The White Sox are among the clubs that have spoken to the Marlins about Christian Yelich, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter), though he adds that those talks never gained much traction. Per Crasnick, talks never advanced beyond “routine dialogue.” Certainly, though, if the Marlins elected to shop Yelich to other clubs, there’d be a fit between the two sides. Chicago has one of the game’s top farm systems, and the 26-year-old Yelich would align nicely with the rebuilding White Sox’s projected timeline for contending. Yelich is owed $44.5MM over the next four seasons — a sum that includes the buyout on a $15MM option for a fifth season. All told, Yelich can be controlled for five years and $58.25MM — a relative bargain for a player that has batted .293/.371/.447 with outstanding left field defense over the past three seasons. Yelich showed in 2017, too, that he can handle center field if needed, though defensive metrics are much more bullish on his corner work. For now, however, Crasnick notes that execs with other clubs believe the Marlins will hang onto Yelich.
A bit more on the Marlins…
- Marlins vice president of player development Gary Denbo tells reporters that he expects Starlin Castro to be a part of the club in 2018 as well (link via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). Denbo spoke highly of Castro, praising his ability to hit for power relative to other second basemen. Castro, acquired in the blockbuster that sent Giancarlo Stanton to New York, is owed $22MM over the next two seasons and has a $16MM option for a third year. There’s been plenty of speculation that the Marlins, looking to further trim their payroll, could flip Castro to a club in need of a second baseman. Marlins fans will want to check out Jackson’s piece for Denbo’s evaluations of prospects Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers — the other two players in the Stanton deal.
- Jackson’s column and this column from MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro both contain a number of quotes from Denbo on the young pitchers the Marlins have acquired this offseason. Denbo suggests that lefty Caleb Smith (another pickup from his former organization, the Yankees) will compete for a rotation spot in 2018. Smith, 26, was hit hard in a tiny sample of 18 1/3 innings with the Yankees last year, but he turned in an outstanding 2.39 ERA with 8.9 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 41.1 percent ground-ball rate in 98 Triple-A innings in the Yankees organization. Smith averaged 94 mph on his heater with the Yanks last year, though he did so primarily as a reliever, so that velocity will likely take a step back when working as a starter. Denbo also weighs in on first baseman Garrett Cooper, who could potentially serve as a right-handed complement to Justin Bour.
- In his latest Marlins Inbox, Frisaro breaks down the Marlins’ potential rotation, noting that he’s not convinced Dan Straily will be traded (thus positioning him to be the team’s Opening Day starter). Jose Urena should be in the mix as well, with Adam Conley, Justin Nicolino, Odrisamer Despaigne, Dillon Peters and (as Denbo suggested) Smith all in the mix as well. Wei-Yin Chen, of course, will start if he can return to health, though his status remains up in the air. Frisaro tackles a number of other roster-related issues, including the outfield alignment, the timeline of some pitching prospects to the Majors and Derek Dietrich’s role with the club.
Waiting for Alex Anthopoulos to get Prado and Yelich…
Would be costly, but could see him going for it.
Castro gonna be a one man show this year?
He will have bour and yelich but for how long ? Not sure
Management had to say they plan to keep him with the all the negative talk going on about this pathetic franchise. They will dump Castro ASAP if they can find a taker
Fidel was a show, Starlin is a loser with an $11 million a year contract.
Castro will be a hard sell in Miami.
What Jeter & Co. don’t seem to realize is that Miami has an enormous Cuban population. It is NOT going to go well for a guy with “CASTRO” on the back of his jersey. It’s really not.
Good point but jerseys with player names cost more money so id be surprised if Jeter doesn’t just say we won’t have player names on the back to save money. (would also mirror his Yankee days with no name)
I doubt any of them care as long as he’s not related to fidel
Good joke lol, the name is not gonna change anything. If 5k fans show to the ballpark Jeter should be very happy. People here work hard for their money, he’s gonna have to give away alot of tickets if he wants to see some fans in the stands.
Other people there are retired and living on fixed incomes.
That is so ridiculously stupid.
if the jays were serious about making a run this year they would put together a package for yelich and Castro. could flip Devon Travis, eziquiel Carrera, Dalton pompey, reid-foley and Rowdy Telez, and Hagan dinner.
Hagen Danner. Realize they likely would have to include Alford but if they want to make a run this year, they should do it. They would then still have their two prized prospects and trade bait in Donaldson, Castro, and their pitching should they fail to restock.
personally believe they should trade JD now but if they aren’t and claim they are going to compete, then show it. So far they’ve done nothing yet are trying to butter up fans that they will contend.
Shapiro is probably tracking season ticket sales, and he’ll only make significant additions if ticket sales are flat. Either way he’s never been particularly fond of signing free agents unless he digs them out of the bottom of the clearance bin at Dollar General. If you ask Shapiro if the Jays will be retooling, rebuilding, or going for it in 2018, you won’t get a straight answer. Very difficult to calculate the probability of Donaldson re-signing beyond ‘18 when it’s still not clear what direction the front office intends to go with this team.
yelish would command one of the 2 guys you don’t want to trade add more Jays won’t do it
I’m not so sure he would if the jays are willing to take on salary like Castro or Prado with it.
I don’t mean to come off as condescending here, so don’t take it that way, but your offer is really a collection of garbage. Not a single of the four that you offered has much of any trade value (everybody has players like Carrera/Pompey, Reid-Foley is viewed by most as a reliever now, and Travis is barely better than Castro is and more injury-prone). Even taking Chen on, I don’t see how Toronto pulls Yelich without giving up Bichette and Pearson
I tend to agree with you thus why i added Alford but with that Miami ownership group and the trades they have made, it’s hard to gauge if they are actually trying to maximize value or just dump salaries
The Stanton trade was a salary dump, but I’m not so sure the Ozuna one really was. He was gonna go, because they’re rebuilding and he only had 2 years of control. You can argue that the return was light (I would agree, because I’m not really a Mags Sierra guy), but I think it made sense from a baseball perspective. I’d be stunned if they trade Yelich because they can’t afford a star player making $11M per year.
Alford obviously makes things more interesting as a centerpiece, but I’m still not sure he’s got the star power to headline a deal for a player who’s one of the more valuable assets in the sport personally
Pompey wouldn’t be too appealing since they just got Sierra from the cards.
I understand the frustration but Miami still has a lot of talent on that roster thats worth watching. Yellich is an absolute stud and Realmuto is great too. Bour/Prado/Castro are solid supporting players and Riddle showed flashes in his time last yr.
Staff is pretty awful but they are trying to address that currently. If the went full rebuild they could really jumpstart the timeline for competing. Especially if Castro and Prado play well in the 1st half
jeter could play short and be the first player/owner
Roger Dorn was the first player/owner
Don’t be silly. Jeter doesn’t have the range to play short.
Jays should trade grichuk, gyorko and Flaherty plus others for yelich
stl giving them to the jays for free?
No that’s after we get Donaldson for them
so you think the same package that would get the Cardinals 1 year of Donaldson from the Jays would be enough for the Jays to get 5 years of yelich from the Marlins. LMAO
so you think the same package that would get the Cardinals 1 year of Donaldson, would be enough to get the Jays 5 years of Yelich. lmao. Why wouldn’t Miami just turn around and ask St Louis for those players instead of going thru Toronto.
Jays don’t have the three you mentioned. They are still very much with the Cardinals!
Not when they use them to acquire the bringer of rain!
That would be an absurd trade for 1 year of donaldson.
The Kansas City A’s have been re-created
In Miami by Yankee Jeter and endorsed by the NY based MLB Commissioner.
Dodgers should trade for yelich and Castro
I believe Dodgers are under the projected luxury tax. Adding those two would push them over
I agree
What would it take from the White Sox to get Yelich I don’t want to hear Eloy, Kopech, Roberts or Collins name in any deal
Rutherford, cease, dunning, burger
Judging by the return for Stanton and Ozuna… you don’t have to worry. Yelich isn’t owed as much money so he should in theory command a bigger return but some have suggested that the Marlins are trying to dump Chen in any Yelich deal, which would mean a lesser yield.
Why would they lessen their return by attaching Chen? No urgency to shed payroll now that Stanton is out
Did you not see the Osuna trade?
Chen will be getting $20M in 2019 and $22M in 2020. That’s not too far off from what Stanton will make those years and for way worse production. If the Sox will eat that a significant portion of that salary, it shouldn’t take much on the prospect side to land him.
I don’t see Zelich fitting in the White Sox organization, and frankly, I don’t see Zelich as a big opportunity either – not sure what all the fuss is about.
Sox have two solid OF candidates and Avi, who is likely to regress. Rutherford has regressed and nobody else is both talented enough and healthy enough to make a difference. Yelich (not Zelich) has been consistently good for several years now and has years of cheap control left, plus he plays excellent defense. The Sox could afford to trade Avi, Rutherford, and any of their other OF prospects to shore up other holes if they get him and he’s signed through their expected competitive window. He’s not a superstar, but there’s an awful lot to like about him and I think he’d be a great fit.
Baez, Almora and Montgomery and/or Alzolay or Yelich?
I thought of Yelich, Kyle Barraclough and Dan Straily for Happ, Schwarber Alzolay and Caratini
Nobody wants Schwarber, particularly in the NL. He is basically the second coming of Mark Trumbo, a one-dimentional stiff.
Phillies might want Schwarber to play RF. He and Hoskins would make for an amazing corner pairing.
Please tell me everyone heard LeBatard give it to the commissioner about the Miami situation?? This is an absolute joke. They have sold away every player with a heart beat for less then spectacular returns. I’m a life long Yankee fan and cannot believe Jeter is this bad at anything he would do professionally. I understand he’s not the only one making these trades. But my lord. The city of Miami deserves better after all the crap they’ve had to endure with the MLB.
The Astros and Cubs did the same thing in recent years. How did that work out for them?
And as for what Marlins fans have had to “endure,” they’ve endured two World Series Championships in the last 20 years. 2/3rds of baseball would love to be able to say that.
Marlins should eat half of Castro’s salary and fetch a nice prospect.
Castro is totally worth his contract. I don’t see where this “Castro is going to be a salary dump trade” is coming from.
They just dumped Stanton, who had way more excess value, because he was too expensive. It makes sense to dump Castro, too.