One Regend

Max Meyer got absolutely hosed by the homeplate umpire. There were several runs that came across after blown calls. It's one thing to be talented but it's equally as important to keep your composure. I hope Max Meyer learned a valuable lesson here.

The harsh reality is, Bleday needed to be traded. He wasn't developing, and he certainly wasn't going to develop under our one-size-fits-all hitting philosophy. He can be mad about it all he wants, but it was in the best interest for both parties involved.

Honest question. Have the Marlins coaching in the low minors ever taught a pickoff move? We have players like Miguel Andujar and Tyler Sodorstrom stealing 2nd base on us. These are not blazing fast base stealers. These are average-to-below average percentile baserunners that are taking advantage of the Marlins inability to hold runners, with Andujar's metrics in particular being VERY BAD. (Well, and our catchers' very poor poptimes, too, but that's less of a factor.) At this rate, we're going to set a new MLB record in stolen bases allowed due to our pitcher's carelessness on the mound. 1976 Oakland A's, you better watch out. We're coming for you.

I expected the Marlins to lose 110 games this year. I might've missed the mark by just a smidge, but that doesn't change the picture. They're still going to lose, and lose a lot. This was supposed to be a tank year, and right now, it's starting to look like the Marlins remembered that they were supposed to be tanking. Let's be for real. The playoffs were a pipe dream this year, even with their surprising start. The NL East is stacked. The Mets are one of the best teams in baseball, the Phillies are a strong playoff contending team, and the Braves weren't going to play like an 0-9 team forever. And for the last remaining playoff spot, we can't forget about the NL West. The Diamondbacks and Padres are strong playoff contenders. The Marlins were gifted a paper-soft schedule to begin the year. At some point, the Marlins' luck was going to run out, and now we are witnessing what happens when the Marlins play real teams. We get lapped. Yeah. It's obvious we don't have the talent to compete at the MLB level. Our rotation is the worst in baseball, and while our offense has been passable, it's been buoyed by an insane BABIP. Kyle Stowers has been good, but he's also been whiffing at an alarming level. Xavier Edwards isn't tearing the cover off the ball like he was last year, and is stubbornly being played at SS, even though he doesn't have the arm nor the instincts to handle the position. Matt Mervis hits long home runs, but doesn't do a whole lot else. Agustin Ramirez has a lot of promise, but that promise is being wasted by the Marlins stubbornly playing him as a catcher when he does not have the chops to stick behind the plate. (He's already had a Passed Ball at the MLB level and he had 7 Passed Balls in AAA. We just finished April. Let that sink in.) The plan is pretty clear. Suck harder. The Marlins will be drafting 7th overall this year, and if they tank hard enough, maybe they won't be so unlucky like they were last year, slipping from projected #1 overall all the way to 7th. Last year's Trade Deadline is already paying dividends in helping replenish serious talent, flushing out the old talent that failed them at the major league level when it mattered. Provided they draft well, they can infuse some serious talent that they've been lacking the past couple of years. Provided all goes well and the Marlins don't miscast their talent like they are right now, the hope is that brand new talent bears more fruit than a Miami Marlins era that involved: -The Chicaco Cubs becoming the property of the Miami Marlins, only for the Marlins to get smacked by the juggernaut of their own division, during the pandemic-shortened season. -A one-and-done playoff appearance in 2023.

He already made his MLB debut in 2023.

It doesn't help when your "best" catcher has a poptime of 2.06. That catcher is Agustin Ramirez. And calling him a "catcher" is generous. He's destined to move to 1B. Rob Brantly and Nick Fortes are both backup catchers at best. Joe Mack is a better defensive catcher than all 3, and even he won't stop the bleeding if the Marlins pitching continues to not give a flying dung about holding baserunners. It honestly feels like Sandy and Edward Cabrera don't even try. You want an example of a right-handed pitcher who does a good job at holding runners? Look no further than an ex-rival, Seth Lugo, currently now with the Royals. He's an example that you don't need to be left-handed in order to police the running game. There's multiple examples of this too. Jose Berrios, Tanner Bibee, and Logan Webb also pace the running game leaderboards, and there are at least a dozen of others who are net positive in extra base prevention. TL;DR: This problem won't end until the Marlins pitching staff makes an actual conscious effort to stop the running game. You could have a tandem of Prime Pudge Rodriguez and Prime Johnny Bench behind the dish and not much would change.

I think the entirety of April tanked whatever trade value Sandy had left after the surgery. It makes no sense to trade him when we're going to get next to nothing for him. Might as well hope he turns the corner and goes on a hot run post-June to salvage his season (like he did in 2023 before getting injured) and maybe there will be a sucker who will take him on in the 2026 Trade Deadline, provided he continues his return to form. One guy we SHOULD cut ties with, however, is Edward Cabrera. He has all the talent in the world and just can't figure ANYTHING out. It's clear he isn't developing, so best to cut bait before he starts asking for an arbitration raise.

They were never a good team to begin with. They coasted on a paper soft schedule and unproven hitters hitting way over their heads. They haven't been playing like a team close to .500, and the Dodgers rightfully exposed this.

I honestly expected this game to be a blowout in the Dodgers favor. This is a matchup of talent mismatch. The fact the Marlins made it as close as they did is surprising, to say the least. I still don't think they're a legit team, though. They're a BABIP-reliant team that's coasting on a soft schedule in April. But maybe my 110-loss prediction at the beginning of the year might be slightly off. I do feel the hard crash of reality coming, though. I'm going to guess May or June.

Looks like the Marlins stumbled into a high-end talent in Agustin Ramirez. Please don't waste him like you did others before him.

Interesting strategy, but I am curious as to how that strategy will pan out against aggressive teams that swing early in the count (and often). That describes, well, pretty much every Major League team. If the book comes out on Marlins pitching against those teams, even if you throw the hardest 106+ mph four seam fastball, or a 20+ inch break slider, that pitch is getting crushed.

While it is just 2 games under his belt, I need to remind you that he already has a Passed Ball. He already has 7 Passed Balls in AAA this year. We haven't even concluded April yet, with 5 more months left to go. Yes, he called a good game with Max Meyer, but we can't just ignore his defensive shortcomings. A move to 1B is inevitable, be it this year or somewhere down the line. I can see them sending Simon/Pauley back down. Joe Mack is coming along nicely, but it's debatable if he's making his MLB Debut this year, as he's not on the 40 man roster. It's possible if he continues playing out of his mind, he very well could, but it's a long season. Right now, they don't have a whole lot of catching depth that doesn't involve a corresponding roster move, so it wouldn't make sense to cut Liam Hicks so early into the season. Come July, though, that would present a different scenario. DLS also has a wRC+ of 118 on the season thanks to a refined hitting approach, having a higher BB% and OBP. K's are a little concerning, but we said the same thing about Griffin Conine, and well, Griffin Conine produced at the MLB level just fine. We might as well just accept the fact pitching has been better than ever the past 5 years and hitters are just going to strike out more as a result. Honestly, I'm more concerned that DLS has only 1 HR to his name this season than his strikeout totals. But he has undoubtably improved in a lot of other areas, so it's just a matter of waiting for his power stroke to come back around.

I'm pleasantly surprised by this pickup. My only concern is, with how well Matt Mervis has been destroying baseballs, and with an inevitable move to 1B for Agustin (there's no way they're going to keep him behind the plate for the entire season, with how horrific his defense is.... right??)... if De Los Santos murders AAA and busts the door wide open for MLB, what will the Marlins do with Wagaman?

The entire offense is Agustin Ramirez, it looks like. Without him in the lineup, games will most likely end up looking like this. It's amazing what having a stud prospect will do to team chemistry.

Have you forgotten that Sandy's starts post-July in 2023 were more reminiscent of his 2022 Cy Young season? He was looking his usual dominant self since the start of July until he got injured. I'm hoping that his start today sparks a return to form. 6 innings and 3 runs against an offense that isn't great outside of Great American Ballpark isn't much, but hopefully that's the catalyst that gets him going again.

They could have waited until the deadline for a better return. Luzardo needed to prove he can stay healthy and competitive at the MLB level. He was neither in 2024. The Marlins traded him at the absolute lowest value. I was never sold on Starlyn Caba from the moment the trade was made, and even taking recency into account, it further cements my thoughts that this was a terrible mistake that will set this team back at least 3 years.

I missed the game entirely, so I didn't get to watch it. What were the velo readings on Sandy? This sounds like a statline where he's sitting 93. What even happened?

I said this before, and I'll say it again. Edward Cabrera should be thankful he's being given every opportunity to compete even with his chronic underachieving and inability to stay healthy. He's easily waiver wire material at this point in his career. It's one thing to constantly have blisters, but it's another thing entirely to come out and drop 2.3 mph and raise even more injury concerns. At some point, you have to wonder how much longer of a leash the Marlins can afford to have on him. Adam Mazur is knocking on the door.

...So why is George Soriano on the roster again? I have to imagine he's the first man out when Declan Cronin is ready to be reinstated off the IL.

I don't need to even guess. Matt Mervis is playing better baseball. Eric Wagaman has defensive flexibility and comes with a pedigree. Deyvision De Los Santos and Agustin Ramirez are both getting called up to see major league time at some point during this season, and I'll be betting that they will receive reps at 1B, as their "work" at 3B and C respectively leave much to be desired. This leaves Jonah Bride as the odd man out of this logjam.

DBacks win 2 of 3. MVP Corbin Carroll. The DBacks may be underachieving, but they are still a strictly better team than we are in every conceivable metric.

They also have to actually develop their hitting prospects. Having a killer rotation won't win you jack if the major league lineup can't hit and there's nothing in the farm system that will fix that.

That is a contract that I think is terrible from the moment it was signed, and will continue to think it's terrible when Guerrero approaches his Age 35 season (not even through age 40). This is a bloated mistake I hope the Marlins don't ever make. They've already made this mistake before with Giancarlo Stanton (that still had them paying the piper for post-trade) and I hope they don't make that mistake again. The lesson learned is to invest early. The fact the Marlins aren't even trying to negotiate something with Eury Perez by now is criminal, to say the least. He's saddled with a major injury. and he's still in the middle of rehab. Now's the perfect chance to strike a deal. You might have to part with more money than you'd like, but talent like this doesn't grow on trees. Lock him down now before he starts demanding a Gerrit Cole-like megadeal in Free Agency.

The first four innings, okay enough. The 5th inning? Yep, that's the true Tank Commander right there. Eating those innings so guys like Robby Snelling and Dax Fulton doesn't get exposed too soon.

It's because the bullpen has been taxed (only one starter went past 5 innings -- Max Meyer), and the Marlins needed fresh arms. With their current schedule, they don't need a 5th starter (who Bellozo is) until April 8th. At least that's what I think makes sense.