from this past season, and it comes with a $25k buyout. I mention Berti last because he'll be on the 40-man either way and remain under the Marlins' control. If they decline the option, it just means they feel he would settle for less than $3.6 million to avoid arbitration. After posting a shiny .294 batting average and setting career highs in most counting stats (other than stolen bases), I predict that the Marlins will pick up the option. Previewing "Phase II"Coming up in mid-November, MLB teams have to determine which Rule 5 Draft-eligible prospects to protect on their 40-man roster and which pre-arb and arbitration-eligible major leaguers they want to tender 2024 contracts to. It's unclear whether the Marlins' new baseball operations chief will be in place by then. Regardless of who's calling the shots, expect outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. to be protected and Jacob Stallings to be non-tendered. I'll have another article out explaining why in greater detail after Phase I is complete. Photo by Jasen Vinlove/Miami Marlins -
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Offishial news, 10/23/23: Game 7; "The Locker Room;" Melvin to the Giants?
Ely Sussman posted an article in Marlins
Sunday's GamesThe Dominican Winter League season has just begun, while the Arizona Fall League is entering its third-to-last week. Check our Marlins fall/winter ball tracker regularly for updates.In postseason news, Nathan Eovaldi (Rangers) improved to 4-0 this month, completing at least six innings in each of those starts. Adolis García's grand slam secured Sunday's victory, setting up a winner-take-all ALCS Game 7.Elsewhere around the majors, Padres manager Bob Melvin is interviewing for the same position with the Giants and considered the "leading candidate" to get it. Melvin's imminent departure from San Diego reportedly stems from a rift between he and general manager A.J. Preller.The Phillies attempt to remain undefeated at Citizens Bank Park this postseason. A win tonight punches their ticket to the World Series. Max Scherzer and Cristian Javier are the probable starters in Houston with the American League pennant hanging in the balance.I prepare you for what the first phase of Marlins offseason roster moves will look like. It remains hard to gauge whether or not Josh Bell will exercise his opt-out, but I lean yes.Our 2023 Marlins Season Review series keeps expanding. The latest installments cover Jesús Sánchez and Johnny Cueto. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.Former Marlins reliever AJ Ramos debuted his new show, " ," taking us inside the mind of a professional athlete and finding a balance between life on and off the field. Outfielder Noah Williamson was the Marlins' 19th-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. He was cut this past summer before advancing beyond the Low-A level due to severe swing-and-miss issues. I only bring this up because he's made an unconventional career move, signing with the Hyogo Bravers of Japan's Sawakami Kansai Independent League. Good luck to Williamson! On this day 20 years ago, the Marlins beat the Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series. The Marlins haven't played a postseason home game since then.Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images -
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Someday, the Miami Marlins will likely have to compete against their ex-general manager Kim Ng once she lands a gig with another MLB team's front office. That day might not be coming this offseason, though. Ng was "thought to be of strong interest" to the Boston Red Sox, Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive report, the only other franchise actively searching for a new baseball operations department leader. But on Friday, she declined to interview with them. While "the reasons for Ng’s refusal are unknown," there are plenty of other prominent executives who have done the same during the month-plus since Boston's chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom was fired: Traditionally, working for the Red Sox came with the flexibility of a top-five MLB payroll, but ownership tightened the purse strings during Bloom's tenure. The expectation to win World Series titles is still there, contributing to the frequent turnover that the Sox have had since Theo Epstein's tenure ended. The New York Mets could be in the market for a GM to replace Billy Eppler, who resigned earlier this month. However, David Stearns just took over as their president of baseball operations. Ng reportedly parted with the Marlins largely due to Bruce Sherman's plan to hire a POBO to oversee her, so it's difficult to imagine her going there (unless ultra-wealthy Mets owner Steve Cohen overwhelms her with a massive salary and long-term job security). It's possible that other teams who currently have a GM as their top decision-maker could target Ng to be their POBO, reacting to her sudden availability rather than conducting broad searches like the Red Sox and Marlins. If not, perhaps she'll bide her time in an advisory role until the 2024-25 hiring cycle begins. -
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Thursday's GamesMarlins Podcast Episodes Thursday's fall/winter ball notes: It was Opening Day for LIDOM in the Dominican Republic. The only Marlin on an active roster was CF Dane Myers (Gigantes del Cibao), who went 0-for-2 with a run scored. In the AFL, C Paul McIntosh and SS Nasim Nuñez each recorded a hit. LHP Evan Taylor pitched a scoreless inning of relief.Listen back to Thursday's State of the Fish, our first Twitter Space of the Marlins offseason.In postseason news, NLCS Game 3 starters Ranger Suárez and Brandon Pfaadt threw up zeroes into the sixth inning. The Phillies took a 1-0 lead on a wild pitch in the seventh, but the Diamondbacks immediately answered back and then walked off to victory on Ketel Marte's RBI single. The Phillies are still up 2-1 in the series. Both ALCS Game 4 starters had lousy outings, but the Astros bullpen was exponentially better than the Rangers. Another big night at the plate for Yordan Alvarez (2-for-4, 3 RBI) helped even up the series.Elsewhere around the majors, Jim Leyland is among eight nominees to be considered by the Baseball Hall of Fame's Contemporary Baseball Era Committee for the Class of 2024. The 1997 World Series champion needs to receive votes from at least 75% of the committee members to be elected. Veteran right-hander Michael Fulmer underwent UCL revision surgery that's expected to cost him the entire 2024 season. He pitched for the Cubs this past year.Both League Championship Series matchups resume tonight. Road teams are undefeated so far in the ALCS and the same goes for home teams in the NLCS.Our 2023 Marlins Season Review series keeps expanding. The latest installments cover Luis Arraez and David Robertson. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.It isn't hard to find national media columns roasting the Marlins, including Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic, Jay Jaffe of FanGraphs, Marc Normandin of Baseball Prospectus and Jon Heyman of the New York Post. I have found that many of these articles overlook key facts to push a neat narrative, though at least in Heyman's case, there is interesting reporting about how Kim Ng overruled the majority of the club's decision-makers to select Skip Schumaker as manager over Matt Quatraro.Nasim Nuñez tells Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald why it's so important to disconnect from baseball when away from the field.Barely a week post-surgery, Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s right foot is tough to look at, though his recovery appears to be going as planned.Photo by Sporting News via Getty Images -
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