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Jordan Yamamoto Announces Retirement

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Right-hander Jordan Yamamoto took to Twitter today to announce his retirement. “I have decided to walk away from the game I love,” his post reads. “It’s definitely bittersweet. As I sit on my flight back home, there are so many emotions I’m feeling but none is regret. This has been an amazing journey and nothing short of unbelievable. A little kid from Hawaii with a dream. A dream to play in the MLB. If you would have told me at 10 years old that I would go on to be a big league pitcher and hold a franchise record, I would have never believed you. It is crazy and only right that I end my career the same way it started. On a back field game in Arizona. It’s poetry if you ask me.” He then goes on to thank all of the many people who have been a part of his journey, including his family, agents, teammates, coaches, staff members and fans.

Yamamoto, who turns 27 in May, was a 12th round draft pick of the Brewers in 2014. Despite that modest draft stock, he impressed in his first professional seasons, including a 2017 season where he posted a 2.51 ERA in 111 innings at Class-A Advanced. That performance was strong enough to get the attention of the Marlins, as Yamamoto was one of four players they acquired in the trade that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee.

Things continued to go well for Yamamoto in 2018, despite a few trips to the injured list. He made 13 starts with a 1.83 ERA at three different levels, finishing the year in Double-A. He then made another six starts in the Arizona Fall League with a 2.08 ERA in that time. The Marlins added him to their 40-man roster in November to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft and Baseball America ranked him as the club’s #18 prospect going into 2019.

He was able to make his major league debut in 2019, making 15 starts with a 4.46 ERA, as well as 12 more Double-A starts with a 3.58 ERA. He seemed to be part of a wave of young rotation talent in Miami, alongside guys like Sandy Alcantara, Pablo López and others. Unfortunately, things wouldn’t continue on that trajectory in the seasons to come, largely due to injury. Yamamoto landed on the injured list late in 2019 and had diminished velocity in 2020, getting tattooed for an ERA of 18.26 in 11 1/3 innings that year.

Prior to the 2021 campaign, the Marlins designated him for assignment and then flipped him to the Mets. That would go on to be another frustrating season for Yamamoto, as he spent the beginning of the year being shuttled between Triple-A and the majors before a shoulder injury sent him to the IL from May until September. He was designated for assignment in April of 2022 and cleared waivers, sticking with the Mets but without a roster spot. He made 24 appearances in the minors last year with an ERA of 6.00. He reached free agency at season’s end and signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in January but was recently reassigned to minor league camp.

Yamamoto has now decided it’s time to hang up his cleats and start the next phase of his life. He appeared in 21 major league games, tossing 96 2/3 innings in that time with a 6.05 ERA. He struck out 98 batters and earned five wins. The franchise record that he referenced in his statement was that he started his career with 14 scoreless frames for the Marlins. We at MLB Trade Rumors salute Yamamoto on achieving his dream of making it to the majors and wish him the best in his post-playing endeavors.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Marlins, Jose Iglesias Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Marlins are in agreement on a minor league deal with shortstop José Iglesias, report Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (Twitter link). The MVP Sports Group client gets a non-roster invitation to big league camp. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported this afternoon the sides were in discussions.

Iglesias has played parts of 11 seasons at the big league level. He’s spent the bulk of the past decade as a regular shortstop on the strength of his glove, earning an All-Star nod during the 2015 campaign while with the Tigers. Iglesias rated highly as a defender from public metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast’s Outs Above Average earlier in his career, but his numbers have turned down in recent years.

DRS has pegged him as a below-average shortstop in each of the past three seasons, with particularly ghastly marks during a 2021 campaign split between the Angels and Red Sox. Statcast hasn’t been quite so bearish but pegged him as an average to slightly below par shortstop of late. At age 33, Iglesias’ best days as a defender appear to be behind him, but he’s continued to play his way into regular work at the infield’s most demanding position.

That included 975 2/3 frames with the Rockies last season. Signed to a $5MM guarantee last offseason, Iglesias spent one year in Denver. He hit .292/.328/.380 over 467 plate appearances. Iglesias only managed three home runs despite playing his home games at the sport’s most hitter-friendly venue. He paired that with a modest 3.6% walk rate that tamped down his on-base percentage, but he continued his career-long track record of putting the ball in play and running a high batting average.

Iglesias kept his strikeouts to a very modest 12% clip and put the bat on the ball with 87.5% of his swings. Both marks were around ten percentage points better than the respective league averages. Iglesias hasn’t struck out in even 15% of his trips to the dish in any season since 2013. The high-singles approach has been a hallmark throughout his career, as he carries a .279/.319/.392 line in a little more than 4000 plate appearances.

Miami has prioritized finding hitters with plus bat-to-ball skills all offseason. The Fish signed Jean Segura to a two-year free agent deal and acquired defending AL batting champion Luis Arraez from Minnesota in the Pablo López trade. Miami agreed to a minor league deal with Yuli Gurriel just minutes before their agreement with Iglesias was reported. Miami made clear before the winter got underway they were seeking batters who could take advantage of the large gaps in their home ballpark with high-contact profiles, and that’s played out in their offseason acquisitions.

Whether it’ll be enough to invigorate an offense that has been the club’s Achilles heel remains to be seen. Gurriel and Iglesias have each come at virtually no acquisition cost, as neither will even secure an immediate roster spot. Both seem to have strong chances of cracking the big league club out of camp as veterans who were among the highest-profile players still unsigned.

If Iglesias got to the MLB level, he’d add an experienced shortstop to a roster that currently is without one. Miami traded de facto team captain Miguel Rojas to the Dodgers in January. The deal brought back shortstop prospect Jacob Amaya but he’s likely ticketed for Triple-A Jacksonville to start the season. The immediate plan is to move utility infielder Joey Wendle — who has just 647 2/3 MLB innings at shortstop over parts of seven years — to the position. Segura is expected to slide to third base, with Arraez moving back to second base in deference to first baseman Garrett Cooper.

Marlins In Agreement With Yuli Gurriel On Minor League Deal

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The Marlins and first baseman Yuli Gurriel are in agreement on a deal, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. It’s a non-roster pact, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. At this point, the financials of the deal aren’t known.

Gurriel and the Marlins have been dancing with each other for a few months now. They were first publicly connected to each other in January and further reports have connected to the two sides since then. About a month ago, it was reported that the Marlins offered Gurriel a deal around $2MM but took it off the table when about a week went by without a response. Just a couple of days ago, it was reported that the two sides were still talking, but that Gurriel might have to settle for a minor league deal.

"<strongThis will be the second MLB organization for Gurriel, who has spent the previous seven seasons with the Astros. He was a solid offensive contributor for the first chunk of that time but has been fairly inconsistent in the past few seasons. From 2017 to 2019, he hit .296/.333/.486 for a wRC+ of 119, indicating he was 19% better than league average in that time. He struggled badly in 2020, finishing with a diminished line of .232/.274/.384, 76 wRC+. He bounced back incredibly in 2021, winning a batting title with a line of .319/.383/.462 and 132 wRC+. But another dip followed in 2022, as he hit .242/.288/.360 for a wRC+ of 85.

The Marlins will be looking for another upturn from Gurriel, who turns 39 in June. Despite the up-and-down nature of his overall production, he’s been quite consistent with his lack of strikeouts, as he he’s only been punched out in 11.2% of his career plate appearances. Last year, that went up to a career-high 12.5% rate, but that was still barely half of the 22.4% league average.

In recent years, the Marlins have had good pitching but have been lighter on the offensive side of things. They tried to add some thump to their lineup a year ago by signing Jorge Soler and Avisaíl García, but both players struck out in over 28% of their plate appearances last year. Even though Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a great breakout last year, he also was punched out in 27.4% of his trips to the plate. Other players like Garrett Cooper, Bryan De La Cruz and Jesús Sánchez also struck out more than a quarter of the time.

It seems like the Marlins diagnosed this issue, as they’ve brought in a few players this winter with much better bat-to-ball skills. They signed Jean Segura and his 13.8% career strikeout rate in December, then acquired Luis Arraez and his 8.3% strikeout rate in January. Now with Gurriel added into the mix, that’s three tough-to-strikeout hitters that have been added to the organization in recent months.

Gurriel has played multiple positions in his career but he’s essentially been limited to first base over the past three years. It’s possible that he gets the occasional look elsewhere, but given his age and recent track record, it’s hard to imagine the Marlins giving him extended time at a position other than first base. The club’s best option at that position at the moment is Garrett Cooper, who is an underrated hitter but has struggled to stay healthy. Cooper has hit .274/.348/.440 in his career for a wRC+ of 117, but he’s yet to play 120 games in a season due to health issues. Adding Gurriel would give the club a bit of a safety net in the event that Cooper struggles, or simply allow the club to manage his workload.

If the Marlins are willing to consider Gurriel at other infield positions, he could potentially bolster a group with some uncertainty. In the past eight months, the club has traded their long-time shortstop Miguel Rojas to the Dodgers, non-tendered third baseman Brian Anderson, released first baseman Jesús Aguilar and moved second baseman Chisholm to center field. The club has answers for those positions, though they all come with some level of risk. Segura was signed to play third base despite just 24 career games at that spot. Arraez was acquired to take over at second base, though he was bumped into more of a first base role with Minnesota last year. Then there’s the injury-prone Cooper at first. All of that seemingly leaves Joey Wendle as the shortstop. He’s generally received passable grades at that position but only in a part-time role and he’s now turning 33 in April.

Gurriel has played all of those positions but his nine innings of shortstop experience came back in 2018. His occasional appearances at second base ended in 2019. His time at third is a bit more extensive, but it’s been just two innings over the past three years combined.

If they want to add Gurriel to the MLB roster, the club should have an easy time opening a spot. Max Meyer and Anthony Bender could be moved to the 60-day injured list, since both are going to be out for a while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

View The Transcript Of Today’s Chat With Former MLB All-Star Pitcher Dan Haren

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Dan Haren joined MLBTR readers for a chat Wednesday evening.  Click here to view the transcript.  If you’re a current or former MLB player who would like to do a chat here, contact us!

Dan Haren was drafted in the second round in 2001 by the Cardinals out of Pepperdine.  He reached the Majors in June of 2003, throwing a quality start against Barry Bonds and the Giants.

Haren spent the bulk of the following season at Triple-A, rejoining the big league club late in the season and moving in and out of the rotation.  He wound up pitching in five games during the postseason that year, including two scoreless outings in the World Series.

After the ’04 season, the Cardinals traded Haren, Daric Barton, and Kiko Calero to the A’s for Mark Mulder.  Haren quickly became a horse in Oakland’s rotation, and by the end of his first season with the A’s he signed a four-year extension covering his arbitration years worth $12.65MM.  From 2005-07 with the A’s, Haren made 34 starts each year and totaled 662 2/3 innings.  The 2006 A’s won the AL West and made it to the ALCS, with Haren making two postseason starts and winning one of them.

In 2007, Haren stepped into the leadership void left by Barry Zito’s departure, getting the Opening Day nod and starting for the AL All-Star team.  However, after that season the A’s and GM Billy Beane went into a rebuild, shipping Haren to the Diamondbacks for Brett Anderson, Carlos Gonzalez, Chris Carter, Aaron Cunningham, Dana Eveland, and Greg Smith.  Haren joined a D-backs rotation that already had Brandon Webb and Randy Johnson.

2008 was another excellent All-Star season for Haren, in which he led the NL in strikeout to walk ratio.  Before that season ended, Haren signed a new extension with Arizona potentially running through 2013.  His excellence continued in ’09, as Haren finished fifth in the Cy Young voting and again led the league in strikeout to walk ratio.

However, at the 2010 trade deadline, Haren was on the move in a blockbuster trade for the third time in his career.  This time he was headed to the Angels for Patrick Corbin, Joe Saunders, Rafael Rodriguez, and Tyler Skaggs.  He continued his dominance in 2011, leading the league in strikeout to walk ratio yet again and finishing seventh in the Cy Young voting.

After the 2012 season, Haren was nearly traded to the Cubs for Carlos Marmol, but Chicago balked and the Angels declined his club option.  Reaching free agency for the first time in his career, MLBTR ranked Haren eighth on our top 50 list.  He inked a one-year deal with the Nationals that winter.  After a difficult season in D.C. (by his lofty standards), Haren landed closer to home with another one-year deal, this time with the Dodgers.  Upon reaching 180 innings for the Dodgers, a $10MM player option vested for 2015, and Haren exercised it.

Another season with the Dodgers was not in the cards for Haren, however, and he landed with the Marlins as part of blockbuster trade number four.  That was hardly Haren’s preference, but the Marlins hung onto him until they shipped him to the Cubs at the ’15 trade deadline.  Rather than explore free agency again, Haren chose to hang up his cleats at the age of 35.

Over the seven-year span from 2005-11, Haren was one of the very best starting pitchers in Major League Baseball.  His WAR total of 33.2 during that time ranked fourth in baseball, and his innings total ranked second.  Though he typically topped out around 92 miles per hour in his prime, Haren was a master of command and an old-school horse.  He pitched at least 216 innings in each of those seven seasons, and his total of 1,581 1/3 was topped only by CC Sabathia.  Haren finished his career with three All-Star appearances, two top-seven Cy Young finishes, 153 wins, and a 3.75 ERA.

In recent years, Haren has served as a “pitching strategist” for the Diamondbacks, in which he “provides advance scouting reports and guidance to the club’s pitchers to maximize results on the mound.”  You can find him on Twitter @ithrow88.  That’s exactly what we did, and Dan graciously accepted our invitation to chat with MLBTR readers.  Click here to join in!

Marlins Still Discussing Deal With Yuli Gurriel

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The Marlins’ interest in free-agent first baseman Yuli Gurriel first came to light back in late January, although after initially looking as though it might lead to a deal, Miami instead backed off its pursuit. The two parties remain in contact and are still discussing a potential contract, however, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets. Any deal between the two parties, at this point, would likely be a minor league contract, he adds.

It’s been a quiet offseason with regard to Gurriel, who has been tied to the Twins and Astros, in addition to the Marlins. Minnesota, however, has since signed Donovan Solano to fill this same type of role (right-handed-hitting infielder who’ll see plenty of time at first base), while the Astros simply don’t have much in the way of at-bats to offer. Houston signed Jose Abreu to a three-year deal early in the offseason and re-signed Michael Brantley to split time with Yordan Alvarez in left field and at designated hitter. Alvarez has been a bit banged up this spring, with hand soreness keeping him from swinging a bat, but there’s no indication he’s slated to be delayed into the regular season. Astros GM Dana Brown even acknowledged last month that it’d be challenging for Gurriel to get many at-bats on the roster as currently constructed.

Gurriel, 39 in June, is looking for a rebound after turning in a rough .242/.288/.360 batting line in 584 plate appearances last season. His bat-to-ball skills remained excellent (12.5% strikeout rate), but Gurriel’s 5.1% walk rate was his lowest since 2018, while his .117 ISO (slugging minus batting average) was a career-low mark. Meanwhile, his once vaunted defensive grades dipped to below-average (-2 Defensive Runs Saved, -9 Outs Above Average).

Tough as the 2022 season might have been, Gurriel is also just a year removed from winning an American League batting title and Gold Glove. In 2021, he slashed .319/.383/.462 with 15 home runs and 31 doubles. And, even while struggling in 2022, he still managed a solid .265/.298/.441 slash in 181 plate appearances against left-handed pitching.

The Marlins reportedly offered Gurriel a bit more than $2MM on a guaranteed deal earlier in the winter, but it seem that guarantee of a roster spot is no longer on the table now that spring training is well underway. There should still be room for Gurriel to win a bench job, however. Backup catcher Nick Fortes and utilityman Jon Berti have two spots locked down. Whichever of Bryan De La Cruz or Jesus Sanchez isn’t in left field on a given day will likely hold a third spot. (Sanchez, notably, is out of minor league options.) The fourth spot is more up for grabs, however, with infielders Jordan Groshans and Jacob Amaya among the infielders on the 40-man roster (in addition to non-roster invitees like Garrett Hampson).

Miami’s original vision for Gurriel was a right-handed bench bat who could help out at each of first base, second base and third base — despite his lack of recent experience at the latter two positions. Ostensibly, that role is still there for the taking, if he’s willing to come to camp on a nonguaranteed deal and compete for it.

There’s also the possibility for increased time at first base. While incumbent Garrett Cooper has quietly been an underrated and consistently productive force in the lineup when healthy, injuries have been far too frequent for the talented 32-year-old. Since being acquired in the 2017-18 offseason, Cooper has missed time due to wrist, hand, back, elbow, calf and finger injuries, in addition to a stay on the 7-day concussion list last summer. Gurriel would provide some veteran insurance and perhaps a backup at other positions, if Miami feels he’s still a capable option at the hot corner and/or second base.

Quick Hits: Rangers, Slater, Groshans, Cabrera

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The start of spring training always brings plenty of reports of players experiencing ’tightness’ or ’discomfort’, and while many of those wind up being rather minor, the Rangers in particular are dealing with plenty of seemingly minor ailments this spring, as Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Star winter signing Jacob deGrom was experiencing left-side tightness early in camp, but is scheduled to now throw his first live bullpen session on Wednesday, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Fellow off-season recruit Nathan Eovaldi is also experiencing some left-side tightness, and is taking a few days off. Jon Gray was a late scratch from Friday’s spring game with back tightness, while Jake Odorizzi is dealing with arm fatigue and is a bit behind in his schedule. It doesn’t stop there, as Jose LeClerc and Owen White are both feeling neck tightness.

There doesn’t appear to be a great deal of concern within the Rangers, and instead it seems the team is just being extra cautious so early in the spring. “When we started spring, in addressing the pitchers especially, we said, ‘Hey, in the early part here, let us know. Anything going on, we don’t want any major setbacks. We can back off at this time.’ Spring training can be pretty long, so in the early part, you’re going to be a little bit more cautious,” manager Bruce Bochy said Friday.

Here’s some more bits and pieces from around baseball:

  • Austin Slater had an MRI on his elbow but it came back clear, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Giants announced during the week that Slater would rest for a week with elbow neuritis. The news that the MRI is clear is certainly a positive one for Slater, and it seems it won’t be long before he’s able to make his spring debut for the team. Slater hit .242/.337/.392 with seven home runs across 259 plate appearances for San Francisco last season, and looks set to serve as a bench bat for the Giants with Joc Pederson, Mitch Haniger, Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski to get the bulk of the outfield reps.
  • The Marlins are giving youngster Jordan Groshans time at first base this spring, as Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports. Groshans typically handled the other infield spots coming up through the minors, and spent just 40 previous innings at first. Groshans is on the fringes of cracking Miami’s opening day roster, but if he can show he can handle first adequately it would certainly provide a boost to his chances. A first round pick by the Blue Jays in 2018, Groshans came over to the Marlins in the Anthony Bass deal last year. He got a brief cup of coffee in the big leagues, hitting .262/.308/.311 across 65 plate appearances. With Garrett Cooper, Joey Wendle, Luis Arraez and Jean Segura fairly well locked in as Miami’s infield starters, there’s no obvious path to a starting job there but the Marlins bench is a lot less certain, providing Groshans with a solid chance to stick on the active roster to begin the season.
  • Speaking of positional changes, the Yankees are planning to give Oswaldo Cabrera some time in center field this spring, Aaron Boone told the YES Network’s broadcast during today’s game against the Rays. Cabrera impressed during his rookie year, posting a respectable .247/.312/.429 line with six home runs across 171 plate appearances. Yet it was his defense that really stood out, as Cabrera, an infielder for almost all of his career, took to the outfield extremely well, earning nine Defensive Runs Saved for his work on the grass. That’s put him firmly in the race with Aaron Hicks, Estevan Florial and Rafael Ortega to be the Yankees’ opening day left fielder. It does seem more likely he winds up in a utility role though, covering the infield, corner outfield spots, and now, perhaps, center field.

Marlins Notes: Puk, Scott, Nance, Brazoban, Gurriel

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The Marlins are dealing with various small injuries throughout their spring camp, per a report from Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald.

The slate of injuries include three relievers. Left-hander A.J. Puk has some tightness in the adductor muscle of his left leg, fellow lefty Tanner Scott is dealing with slight discomfort in his left biceps, while Tommy Nance has discomfort in his right shoulder. Puk and Scott are playing catch today but Nance will be reevaluated in a couple of days. “I’m not too concerned,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said to Jackson and Mish. “If it was a starter who had to get built up, that’s a whole different story. But the relievers, I think that’s a little easier.”

Puk, just acquired from the A’s a few weeks ago, was once one of  the top prospects in the league but has struggled to stay healthy. Shoulder issues prevented him from making an appearance in 2020 and he struggled in 2021. He bounced back nicely last year, however, posting a 3.12 ERA over 62 appearances.

Scott was acquired from the Orioles a year ago and had a solid season for Miami, despite some control issues. He walked 15.9% of batters faced but struck out 31.1% and got grounders at a 46.3% clip. Nance was claimed off waivers from the Cubs about a year ago and registered a 4.33 ERA in 43 2/3 innings last year. He struck out 29.1% of opponents while walking 10.7%, also getting grounders at a strong 46.4% rate.

There’s also one other hiccup in the club’s bullpen, as Huascar Brazobán has yet to report to camp due to a visa issue. However, the issue has been resolved and Brazobán should be leaving the Dominican Republic for the United States tomorrow. The righty was a nice story last year, making his major league debut at the age of 32. He tossed 32 innings with a 3.09 ERA, 28.4% strikeout rate, 14.9% walk rate and 49.4% ground ball rate.

All in all, it seems like a pile of minor issues scattered throughout the bullpen, but they are situations worth monitoring with only about four weeks until Opening Day.

Leaving aside the bullpen, the club has been connected to free agent Yuli Gurriel multiple times this offseason. The most recent reporting indicated they offered him a $2MM deal at one point but took that offer the table when a week went by without a response. Today, Jackson and Mish report that the club is still willing to bring Gurriel into camp as a non-roster invitee if he’s interested.

The fact that a minor league deal hasn’t yet come to fruition suggests that Gurriel is perhaps still holding out for a major league pact. Garrett Cooper is penciled in as the club’s first baseman but he’s dealt with various injuries in his career and it makes sense that the Fish would look to add some depth behind him. Gurriel was a batting champ as recently as 2021 but he’s now entering his age-39 season and is coming off a rough campaign. He hit just .242/.288/.360 last year for a wRC+ of 85, indicating he was 15% worse than the league average hitter.

If Gurriel continues to linger on the market, the Marlins could potentially contact other first base options. The free agent market still features other bounceback candidates like Miguel Sanó and Mike Moustakas.

Marlins To Sign Richard Rodríguez To Minor League Deal

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The Marlins informed reporters, including Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase, that they have agreed to terms on a minor league deal with right-hander Richard Rodríguez. The reliever will receive a non-roster invitation to camp.

Rodríguez, who turns 33 later this week, has had quite a rollercoaster experience in the past few years. With the Pirates in 2018, he seemed to break out by posting a 2.47 ERA over 69 1/3 innings, striking out 31.5% of batters faced. The next year, his strikeouts dipped to 22.1% and his ERA jumped to 3.72. He got back on track in the shortened 2020 season with an incredible 36.6% strikeout rate, helping him drop his ERA down to 2.70.

In 2021, his strikeouts dried up again, dropping down to 22.8% in his time with the Pirates. He still managed to keep runs off the board, with his ERA at 2.82 when he was dealt to Atlanta. His strikeouts got even further away from him after the jersey switch, as he only punched out 8.5% of batters with Atlanta. He managed to post a 3.12 ERA in that time, but that was largely thanks to a .200 batting average on balls in play and 97.1% strand rate, with both of those numbers being unsustainably fortunate.

Rodríguez could have been retained for a couple more seasons via arbitration, but Atlanta looked past his low ERAs and decided to non-tender him prior to the 2022 campaign. While a free agent, he was given an 80-game suspension after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Boldenone. Once that suspension was served, he joined the Yankees on a minor league deal. He eventually posted a 3.96 ERA in 25 minor league innings, striking out 25.5% of batters faced.

For the Marlins, this is a no-risk move since they’re bringing Rodríguez into the fold without committing a roster spot to him. The last two seasons have been up-and-down for the righty but he’s not far removed from being a dominant bullpen arm in the big leagues. If he cracks the roster at some point, he still has a full slate of options and just over four years of service time, meaning the Marlins could keep him around if he returns to form. Rodríguez will try to crack a bullpen that features intriguing hurlers such as Dylan Floro, Tanner Scott, Matt Barnes, A.J. Puk and others.

Sixto Sanchez Not Expected To Be Ready For Opening Day

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The Marlins have gone without prized young righty Sixto Sánchez for the past two seasons. Shoulder injuries have thrown off course his very promising career. As he works his way back from the layoff, Sánchez looks likely to be delayed for the upcoming campaign.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that the 24-year-old isn’t expected to be ready for MLB game action until some time in the summer. The timeline remains rather vague and seems tied to a desire to give Sánchez more runway for his conditioning rather than any kind of setback. He underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery last October.

Upon entering camp, Sánchez told reporters he’d lost almost 50 pounds during the offseason (via Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El ExtraBase). Heyman writes that he is still building back arm strength, an unsurprising development for a pitcher who is two and a half years removed from his last game action. Sánchez hasn’t thrown this spring but has been in big league camp. He went through a simulated throwing motion this morning, and manager Skip Schumaker indicated the club was hopeful he’d be able to throw off a mound at some point next week (via Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald).

While things seem to be trending up, Sánchez has a ways to go to get into game shape. The Marlins have little reason to rush him back. The centerpiece of the J.T. Realmuto trade, Sánchez has twice undergone shoulder surgery since his last MLB action. Before last fall’s arthroscopic procedure, he required a July 2021 operation to repair a tear in his posterior capsule. His first rehab process, in particular, was littered with stops and starts and delayed recovery timetables.

Miami also doesn’t have a pressing need for Sánchez at the major league level. The Fish already have six MLB-caliber starting pitchers. Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara is followed by Jesús Luzardo, Trevor Rogers, Edward Cabrera, offseason signee Johnny Cueto and Braxton Garrett.

Sánchez would not have been in the Opening Day rotation anyhow. Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. indicated this month the club had no intention of moving him to the bullpen. Once healthy, Sánchez looks likely to head to Triple-A Jacksonville to work out of the rotation there as he tries to build back toward peak form. He worked to a 3.46 ERA with an excellent 58% grounder rate over 39 innings during the shortened 2020 schedule, his only MLB action to date.

The Marlins’ Battle For Playing Time Behind The Plate

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This past offseason marked the second straight winter in which the Marlins made a series of moves in hopes of upgrading the lineup. By and large, their set of transactions over the 2021-22 offseason didn’t pan out as hoped. Among those who had a tough first year in South Florida was backstop Jacob Stallings.

Stallings was a late-blooming regular for a couple seasons with the Pirates. He didn’t garner significant MLB playing time until 2019, his age-29 season. Once given the opportunity, Stallings developed into a solid primary catcher. Over a three-year stretch between 2019-21, he hit .251/.331/.374 in a little less than 800 plate appearances. That was a little better than the .233/.308/.399 line compiled by catchers overall. Stallings was a bit below-average from a power perspective but posted stronger on-base numbers than the typical backstop.

He’d paired that respectable offense with elite receiving behind the plate. Public pitch framing metrics loved Stallings’ work. He wasn’t charged with a single passed ball in 892 innings in 2021. While he wasn’t great at controlling the running game, he looked like one of the sport’s top pure receivers.

Considering those two-way contributions, it was understandable the Fish targeted Stallings to solidify their catching situation. The acquisition cost was fairly modest; they relinquished depth starter Zach Thompson and mid-level prospects Kyle Nicolas and Connor Scott for three arbitration seasons of their hopeful #1 catcher. Unfortunately for the Fish, Stallings’ production cratered on both sides of the ball.

The right-handed hitter posted a career-worst .223/.292/.292 line through 384 trips to the plate. His already modest power went backwards. Stallings managed just four home runs and posted his lowest hard contact rate (32%) since becoming a regular. That diminished contact quality also resulted in a .280 batting average on balls in play that was .025 points below the mark he carried between 2019-21. Stallings’ strike zone discipline remained intact; he made contact and continued to generally lay off pitches outside the zone. He just simply didn’t do enough damage on batted balls to make an offensive impact.

That offensive drop-off wouldn’t have been quite so alarming if it hadn’t been paired with a bizarre dip in Stallings’ pitch framing numbers. Statcast graded him as seven runs below average in that regard, his first subpar season after three consecutive years of plus marks. Stallings remarkably posted another flawless year with regards to avoid passed balls but didn’t have his typical level of success stealing strikes on the edges of the zone.

Teams also took more advantage of his middling arm strength than they had in years past. No catcher was behind the plate for more successful stolen bases than Stallings, who saw opponents swipe 61 bags in 75 attempts (an excellent 81.3% success rate). Stolen bases aren’t solely on the catcher — pitchers’ times to the plate plays a significant role — but Statcast rated Stallings’ arm strength below par.

That could take on added importance in 2023. MLB is introducing rules such as the limitation on pickoff attempts and larger bases designed to incentivize base-stealing. Stallings seems unlikely to develop above-average arm strength in his age-33 season. Keeping the running game in check figures to be a challenge yet again, which places a greater emphasis on Stallings to return to peak form in the areas of his game that have historically been his strength.

He’ll need to more closely approximate his offensive production and framing marks from his final couple seasons in Pittsburgh to serve as the caliber of upgrade Miami believed they were getting 12 months ago. To his credit, Stallings had a decent second half offensively after a terrible start to the year, though he’ll need to sustain that over a full season this time around.

General manager Kim Ng and her staff seem bullish on his chances of righting the ship. There was little indication Miami seriously looked outside the organization for catching help this offseason. They avoided arbitration with Stallings, signing him for $3.35MM. He presumably heads into Spring Training atop the depth chart for a second time, though he could face some internal pressure if he starts the season slowly.

26-year-old Nick Fortes has put himself on the radar after a quietly effective rookie season. The Ole Miss product made a 14-game cameo at the tail end of the 2021 campaign. Last season was his first extended MLB action, and Fortes impressed. He hit .230/.304/.392 with nine home runs and a modest 18.8% strikeout rate over 240 trips to the plate. Fortes demonstrated both above-average contact skills and solid batted ball metrics, showing the potential to be an interesting offensive option.

Fortes logged 441 innings behind the plate last season, rating fairly well in the eyes of public defensive metrics. Statcast pegged him as a roughly average pitch framer with above-average arm strength. Fortes threw out 28.6% of base-stealers, a solid clip. After committing four passed balls in just 44 innings in 2021, he was charged with only one passed ball last season. It was a solid all-around showing that earned the former fourth-rounder a near equal split in playing time with Stallings from the All-Star Break onwards. Still, with just 86 career games under his belt, he’ll need to prove he can continue performing over a larger sample.

The duo will continue jostling for playing time this season. Stallings and Fortes are the only two catchers on the 40-man roster, with Miami dealing Payton Henry to Milwaukee at the start of the offseason. Austin Allen is in camp as a non-roster invitee but figures to open the year in Triple-A Jacksonville barring injury. How to allocate playing time behind the dish is one of the bigger questions for first-year manager Skip Schumaker. Stallings figures to get the lion’s share of time early in hopes of a rebound, though it remains to be seen how long the leash would be if he struggles after Fortes’ solid 2022 campaign.

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