Kevin Barral

Prior to the trade deadline, the ninth inning belonged to Tanner Scott. Marlins manager Skip Schumaker discussed what his plan is for the closer's role for the rest of 2024. MIAMI, FL—Entering the trade deadline, the Miami Marlins had the top rental reliever on the market in Tanner Scott. He was dealt to the San Diego Padres along with Bryan Hoeing in exchange for four prospects. That has made life more complicated for Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, who has been left with an inexperienced bullpen for the final two months of the 2024 season. Who fills Scott's shoes as Miami's closer? Anthony Bender leads the team with nine career saves at the Major League level, though he has none this year. Instead, Calvin Faucher has recorded the only two saves for the team since Scott departed. "I don't think it's fair to say he's the closer," Schumaker told Fish On First when asked about Faucher's role. "I think he has closed out games and done a really good job of providing us with some big innings in the ninth inning lately. If there's three lefties at the top, I'm guessing (Andrew) Nardi is gonna get that. However, if the eighth inning is three lefties at the top, Nardi is gonna get that eighth inning." Schumaker noted that Andrew Nardi is the only lefty currently in his bullpen, which affects the order that relievers are used. "I think with Bender and (Declan) Cronin and Faucher and Nardi, I feel like you can mix and match. You can get all those guys potentially in the ninth inning one of these games depending on availability and different pockets and where to use them to get guys out with." "When we go down to the bullpen, we're told possibilities of when we're going to throw," said Faucher. "Every day, it's towards the sixth to ninth. Me, Nardi, Cronin, (Jesus) Tinoco and Bender kind of in there in those talks, so we're just ready when that time comes." Faucher has entered in the ninth inning during four of his last five appearances. He only did that twice through his first 37 appearances of the season. The first-year Marlin has a 3.38 ERA, 2.77 FIP, 9.70 K/9 and 4.64 BB/9 in 42 ⅔ innings. His greatest strength has been preventing home runs. Even Jesus Tinoco has found himself pitching and succeeding in high-leverage situations. Claimed off waivers following the deadline, Tinoco has struck out four, allowed one hit and hasn't issued a walk through 4 ⅓ scoreless innings. On Wednesday night, he pitched the top of the eighth, recording a strikeout to set up Faucher's save. "Guys have been down," said Schumaker. "Bender was dealing with something a little bit earlier, so he was down a few days. Yesterday we ran into a spot where it was really him. That's why he got the opportunity. We didn't have many guys left, but to his credit, we have been using his name a lot in the pitcher's meetings because he has 97 with a real slider." View full article

The Marlins' bats gave Valente Bellozo plenty of early run support. He led the team to its 43rd win of the season, though not without some late-inning drama. MIAMI, FL—When Valente Bellozo took the mound in Atlanta five days ago, the Marlins starter completed five impressive innings, going into the sixth, but not recording an out. The rookie took another step forward on Wednesday night against the Cincinnati Reds, Bellozo pitched a career-high 5 ⅔ shutout innings, striking out four, walking two and allowing five hits. He was given a large lead thanks to newest Marlin Derek Hill and the Marlins defeated the Reds by a final score of 6-4. The same Reds lineup that scored 10 runs in the opening game of this series and eight more in the second game couldn't put anything on the scoreboard while Bellozo was on the mound. This marked Bellozo's first career win at the Major League level. "He doesn't have much velocity, but his pitch shapes are really good," said Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. "All of his other characteristics on his secondary stuff, the shaping is really good. The goal of pitching is to miss bats or miss barrels and he is missing barrels at a really good percentage so that's a credit to him." Bellozo's four-seam fastball averaged only 89.4 mph and maxed out at 91.8 mph. It was still by far his most-used pitch and accounted for three of his nine whiffs. This season, Marlins pitchers have had no success containing Reds superstar Elly De La Cruz. On Wednesday night, however, Bellozo struck him out twice with two fastballs inside. De La Cruz ended the night going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and one walk after having combined for eight hits between the first two games of the series. hx42ta_1.mp4 One thing that stands out about Bellozo is he's extremely confident, something Schumaker has observed as well. Bellozo has been meeting with a psychologist for the last year or so and he mentioned that the biggest takeaway is just keeping a positive mindset. "I think the better mindset is, it's a game," said Bellozo. "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Sometimes you throw your best pitch and it's a base hit and some days you are not and it's an out. That's the game. I think if we enjoy the game, have fun, embrace every sensation, every moment. I think that's really the mindset." On August 3, the Marlins claimed outfielder Derek Hill off waivers. Four days later, Hill took Reds starter Andrew Abbott deep for a grand slam. That marked Hill's first career grand slam and the team's third grand slam this season (Jazz Chisholm Jr. had the previous two). Hill is the first Marlins hitter to hit a grand slam in one of his first three games with the team since Jerar Encarnación in 2022 against the New York Mets. "What it's all about is, are you ready for your opportunity?" said Schumaker. "There's going to be guys we said earlier that are going to get their first shot of playing a lot at this level and Hill is one of them. He was a first-rounder years ago. He's a journeyman, but he hits the ball as hard as anybody. If he can cut down the strikeouts a little bit and hit the ball as hard as he's hitting it, he's gonna be okay up here." After getting off to a rough start this season, Jake Burger has turned it up a notch since the Marlins visited Cincinnati last month. On Wednesday, Burger went 2-for-4 with two home runs. It marked his fifth career multi-homer game. Burger also has hit 12 homers in his last 30 games. He now leads Miami with 19 total long balls in 2024. The Marlins held a 6-0 lead entering the top of the seventh inning, but that's when the Reds answered back with a grand slam of their own from TJ Friedl against reliever Andrew Nardi. This was only the second game in the Major League Baseball season where both teams have hit a grand slam. Down 6-4, the Reds made it interesting in the ninth inning. New Marlins closer Calvin Faucher loaded the bases, but was able to escape it and earned his second save of the season. With the win, the Marlins are now 43-72. They will aim for a series split on Thursday with Kyle Tyler taking the mound and the Reds going with All-Star Hunter Greene, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball as of late. View full article

Six years later, the former summer collegiate league teammates have been reunited at the highest level of baseball. MIAMI, FL—Every summer, the Cape Cod Baseball League brings together some of the most talented players in college baseball. Consider the 2018 Falmouth Commodores. Their roster featured seven future major leaguers, including Atlanta Braves star pitcher Spencer Strider and two current Miami Marlins, Declan Cronin and Kyle Stowers. "Remember it being a really fun group," said Stowers. "One thing specifically for some reason that comes up to me is I think in the Cape is such a pure form of baseball. You're playing on high school fields, bad lights if you're playing night games, and you're just playing the game. I think summer ball as a whole in college feels like that. Just feels like a simplified form of baseball." Playing on the Cape between his sophomore and junior seasons at Stanford University, Stowers was one of Falmouth's top position players. He ended up slashing .326/.361/.565/.926 with six home runs, 24 RBIs and a team-leading 78 total bases. He was second on the team in batting average, OPS and slugging. Cronin, on the other hand, split his summer schedule between the New England Collegiate Baseball League and the Cape. He pitched only five games for the Commodores (all in relief). "There were some talented guys," said the Holy Cross right-hander. "Obviously the Cape is really cool because of the high level talent that you can be surrounded with, both on your team and the guys you're going against every night." Many members of the Marlins clubhouse departed over the last two weeks in trade deadline day deals. That includes left-hander Trevor Rogers, who went to the Baltimore Orioles on deadline day in exchange for Stowers and prospect Connor Norby. "We were waiting to see what the return [for Rogers] was and somebody was like, 'Oh, we got an outfielder, Stowers,' and I was like, 'We got Stowers!' I was so pumped. I was fully exuberant, so it's great to know that he's here and we're back on the same team." "He was one of my favorite teammates when we played together then and it's obviously awesome to be back on the same team with him," said Cronin about Stowers. "He's an awesome guy. He's a really talented ballplayer and he's going to be a huge impact on the field, but also off the field. He's one of the best guys I've come across." Stowers and Cronin have kept up with each other since the summer of '18. They attended the wedding of a mutual friend and competed head-to-head in recent years at the Triple-A level as members of the Orioles and Chicago White Sox organizations, respectively. "We've stayed in touch through that and I just remember him being very intelligent, as he obviously still is a very intelligent person," said Cronin. "Knew what he was doing, knew what he wanted to do to be successful." This time around, their stint as teammates could last much longer. Both players are under Marlins club control through at least the 2029 season. View full article

Elly De La Cruz had a historic night in Miami, joining the likes of Rickey Henderson and Jose Altuve. MIAMI, FL—The last time Elly De La Cruz faced the Miami Marlins, it was at Great American Ball Park right before the All-Star break. The switch-hitting shortstop was in All-Star form, going 5-for-13 with two home runs and three RBI. On Monday night, facing the Fish as a visitor one month later, De La Cruz made himself at home against Miami pitching by putting up two homers and two doubles in a 10-3 Reds win. De La Cruz is the first Marlins opponent to record four extra-base hits since Jose Altuve accomplished that feat in 2017. The exclusive club also includes Hall of Famer, Rickey Henderson. Following the game, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker praised the young superstar. "The game is in a really good spot with Elly, Oneil Cruz and Gunnar Henderson," said Schumaker. "There's some really big-time young shortstops in the game that are fun to watch. I typically don't give too much credit to guys on the other side, but he had some incredible at-bats today. He's a special player and he's going to be a lot of fun to watch throughout the next however long." 62cfbb43-0407c158-ae07c3f4-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 De La Cruz also joined Eric Davis and Joe Morgan as the only players in Reds franchise history to hit 20 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. The 22-year-old wasn't aware of what he had done when asked after the game. His response when he found out from a reporter? "Nice," and followed it with plenty of laughs. De La Cruz is the second player in Reds history to have two doubles and two homers in a game. "I feel great," said De La Cruz. "I feel grateful to God." The Reds still have 50 games left in their regular season. When asked how much higher he can raise his numbers, De La Cruz's response was simple: "As long as I go out on the field every day, I can do whatever I want." Through seven career games against the Marlins, De La Cruz has slashed .379/.419/.897/1.316 with four home runs and six RBI. Max Meyer will take the mound on Tuesday night against the lefty Nick Lodolo. De La Cruz is batting in the number two spot of Cincinnati's lineup. View full article

Entering his first homestand as a member of the Miami Marlins, outfielder Kyle Stowers speaks with Fish On First about the moment he was dealt, expectations with his new club and much more. View full video

One of the many acquisitions made at the trade deadline reported to the Major League team and looks to make a big impact early on with his new club. MIAMI, FL—On deadline day, the Miami Marlins traded starting pitcher Trevor Rogers to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers. Norby, the main piece of the deal, was sent down to Triple-A Jacksonville to get reps at third base, but Stowers reported straight to the Major League team. "I was at the field in Charlotte with the Norfolk Tides," said Stowers. "I had just gotten out of the tubs and was getting ready for the game and one of my buddies, Coby Mayo, said that [Connor] Norby had gotten traded to the Marlins with one other player and when I checked my phone, I was the other player." Stowers, 26, was regarded as the Orioles number eight prospect in the system according to MLB Pipeline in 2022. He earned his first call-up that year and since then, he's had limited playing time in the big leagues. At the Major League level, Stowers has slashed .215/.261/.343/.604 with four home runs, 20 RBI and a 71 OPS+ in 184 plate appearances. The Marlins hold a 42-71 record this season with what is now one of the youngest rosters in baseball. Someone like Stowers will have an opportunity to play every day, per Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. "It's all I can ask for, " said Stowers of his opportunity. "I think any player just wants an opportunity to showcase their abilities and help the team win. Hopefully I can just help this team win as many games as possible." Through five games with his new team, Stowers has struggled, going 2-for-20 with 11 strikeouts. Throughout his minor league career and early on in the Majors, Stowers possesses an aggressive approach which has led to high strikeout percentages, with this season being the highest of his short career at 41.5%. "Maybe pressing a little bit early on, trying to show he's worth the trade, that type of thing," said Skip Schumaker. "It's only natural to feel like you want to showcase who you are right away. I think giving him the off day yesterday and giving him a chance to breathe and then coming back out there today and just letting him play. There's no pressure. We're going to be running you out there and just play and have fun. I think limiting some of the pressure is the biggest thing. So I don't think he's not going to hit. It's just a matter of, you know, meeting new players and new team the whole deal." Stowers spoke to his early struggles with his new team as well. "I think just early on I am just a little anxious. Maybe just trying to do too much. Trying to go get it a little bit. I thought the at-bats the last two games were getting a lot better, so just hoping to build off of that. Keep putting good swing on balls and it'll turn. That's how baseball works." The newest Marlin said it best: he's trying to do too much at the plate. The current league average swing percentage is 47.9. Stowers' career swing percentage up to this point is 56.6%. He currently ranks third in baseball in swing percentage this season amongst players who have at least 50 plate appearances. Former Marlins Avisail Garcia and Nick Gordon also made the top ten. The Marlins welcomed the Cincinnati Reds for a four-game set where the Reds took game one led by Elly De La Cruz's incredible game. After a two-run home run in the top of the first, De La Cruz would hit his second home run of the night in the eighth, marking his third career multi-homer game. He became just the fifth player to ever have four extra-base hits in a game against the Marlins. Marlins starter Roddery Muñoz struggled as he surrendered six runs (four earned) off of seven hits and three walks. The Reds would win by a final of 10-3. This is the third time this season that Muñoz allowed more walks than strikeouts. It's also the ninth time this season that he surrendered multiple home runs. The second home run Muñoz allowed was to Noelvi Marte. Jesus Sánchez took Jakob Junis 480 feet deep to right field marking the longest home run hit by an MLB player this season. It also marked the hardest hit ball by Sánchez this season. Sánchez also grounded into a double play that drove in the Marlins second run of the game. Jonah Bride drove in Xavier Edwards in the bottom of the seventh inning to add on their third run of the game. Max Meyer will take the mound for the Marlins on Tuesday night at 6:40 pm. For the Reds, lefty Nick Lodolo will take the mound. View full article

Cristian Pache hasn't lived up to his prospect hype, but there are still reasons to be intrigued. The Miami Marlins made two waiver claims on Friday, acquiring outfielder Cristian Pache from the Baltimore Orioles and reliever John McMillon from the Kansas City Royals. McMillon was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville as he tries to regain his strikeout stuff, but Pache is out of minor league options, so he will join the big league club. While the Marlins as a team aren't playing for much during the rest of 2024, this could be one of Pache's final opportunities to show that he belongs in the majors. Pache, 25, was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2015. Known mainly for his speed and defense, his bat was never truly consistent, but good enough to project as a future everyday player. His best minor league season came in 2019 between AA and AAA, slashing .277/.340/.462/.802 with 12 home runs and 61 RBIs. Scouts were high on the young outfielder entering 2020 as he ranked as a consensus top-25 MLB prospect, including 13th on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 list and the number one prospect in the Atlanta Braves system. Per Pipeline, he was a 70-grade runner, 70-grade thrower and an 80-grade fielder. As Pache joins his fifth MLB organization, the problem continues to be lack of offensive production. Pache immediately struggled with his approach in limited action with the 2020-21 Braves. Through 24 career games, he posted an extremely high 37.5 K% and extremely low 2.8 BB%. He was too aggressive swinging at pitches up in the strike zone. Even when putting balls in play, the young outfielder has made the wrong kinds of contact: too many ground balls and pop-ups. His career BABIP is only .258, compared to the MLB average of .292 during those seasons. Pache was given a clean slate after being included in the Sean Murphy trade which sent him to the Oakland Athletics. The rebuilding A's were able to give him an extended opportunity to play, but Pache did not take advantage of it. He slashed .166/.218/.241/.459 with three home runs and 18 RBIs. With more experience, Pache has been able to evolve his aggressive approach. He continues to swing at the first pitch constantly (40.3% of the time this season, per Baseball-Reference), but from there, he will work deep counts. It helps that he is being used as a platoon player instead of a starter with the majority of his plate appearances coming against left-handed pitchers. With a career .244 on-base percentage, Pache has rarely been able to use him speed on the bases. Even when he gets on, he hasn't been confident or efficient, going 4-for-9 on steal attempts. By both defensive runs saved and outs above average, Pache grades out as a good defender. He ranks in the 91st percentile of arm strength in 2024. If nothing else, he can contribute as a late-inning replacement. 7eb4c1ba-28dc58ac-bf16aac1-csvm-diamondx64-asset-4000K.mp4 For what it's worth, Pache has found past success in what will be his new home ballpark, slashing .400/.400/.650/1.050 with one home run and five RBIs in 20 plate appearances. That one home run was off of A.J. Puk in the ninth inning last season. Since Jazz Chisholm Jr. was traded, Nick Gordon has served as Miami's center fielder. Expect Pache to platoon with Gordon moving forward. He'll have a chance to stick on the roster into 2025 if he plays solidly over these final two months. View full article

An injury will sideline Mesa throughout August and September, pushing back his potential Marlins debut until next year. After the Miami Marlins traded away Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Bryan De La Cruz, outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. looked like he had a clear opening to make his major league debut this season. However, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp transferred Mesa to the 60-day injured list on Wednesday due to a back injury, ending his season. Fish On First's top-ranked Marlins position player prospect entering July, Mesa missed a few games in the middle of the month, returning to action on July 20. He aggravated the injury at the start of Jacksonville's July 28 game against the Norfolk Tide, reaching for his lower back after fouling off a pitch in the first inning. Mesa crouched down in pain and exited the game a few moments later. 8ycx5l_1.mp4 Signed by the Marlins in October 2018, Mesa has steadily climbed up the minor league ladder and was selected to Miami's 40-man roster last offseason. The 22-year-old spent spring training with the big league team, though he suffered a minor ankle injury in March. He was the youngest player on the AAA roster when he made his Jumbo Shrimp debut on April 9. Mesa was very consistent at the plate early on. He reached base safely in 29 of his first 30 games with Jacksonville, slashing .281/.348/.488/.836 with six home runs, 26 RBIs and a 113 wRC+ during that stretch. He also showed the versatility to play all three outfield positions, getting the highest percentage of his starts in center field. Mesa slowed down after that, though, including only five hits in his final 45 at-bats. He will end his 2024 season after 80 AAA games, slashing .259/.319/.430/.749 with 13 home runs, 51 RBIs and a 90 wRC+. For the second straight year, the left-handed-hitting Mesa found success against left-handed pitching. He slashed .298/.390/.500/.890 with four home runs and 16 RBIs. He had a 14.0% walk rate in those matchups, compared to only 5.9% against right-handers, contributing to massive reverse platoon splits. Jesús Sánchez will likely be the Marlins right fielder in 2025, but the rest of the outfield picture is undecided. If Mesa fully recovers entering spring training and shows improvement against righties, he'll have a chance to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster and play almost every day. View full article

Fresh off being recalled from the minors, Valente Bellozo held the Atlanta Braves scoreless into the fifth inning on Friday night. Through his two starts at the major league level, Valente Bellozo showed flashes of being starter who could contribute at the back end of a rotation. Following this week's trade of Trevor Rogers, Bellozo was brought up from Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday night to make his third start. Bellozo limited the Atlanta Braves to two runs, but a late-inning push by the Braves potent offense denied him of a win as the Miami Marlins fell by a final score of 5-3. "He thinks he's Max Scherzer out there," Marlins manager Schumaker told Marlins Radio about Bellozo prior to the game. "He's super confident. He's on the attack and he's throwing his fastball with a little bit of cut at the top against lefties and he has a good changeup. I think the demeanor is what stands out the most." Bellozo went five innings, struck out five and gave up two runs off of two hits and two walks. The Mexican pitcher attacked the strike zone, specifically early in counts, posting an outstanding 77.8% first-pitch strike rate. Although he didn't generate many whiffs, his cutter was able to get a lot of work done, being the putout pitch for three of his five strikeouts. The cutter and four-seam fastball were also crucial in attacking the zone. The only damage done against Bellozo came in the bottom of the fifth inning when he allowed a solo homer to Orlando Arcia—his 11th of the season—and in the bottom of the sixth, when he allowed a leadoff triple to Whit Merrifield. Reliever Anthony Bender inherited Merrifield and an Austin Riley groundout was enough to score him. "Went right at them," said Schumaker on Bellozo's start postgame. "A lot of strikes, elevated at times and a good changeup. He did a really good job. To think that he didn't even pitch in AAA until this year and now he's going against a really good Braves lineup in August and getting five strong innings is really impressive. Really happy for him. Just too bad we couldn't put it away." "It was a really good outing," said Bellozo. "Attacking the zone, make them swing—I think that was the plan. Obviously, this is one of the best teams in the big leagues, really tough lineup, but we attacked. We had fun and enjoyed the game, so that's good." 8c684b1a-8f6fd635-7bd77465-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Why was Bellozo removed after only 66 pitches? Schumaker noted the challenge of going up against the lineup a third time and the high amount of hard-hit balls (seven). "With the triple and a 3-1 lead, Bender right there was the way to go in the meat of the order, just to keep the lead and hopefully add on runs. But we just didn't add on any runs, so made it a little bit more challenging." To kick off the game, Xavier Edwards extended his on-base streak to 19 games and cleanup hitter Jonah Bride took Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach deep for a two-run shot to take an early 2-0 lead. That was Bride's second home run of the season. Through 19 games now with the Marlins, he quietly has a .744 OPS. Jake Burger had himself a great month of July, posting a .963 OPS, marking the best month of his season thus far. Going into August, Burger has kept it up with his 16th home run of the season to extend the lead to 3-0. Schwellenbach pitched well after that, though, going seven innings, striking out 10 and limiting Miami to those three runs off of six hits. The rookie right-hander generated 17 whiffs along with a 66.7% first-pitch strike rate. The Marlins still held a lead until the eighth inning when Calvin Faucher entered the game. Faucher had gone 8 ⅔ innings without allowing an earned run leading up to his appearance, but the Braves lineup got to him and he allowed three runs off of three hits and walked two. Jorge Soler, who was recently traded back to the National League East, was hitless with his new team until tying the game with an RBI single. Another former Marlin, Marcell Ozuna, drove in the leading run on a sac fly and shortstop Orlando Arcia drove in the insurance run on an RBI single. That gave the Braves a 5-3 lead. With the loss, the Marlins are now 40-70 on the season while the Braves improve to 60-49. Kyle Tyler is set to take the mound for Miami on Saturday with Grant Holmes going for the Braves. It'll be a matchup of two guys who have made starts mainly in the minor leagues this season. First pitch will be at 7:20 pm from Truist Park. View full article

A small intradivision trade between the Marlins and Mets got completed just before the deadline. For the second straight year, the Miami Marlins and New York Mets made a deal with each other shortly before the trade deadline. However, the roles were reversed from 2023, as Huascar Brazoban is headed to Queens to help the Mets chase a postseason spot. Miami gets minor league infielder Wilfredo Lara in exchange. Brazoban, 34, came into the Marlins organization as a minor league signing entering 2022 spring training, discovered by them after pitching effectively in independent ball and the Dominican Winter League. In his three years with the Marlins, Brazoban posted a 3.56 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 10.0 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 through 121 ⅓ innings pitched. The hard-throwing right-hander was projected for an Opening Day roster spot this season, but due to visa issues, he was behind schedule leaving the Dominican Republic. He finally made his 2024 season debut on June 1 against the Texas Rangers. Like many Marlins relievers, Brazoban was performing well leading up to the deadline. He has not allowed an earned run since June 26. Every pitch in Brazoban's arsenal—his cutter, changeup, sinker and four-seamer—has a league average run value or better this season, per Baseball Savant. His main weakness has been inherited baserunners, allowing nine of 13 to score against him. Wilfredo Lara is a 20-year-old utility man who has spent this whole season at the High-A level, slashing .244/.349/.343/.692 with four home runs, 29 RBIs and a 102 wRC+. Most of the production for the right-handed hitter has come against lefties. More on Lara from Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs, who ranked him 29th on his Mets top prospects list: Lara’s carrying attribute is his defensive versatility. He can play basically any position, though as of publication, the Mets haven’t given him 2024 run in center field like they did last year. Lara also has uncommonly strong hands for a hitter his age and can create modest but meaningful power in a short mechanical distance. Lara will likely report to High-A Beloit. View full article

Long-rumored to be potential trade partners at this deadline, the Miami Marlins and Seattle Mariners struck a deal swapping a veteran reliever for a minor league arm. Announced less than an hour before Tuesday's MLB trade deadline, the Miami Marlins and Seattle Mariners linked up on a deal that sends JT Chargois to Seattle in exchange for minor league pitcher Will Schomberg. Chargois, 33, was originally acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays two offseasons ago along with Xavier Edwards in exchange for Marcus Johnson and Santiago Suárez. Through Chargois' Marlins tenure, he posted a 3.05 ERA, 4.23 FIP, 150 ERA+, 7.2 K/9 and a 3.8 BB/9 through 59 innings pitched. However, he spent almost as much time on the injured list as he did the active roster. This season, Chargois was sidelined early in spring training due to neck spasms and didn't make his 2024 debut until June 12 against the New York Mets. He hasn't been used in many high-leverage situations this season, usually entering games when the Marlins were already trailing by multiple runs. The newest member of the Mariners isn't a stranger to the organization. In 2021, Chargois spent some time with Seattle, posting a 3.00 ERA and 3.20 FIP through 30 innings pitched. He was shipped that same season to the Tampa Bay Rays in the Diego Castillo trade. Seattle can retain Chargois for the 2025 season as well. Currently earning a $1.285M salary, he will be eligible for arbitration one more time. Coming to the Marlins in return, right-hander Will Schomberg was an undrafted free agent last year. He has has been a solid starter between Low-A and High-A in 2024, posting a 2.83 ERA, 11.3 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 through 92 ⅓ innings pitched. Schomberg will most likely report to High-A Beloit. View full article

Seattle could form a super bullpen with Scott's help and expand the deal to include a veteran bat as well. Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix has already executed two major trades in the days leading up to the MLB trade deadline. His work isn't done yet. Tanner Scott is currently the top rental reliever on the market and reportedly has drawn interest from a wide variety of contending teams. One of the best relievers in Marlins history, if not the very best, Scott is thriving as Miami's closer this season. Entering Sunday, he has posted a 1.18 ERA, 3.23 FIP, 10.45 K/9 and 5.32 BB/9 with 18 saves through 45 ⅔ innings pitched. The Seattle Mariners are one of Scott's suitors, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The Mariners are battling to win their first AL West division title since 2001, so they're willing to trade prospects if it helps them contend now. Let's explore what a trade could look like from both sides. How Scott fits in Seattle Scott doesn't necessarily have to be the closer for the Mariners. In 2023, most of his appearances came prior to the ninth inning and he added a lot of value that way. Marlins manager Skip Schumaker would use Scott in the highest-leverage situations, moments that would make-or-break a game. That is exactly what the Mariners can do with Scott while still letting Andrés Muñoz finish games. The Mariners have already acquired an effective rental reliever in Yimi García. That takes away some of the desperation on their end, but adding Scott as well would make their bullpen arguably the top one in the majors. How Josh Bell fits in Seattle The Mariners have even more urgency to upgrade their lineup. They've scored the third-fewest runs among MLB teams this season. Josh Bell would give them some much-needed help at first base following the release of Ty France. Since France’s departure, Seattle has been treading water with a platoon of Tyler Locklear and Jason Vosler, both of whom have been below average in their short stints. Bell has been on a heater since returning from the All-Star break with an astounding 1.274 OPS entering Sunday. He has hit a home run in four straight games. At least in a part-time role, Bell could round out their lineup with some pop and clutch hits, just like he did for Miami a year ago. With that being said, Bell has struggled throughout most of the 2024 season, posting a .699 OPS and costing the Marlins runs with his defense. He's earning a $16.5M salary, which makes him a negative asset. To get any value in return for the veteran switch-hitter, the Marlins must be willing to pay him to play elsewhere. Trade Proposal Seattle Mariners receive: 1B/DH Josh Bell, LHP Tanner Scott and approx. $5.5M cash (Bell's remaining salary) Miami Marlins receive: SS/OF Tai Peete, RHP Teddy McGraw and 2B Ryan Bliss Peete (FanGraphs #6 Mariners prospect) was selected with the 30th pick of the 2023 MLB Draft. The Georgia product enjoyed a solid debut season between rookie ball and Low-A, slashing .239/.349/.404 with seven extra-base hits in 24 games played. The soon-to-be 19-year-old is heralded as quite dynamic. Baseball America is high on Peete’s power (55), run (60) and arm (60), and on the fence about his hit (40) and field (45). In his first full season of pro ball, once again in Low-A, Peete has been steady with a slash line of .273/.350/.396 with 16 doubles, 6 triples and four homers (half of those homers just came on Saturday). Defensively, Baseball America doesn’t believe Peete can stick at the premier position and instead predicts a future in the outfield. “Peete is a plus runner with the athleticism to play multiple positions, but he needs polish. He sits back on his heels in the infield and his footwork is poor on routine ground balls. He is better at making plays on the move and will likely end up in the outfield, where he can roam with his athleticism and long strides.” eVpRcjhfV0ZRVkV3dEdEUT09X1VBWUVYQVpWVkFJQURBRUFWZ0FBQTFKUkFBQU5CUUFBQTEwQVZGVlVBd2RUVkFwWA== (1).mp4 The Marlins would be buying low on McGraw. Due to his second Tommy John surgery, he's yet to throw a pitch in pro ball, but fits the mold of what the Marlins look for in a pitcher: plus fastball and slider with a changeup that needs some work. Among Seattle farmhands, he is currently rated the 19th prospect on Baseball America, 12th on FanGraphs and 11th on MLB Pipeline. The Wake Forest product had a concerning 13.9% career walk rate in college, but comes with significant upside. Frankie Piliere, who now serves as Miami's director of amateur scouting, was part of the scouting department that picked both McGraw and Peete. Bliss, taken in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft, saw some time in the majors this season. He posted an 89 wRC+ in 31 games while manning second base for the Mariners. In AAA this season, he's slashing .255/.389/.464/.853 with eight home runs, 39 RBIs and a 114 wRC+. The biggest tool that Bliss holds is his speed. Currently rated a 60 grade runner by Baseball America, he's stolen 30+ bases three times in his pro career thus far and will be able to do it with ease at the major league level if used as an everyday player. His speed allows him as well to be an average defender, potentially contributing at shortstop when needed. Recently, the Mariners have had Bliss try out new positions to expand his versatility, making his first minor league start at third base and then playing the outfield as well. View full article