The Marlins have signed right-hander Freddy Tarnok to a minor league deal, Aram Leighton of Just Baseball Media writes. The contract includes an invitation for Tarnok to attend Miami’s big league Spring Training camp.
Tarnok made his MLB debut in the form of a single appearance and two-thirds of an inning for the Braves in 2022, and Atlanta then dealt him that winter as part of the three-team, nine-player trade that saw Sean Murphy head to the Braves and William Contreras and Joel Payamps land in Milwaukee. The Athletics’ end of the trade saw them obtain Tarnok and four other players, only two of whom (Esteury Ruiz and Royber Salinas) are still with the A’s just over two years ago.
Tarnok’s own time on Oakland’s big league roster was limited to five games and 14 2/3 innings in 2023, with the righty delivering a 4.91 ERA in that limited sample while also allowing four homers and 11 walks. Shoulder and hip injuries hampered Tarnok for much of the year, and he ended up having hip surgery in August 2023. Some rust wasn’t unexpected after Tarnok’s recovery, but he managed only a 7.39 ERA in 31 2/3 Triple-A innings this past season.
That time in Triple-A was spent with both the Athletics’ top affiliate and in the Phillies’ farm system, as Philadelphia claimed Tarnok off waivers this past June. The Phils outrighted Tarnok off their 40-man roster at the start of November and he elected to become a minor league free agent.
An increase in both his walk and home run totals plagued Tarnok in the upper minors as well as in his brief time in the majors. These issues have led to a 4.68 ERA over 92 1/3 career Triple-A innings, as well as an 11.97% walk rate and 23.44% strikeout rate.
While Tarnok has some ability to miss bats, his inability to keep the ball in the park or keep batters off the basepaths has left him looking for a fresh start entering his age-26 season. It is possible a healthy Tarnok gets back to his much more solid pre-injury form, and for the minimal cost of a minors contract, the Marlins are betting that he can become at least a depth swingman now that he is further removed from his hip surgery. Leighton writes that Miami will again give Tarnok a chance to start games.
Tarnok would make a great Klingon name.
by grabthar’s hammer the a’s fan base shall be avenged
Oh no, Tarnok’s off the board!
I thought he was one of the droids from Voyager. Or was it from The Borg?
Tarnok and Gilad! On MLBTR!
Wasn’t Gilad on Stargate?
I thought Royber Salinas was back with the Braves?
He is, the report was incorrect. The Braves signed him to a minor league deal after he was let go by the A’s.
He is. Week reporting
Weak
They have a fairly good mix of starting pitchers, Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett, Max Meyer, Dax Fulton and Eury Perez but Alcantara likely be traded, can’t see them paying him with the offense they have in place.
@bwm The Marlins offense in August & September this year was about the best it has been for a long time. The Xman is a throwback slap, walk and steal leadoff man. Of the rest I have hopes of Norby, Sanchez, Conine, becoming good everyday players.
Fortes actually hit .290 after the AS break, which is fine by me for a glove first catcher.
Of the others, the jury is still out. At minimum, in 3 years time, 4 or 5 could be valued bench players on very good teams.
For 2025 I’m predicting at least one of our high flying division rivals will have a couple of embarrassing series against the Marlins
Fortes and Augustn Ramirez could be one of the better catching platoons in the league.
Edwards looks to be a great player, Sanchez always been middling and the rest of the lineup also middling but could produce. Listened to some of the Jacksonville AAA last season, Conine can hit a little.
They must like the prospects they got from Texas in return for Burger because he was their best hitter last season. Marlins could surprise, a big Sandy Alcantara trade and a breakout year from Max Meyer would have them in good shape.
Tarnok from Tanagra
Tarnok spelled backwards is Konrat, a good name for the Mob.
Which mob? Doesn’t seem like a Sicilian name.
Rooting for him but inconsistency was his game and untapped potential was always his scouting report…
Good thing whether fans from other teams know players or not doesn’t matter.
Marlins next Closer?
Just a quick question, now I’ve been through Carter, Hernandez,Coleman(SMH),Bonilla(wrong Pirate),Piazza,Santana,Beltran,and Cespedes. Then the Wilpon fiasco. Then Steve Cohen bought the Mets and everything seemed right… I mean you’re not going to win every year, but to know that a real fan happens to own the team… Now The Mets have added Lindor and now Soto… I’ve got lots to be happy about and this comes from a long, long suffering Mets fan. Now my question to you is do you think the Marlins are going to trade Alcantara if he’s looking ok at the break? It’s always a rebuild and that’s a lot of money… Or who knows do you think they have another playoff run in them???? SMH!!!
Good question about Alcantara.
While I know most people, even many in our fan base, think that trading Alcantara is a foregone conclusion, and that the return will be based on how good he looks, but there is one thing I keep thinking. The math is a little off. The notion is that the Marlins will be able to trade him and Garrett among the remaining pitching pieces that are proven trade chips, and to do so if they are pitching well. However, if they are both pitching well, and they are expecting the other pitchers like Weathers, Meyer, Cabrera, etc. to pitch well in their further development, and the young position players to play well to keep their jobs instead of the next young player to step into the opportunity…and the same with the bullpen, the math kind of says that, if these things occur, the Marlins would at least have to be within striking distance of that 6th playoff spot. It’s a pretty small window that, if what they expect to happen to lead to Alcantara and Garrett pitching well while they are developing the first layer of young guys Bendix acquired, for them to still be so far out of a playoff spot that would warrant trading Alcantara and Garrett.
You see what I mean? If a team teeters a little below .500, they are within striking distance of that last playoff spot.
But who know. Bendix probably would still trade Alcantara and Garrett if the Marlins are within striking distance, with Bendix feeling that he can do like he did with his trades so far, in layering the time-tables of when young players will be at the MLB level – where he gets combos of guys that are far away along with guys that are MLB-ready. Then the MLB-ready guys will be there for the team that’s within striking distance.
I guess we’ll all have to see. It’s an odd situation when looking at it further because the math doesn’t fit very well. That 6th playoff spot changed a lot of things with how rebuilds work. A team really has to tank really badly to justify a 5-year plan. It feels like rebuilds are more 3-year plans now.