Hans Herrera

This is a great article and everything is actually well pointed. In the context that he has a full season in AAA, and probably has little to nothing to show at that level, the burning question is: Are the Marlins willing to find out straightaway if he’s going to perform at the Major League level or will the give him a Johnston-type treatment (that is, leave him forever at AAA until “he figures it out”)?

I mostly agree with you. Here is my roster (so far): Rotation: Same, no comments. Bullpen: Nardi, Faucher, Cronin, Tinoco, Bender, Meyer, Oller, McMillon Comment: I think Oller has more "pure stuff" than Curry (himself a fine SP depth option). Also, with that Slider, Meyer must be in the bullpen. But I think the team should spend some money on at least 2 veteran arms. Starting Lineup: Fortes, De Los Santos, Norby, Burger, Edwards, Conine, Hill, Sánchez, DH: Bride/Ramírez Comment: I don't like improvising with Norby at 3rd, and I don't think 2nd-half López will sustain a whole season. With his solid showcase, Conine has the edge over both Stowers and Myers, and I like better Hill in CF than Dane but only because his glove outweighs the offense, which is pretty similar. Bride and Ramírez should compete for DH, but between them and Ramírez, there should be plenty of ABs for all. Bench: Ramírez/Bride (whoever doesn't DH), Myers, López, Stowers Comment: I love Sanoja, he is my favorite prospect in the system. I do think that if he has a great Spring Training, he can take a spot from either Stowers, Conine, or even Myers. He can play SS, which no player in this team can do other than X and maybe López. But he didn't do THAT well during his cup of coffee, so as of today, he is the odd man out. Just missed: Curry, Bellozo, Bachar, Veneziano, Sanoja, and Banfield I do agree that the Fish should pursue a veteran C and maybe a glove-first middle infielder for depth.

This is a solid point of view that should encourage the FO to at least consider a different approach rather than wish for the best. More quality and depth are needed in the ML team, period. As the current 40-man is appointed, there are 7-8 capable arms who can handle start games. Next season, I think a 6-man rotation should be used every time possible. This is extremely difficult to accomplish, with the downside of having one less bullpen arm, but for the sake of diminishing the load of an entire season, this shouldn't be the worst idea. Maybe begin the season with whoever 5 are healthy and when Eury is back, just ride along with 6 starters for the rest of the year. This won't solve the defense problem at all, but that's another story.

Can it get any worse, though? As bad as this team looked, it is still way far from being the White Sox. The performance of this team depends way too much on their pitching staff, and now with Mel gone, it will be a bit more challenging to perform as expected from the group. About the arbitration class: Fortes still has strong defensive metrics: Is top 10 in Blocks above average, middle of the pack in the rest of the defensive metrics, durable, young, and still very cheap. He is definitely worth 1,6M, but maybe not for a starting catcher. There is not a single FA Catcher this offseason for the Marlins to target, so they will most probably stick with him and once again, hope for the best. I'm biased about Eddy Cabrera. I think he has tremendous stuff, but his mental game is still under development. With all the injuries this team had this season, I highly doubt they will let go of the pitcher who led this team in GS, IP, and SO (and also Losses and BBs), who BTW had a solid second half when he came back from the injury (July 7th- End of season): 15 GS, 75 IP, 4.32 ERA. Of those 15 starts, 3 were really ugly: 20 ER in 9.2 IP combined; the other 12 starts?: 65.1 IP with 2.20 ERA. Inconsistent? Yes, but I'd keep him in a heartbeat. His future might be in the bullpen, but even so, he should be a very valuable asset. I do think there is a fair chance he can be traded this winter IF the return is appealing. Now Jeezy: He is a platoon bat but on the more frequent side. He is also a 97 OPS+ / 99 wRC+ player, which means pretty much an average player. The rest of the OFs on the roster are Stowers, Conine, Myers, Hill, and Mesa Jr... READ: A group of unproven hitters (1083 PA combined, Hill accounting for almost half of them) who are the same age or older than Jesús (except for Mesa Jr.) with the same or less upside. Getting rid of him should not be the way to go UNLESS a trade comes at your door and you cannot say no.

Then let's roughly break down the Payroll for 2025: 17M for Sandy 17M for Avi García Around 18M on the arbitration class (6 players) mentioned in this article The rest of the active roster (18 players) is around 16M The rest of the 40-man (14 players) say is 7M (exaggerating) That yields a total of 75M. Say I am forgetting something and is 80M. For reference, the teams with the lowest projected payrolls this season were OAK (63M), PIT (85M), and TB (89M). The Fish is the next-lowest with a 98M payroll in 2024. Will this team spend 20M on free agents this season? Maybe 10M getting some bullpen arms? Perhaps only 5M? How about nothing?

IMO, the names standing out the most are Santana, Canha, and any of the Catchers: Gomes, Díaz, Grandal, or Hedges. The Marlins should use a better glove in 3B and/or 1B, as well as a mentor backup helping Fortes. If one is to be picked, I'll probably go with Carlos Santana, who's still a great defender, gets on base regularly, and has pop. I think Martínez, Turner, Heyward, and Peralta might be a bit out of the price tag this cheap FO is willing to spend for any of them.

#GivePipeAChance

I don't think is all a bad idea: You can also think of Santana, Canha, Solano, Abreu, Grandal, Elias Diaz, Yan Gomes, Hedges, Peralta, Hicks, J.D. Martinez, even Justin Turner... They all somehow fit -better or worse- in the projected next season's roster.

Largely agree with you, with some small twixes: - That rotation should include Eury Pérez from June/July on, and I think Snelling will have a chance at some point next season, but won't count him as a part of the depth chart just yet. He only has one AAA outing in his career. Don't sleep on Mazur and Curry. - As commented below, Luzardo should be dealt mid-season, right after Eury is back... barring injuries from him or other Starters, of course. - For Catcher, and as of today, I think Will Banfield has a better chance to join the team than Mack. This is purely because Will is supposedly to be a good defensive backstop, which is needed, and Mack has only reached AA. Maybe Joe will surprise me during ST and leapfrog Banfield... who knows? - I loved what I saw from Norby EXCEPT when he played 3B, he is not a 3B. I would play him 2B and use López as a defensive specialist. - What did you do with Burger? - I think the RHB-platoon OF is actually Dane Myers. The CF should be Hill, who is by far the best defender of the bunch. I am already looking forward to the coming OF competition between Myers, Conine, Stowers, Hill, and some ST invitees. Maybe Mesa Jr, as well?

It is a rebuild, but I think Bendix is trying for a shortcut to reach a competitive team while strengthening the farm system. And with what we saw during the second half of the season, he might be right! To call it a full-blown rebuild, I think the only players the FO can potentially deal this winter are Sandy and Luzardo... maybe Jesús Sánchez as well. With both having substantial injuries this season, their trade value is at their lowest, so if that is the direction, makes sense to wait until at least Eury is back. If I'm not mistaken, the arbitration class for next season is Sánchez (1st-year arb.), Luzardo (2nd), and Bender (1st). Even for a rebuilding team, that is not a substantial increase in your payroll, but salary bumps from Sandy and the money still owed to Avi García, will definitely impact the acquisitions in Free Agency, All in all, Luzardo, Eddy Cabrera, and Weathers are the most likely to be dealt this winter, but I won't say chances are high for any of them to change uniforms.

I've said it before and I say it again: I do not expect any FA signings this offseason beyond a bunch of minor league deals with invitations to Spring Training... Maybe, maybe a cheap-specific role, like another LH reliever or a glove-first backup catcher.

After a tough season, another nice takeaway is the even deeper Starting rotation this team will have next season. On paper, Sandy-Jesús-Braxton-Weathers-Eddy is the projected 5 in early 2025, while Eury should join around June. Arms like Meyer, Bellozo, and Oller can sustain several outings profiling 5IP-3ER, in case any of the aforementioned rotation pieces goes back to the shelf. That is 9 competent-or-better starters for next year, 10 if you want to add either Curry, Mazur, Munoz, or even Sixto. But hey, the Marlins also learned this season that there is no such thing as enough rotation depth. Keeping them all in the 40-man has to be the way to go this offseason. I think Miami isn't that far from being a .500 team. A full season of Sandy, Luzardo, and any other plus a half-season of Eury should be enough to include the Fish in a top-10 rotation. There are several solid bullpen pieces to keep: Faucher, Tinoco, Cronin, Nardi, Bender, McMillon... that's half a bullpen. Finding a closer will be the biggest task this winter. Granted, so many things have to go the right way to compete next season. A healthy rotation for starters, further development of the youngsters, i.e., Xavier Edwards, Jesús Sánchez, Dane Myers, Griffin Conine, etc., better bullpen, among others. At least one impact bat, whether it comes from prospects, FA, or trade, is definitely needed to have a better-rounded team, 2 of those bats would be ideal. My shopping list for this offseason would be something like: 1. One or two bats who can play 3B, 1B, or Corner OF with 25+ HR (don't say Bride) 2. A bona fide closer 3. A veteran glove-first C 4. Two established relievers 5. Someone who can actually play good SS (defensive specialist) I will insist this offseason on prospect promotions: De Los Santos, Ramírez, Banfield, or arms like Arias or Alvarado deserve an ST invitation, with the potential of seizing the opportunity. Now let's have a sit and see what Bendix and Sherman will do.

Is Norby that bad at 2B? The handful of games I’ve seen him playing, he looks far better (and more comfortable) at 2B than at 3rd. A Burger-X-Norby-Bride infield still looks subpar. From what I’ve hear, DLS is very capable at 1B, not sure if Ramírez have ever played there, but maybe has more future there than behind the plate. The coming FA class for 1B has Alonso, Goldsmith, and Walker out of financial reach, but options like Santana and Canha can be reasonable. Maybe lure O’Hearn if the Orioles don’t take their option? How about old friend Cooper? - At least we know he’s an OK glove at the position…

Fun fact: If the Marlins field this team: Edwards SS Norby 2B Sánchez RF Burger 3B Bride 1B Myers DH Conine LF Hill CF Fortes C 7 out of 9 starters currently have an OPS at or above the MLB average YTD (.722 min 200 PA)... Hill is sitting at .691, which is somehow close to the average. Fortes is far behind, obviously. For a team that ranks at the bottom of almost every offensive category, this fun fact can be misleading. Having full seasons from Norby and Edwards (with their corresponding projected outcomes) should really boost this team. Maybe a .500 team is not that far from the horizon... What if this team - and I insist - just gives a chance to Ramírez and De Los Santos? C, 1B, DH, corner OF, are all areas of improvement. Again, don't expect any money spending. It simply won't happen coz Uncle Bruce cannot be any cheaper. Then, why not try the youngsters?

Meet the new Bryan De La Cruz: Dane Myers. Who's playing CF next year? Stowers? Is he good enough to play there? I honestly have not seen enough to make a call.

Well, Norby is not a 3B. He can fake it, but he's not. Edwards is not a SS. He can fake it, but he isn't, López is among the best defensive 2B in the league, but he is a bench player. So why not stop improvising? Leave Burger at 3B, Norby at 2B, keep faking X at SS, and if needed, trade for a proper Major League SS. Bringing back Miggy Rojas is not a terrible idea, TBH. The coming FA class is incredibly thin for 3B and 2B: Only Alex Bregman, Ha Soeng Kim, and Gleyber Torres are bona fide starters, and the Marlins won't pursue any of them. Not to mention I do not expect any kind of FA signing this offseason. Sherman still owes 17M to Avi García. Sandy's contract is jumping from 9 to 17M. That is a 34M just for 2 players, one of them already out of the roster. Burger will have a significant salary increase... In summary, expect a bunch of minor league contracts with invitations to SP, crossing fingers to find another Jonah Bride, Calvin Faucher, or Adam Oller. Of course, the Marlins can "solve" the situation by promoting Sanoja, Ramírez, and De Los Santos to SS, C, and 1B, respectively. However, as much as I like them, they are inexperienced and should come with growing pains. But again, isn't this team rebuilding as we read? When will this team start giving their prospects a fair chance to establish themselves at a Major League level right out of Spring Training? Who was the last farm prospect who was handed a starting role right from ST? I honestly don't remember... not even Eury, as he had to wait until May to make his debut. Maybe play them early in the season and get an established player mid-way next season when the value of one of your SPs (Luzardo, Garrett, Eddy, Weathers) is at their peak? I foresee a boring offseason in South Florida. My hope is that the FO finally goes all-in with their MLB-ready prospects.. at least we will know if they are for real or not.

Isn’t today a beautiful day? I really wish Javier the best. I hope that he takes advantage of this opportunity, and can stick around on the roster beyond this season.

But why not Sanoja, De Los Santos, or even Troy Johnston instead? Even though the power is undeniable, Ramirez' overall AAA season is not particularly impressive: .239/.341/.396 with 7 HR and 32 RBIs in 229 PAs. That is rather pedestrian to deserve a call-up. Let him continue his development for at least another couple of months, and we'll see next year if he can handle MLB pitching. Sanoja is my favourite prospect now. He has shown that AAA wasn't a big challenge for him. He has played now a full season with the Jumbo Shrimp (478 PAs) while playing 2B/CF/SS! His .287/.352/.428 is solid indeed, and while he probably won't ever hit 10 HRs in the Majors, his OPS and gap power (30 doubles - JAX leader) are worth taking a look at. What are Otto López and Cristian Pache still holding a spot on the roster? DLS has hit 8 HRs in 90 ABs for Jacksonville, good for a .469 SLG. He can play good 1B, something the Fish have been missing all year long (recognising Bride has been a pleasant surprise). There is honestly NOTHING else to say about Johnston but to ask, what is that thing preventing him from the big league call? He isn't hitting like last year, but he definitely deserves a cup of coffee, at least until Jesús is back on the roster. Between one of the latter two, "Hamburguesa", and Bride should rotate the 3B-1B-DH tandem for the rest of the year.

In case anyone is wondering about Viciedo, he joined the Chunichi Dragons in 2016 and still plays for them: https://npb.jp/bis/eng/players/13715132.html Personally, and somewhere also mentioned, it is now the time to trade Bell (3 HRs over the last 4 games; 4 HRs in the last 9). Milwaukee needs a LH bat, the Astros are still struggling at 1B, so are the Mariners. If no trade comes to fruition, I would just DFA him and bring Johnston and maybe De Los Santos in September, why not?

Yesterday, the O’s announced that both John Means and Tyler Wells will go to UCL surgery, missing the ready of the season. With Max Meyer having nothing else to prove in Jax, has ever been a better time to trade with the Orioles? Eddy should be coming back June, hopefully. Any deal involving Kjerstad, I’m in. NB: I am one of the few who thinks that the season can still be saved, and I don’t want that they trade Luzardo… but this might be the only opportunity to get a really good prospect. Maybe a Weathers-Scott combo to Baltimore for Kjerstad +?

2-2 DLC MVP

Hey Ely, I disagree with you about the bad being Sixto. That pitch location was not perfect, but still pretty good... I think we are taking some merit from Oneil Cruz. Also, the fact that Skip threw Sixto into a high-leverage situation is not pretty, but the sooner Sixto gets into his old form, the better... so why not start trying to get him there from day one? Apart from that, I agree with you about the rest. Did we say something about the Marlins being the team that scored the fewest runs in Spring Training?

2-2; Jesús Sánchez as MVP.

Hola a todos! Los entrenamientos primaverales han concluido para los Marlins de Miami con un récord de 10 victorias, 12 derrotas y 5 empates. A pesar del record negativo, el equipo terminó su participación en la liga Toronja con una nota alta. Jugadores clave como Luis Arráez, Jake Burger, Jazz Chisholm y Tim Anderson lucieron sólidos en la recta final de los entrenamientos; otros como Dane Myers, Troy Johnston y Jonah Bride pueden contribuir durante la temporada, a pesar de estar incluidos en el roster del Jumbo Shrimp de Jacksonville. En cuanto al pitcheo, es importante resaltar la profundidad del cuerpo de lanzadores. A pesar de cuatro las bajas importantes en el quinteto abridor que en teoría iniciaría la temporada, i.e., Alcántara, Cabrera, Garrett, y Eury Pérez, el establo ha visto como A.J. Puk, Weathers, Trevor Rogers y Max Meyer han dado un paso al frente para generar confianza entre los dirigentes de la escuadra. Este último cuarteto abridor, acompañados del brazo de Día Inaugural Jesús Luzardo, serán quienes guíen al equipo al principio de la temporada, por lo menos hasta que Garrett, Cabrera y Pérez regresen de sendas lesiones. El bullpen no ha estado exento de bajas, aunque en menor medida. Huascar Brazobán no ha podido sumarse al equipo por problemas de visado. JT Chargois sufrió agotamiento y se espera que inicie abril en la lista de lesionados. Los nuevos brazos adquiridos durante la temporada muerta han cubierto estas bajas, por ejemplo Roddery Muñoz, Declan Cronin, Vladimir Gutierrez y los exitosos regresos desde sus lesiones por parte de Sixto Sánchez y Anthony Bender. Hoy martes los Peces jugaran un juego intra-escuadra en donde Edward Cabrera enfrentará bateadores por primera vez en varias semanas. Luego de este juego se definirá el roster definitivo de 26 jugadores, el cual aún tiene algunas dudas antes del juego contra los Piratas este jueves. Por ahora, el equipo se proyecta así: Receptores: Fortes, Bethancourt (2) Cuadro: Bell, Arráez, Burger, Anderson, Berti (5) Jardineros: De La Cruz, Chisholm, J. Sánchez, García (4) Utilitarios: Bruján, Gordon (2) Abridores: Luzardo, Puk, Rogers, Weathers, Meyer (5) Relevos: Scott, Nardi, S. Sánchez, Soriano, Bender, Hoeing, Maldonado, Gutiérrez (8) La duda más importante está en el bullpen, pues Hoeing, Cronin, Muñoz, Maldonado, Gutiérrez, e incluso Monteverde se pelean por los últimos dos o tres lugares del equipo de relevistas. En cualquier caso, el hecho de tener tantos brazos competentes para iniciar la temporada es un signo de fortaleza, muy a pesar de que los dueños y directiva del equipo hayan decidido no ir a la agencia libre por refuerzos. Muchos estaremos pendientes del rendimiento de jugadores como Avisaíl García, Vidal Bruján y Sixto Sánchez. En el caso de García, su contrato de $12 millones de dólares parece la única razón por la cual tiene garantizado un lugar en el roster, más aún con el pobre rendimiento mostrado en marzo, bateando para .205 de promedio, con un OPS de .536 y 13 ponches en 49 turnos al plato. Un caso parecido es el de Vidal Bruján, quien aunque no tiene un contrato costoso, los Marlins lo intercambiaron a las Mantarrayas de Tampa (junto con Calvin Faucher) por 3 prospectos. Dado el concenso general del pobre sistema de categorías inferiores de Miami y el rendimiento superlativo de Myers y Johnston en la liga Toronja, la presión está del lado de García y Bruján para que empiecen a producir de una vez y por todas. Finalmente, muchos ojos estarán sobre Sixto Sánchez por razones completamente diferentes. Luego de más de tres años de haber lanzado su último pitcheo en grandes ligas y de varias lesiones que lo mantuvieron lejos de competir, Sixto ha regresado esta primavera, sorprendiendo a propios y extraños. Su recta operó entre 93-96 millas por hora, alcanzando casi 99 en un par de lanzamientos. Tanto ha sido su progreso, que el manager Skip Schumaker ya lo confirmó como integrante del bullpen para el inicio de la temporada, algo que parecía insólito hasta hace un par de meses. Esta puede ser una de las mejores historias de regresos este año y todos estaremos deseándo que tenga una exitosa temporada. Hasta aqui el resumen de la pre-temporada. Estaremos haciendo análisis periódicos del rendimiento de los Marlins a lo largo de la temporada regular, asi que estén atentos! Nos veremos en la próxima y deja tu comentario!

Hola a todos! Volvemos con otra entrada de Peces en Primera. Esta vez analizaremos el rendimiento general del equipo luego de dos semanas de juegos en la Liga Toronja. Aunque a día de hoy Los Marlins se encuentran últimos en la tabla con foja de 3-6-2, el rendimiento general ha sido más de lo mismo: Buen pitcheo abridor, buen bullpen, preocupante número de carreras anotadas a la ofensiva. Los “caballos” abridores han permitido 3 CL o menos en 9 de los 11 encuentros a la fecha. El cuerpo de relevistas ha lucido sólido, con excepción de Tanner Scott y un par de jugadores invitados al roster. En contraste, la ofensiva ha lucido apagada, anotando más de 3 carreras en solo 3 encuentros de la docena total. Luis Arraez había lucido apagado hasta ayer, cuando bateó 3-3 y así volvimos a ver al de siempre. En notas particulares, se ha anunciado que existe una gran posibilidad de que A.J. Puk se una a la rotación abridora para iniciar la temporada. Con Sandy Alcántara recuperándose de la cirugía Tommy John y Braxton Garrett retrasado en su recuperación de una fatiga en el hombro, el rendimiento de Puk ha sido muy bien recibido dado su “stuff” como abridor de primera calidad. Siguiendo con los brazos, Sixto Sánchez ha sorprendido gratamente a compañeros, aficionados y a todos en general. En el juego de ayer viernes alcanzó las 96 millas y luce capaz de manejar algún rol en el bullpen. Por último, últimamente de rumora la traída de J.D. Martínez como refuerzo ofensivo. Su rol sería básicamente con bateador designado, reduciendo aún más las posibilidades de juego para Avisail García, quien dicho sea de paso ha tenido un entrenamiento primaveral para el olvido. Estaremos atentos a esta noticia. Seguiremos con el cubrimiento en Español de las noticias relacionadas con el equipo, ya entrados en la recta final de la Liga Toronja y de cara al inicio de la temporada regular. Hasta la próxima!