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Eddy Alvarez

Marlins Sign Sandy Leon To Minors Contract

By Mark Polishuk | January 4, 2021 at 2:42pm CDT

JANUARY 4: Leon’s deal comes with a $1.25MM base salary if he makes the MLB roster, with additional incentives available, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link).

JANUARY 3: The Marlins have signed catcher Sandy Leon to a minor league deal.  The contract contains an invitation for Leon to attend Miami’s big league Spring Training camp.  In addition to Leon, the Marlins also officially announced six other players (infielder Eddy Alvarez, catcher Brian Navarreto, and right-handers Zach Thompson, Alexander Guillen, Anthony Bender, and Luis Madero) received spring invites on minor league contracts.

A veteran of nine big league seasons, Leon is best known for his five seasons with the Red Sox from 2015-19, a stint that saw him collect a World Series ring in 2018 and unexpectedly step up as an offensive threat (.845 OPS in 283 plate appearances) in 2016.  That 2016 campaign stands out as a big outlier amidst Leon’s overall career numbers, however, as he has a .216/.284/.327 slash line over 1379 career PA.

Leon didn’t even reach that modest level of production in 2020, as he hit .136/.296/.242 in 81 PA with the Indians.  It’s pretty clear Miami isn’t signing Leon for his bat, but rather his well-documented defensive skill — Leon is well-respected as a game-caller and he was an above-average pitch-framer in both 2018 and 2019.  Leon also has some impressive caught-stealing numbers over his career, though those totals have dipped over the last two years.

The signings of both Leon and Navarreto add some depth to a Marlins catching mix that consists of Jorge Alfaro and Chad Wallach.  Alfaro is coming off a tough season at the plate, but as a former top prospect, he’ll be given plenty more chances to firmly establish himself as a regular backstop.  Wallach is another defense-first catcher, so with Leon now in the mix, Wallach will need a solid showing in Spring Training to retain his job on the active roster.

Navarreto is back in Miami after making his MLB debut with the team last season, appearing in two games.  Originally a sixth-round pick for the Twins in the 2013 draft, Navarreto has hit .214/.264/.307 over 1753 career PA in the minors (in the Twins and Yankees farm systems) without ever reaching Triple-A ball.  He signed a minor league deal with the Marlins last winter but naturally never appeared in the minors due to the cancellation of the minor league season.

Alvarez is the only other member of the group to appear in the majors, as he hit .189/.268/.216 for the Marlins last season in the first 41 Major League plate appearances of his career.  Alvarez’s MLB debut made headlines, as the former Olympic silver medal-winning speed skater became the first former Olympian (in a sport besides baseball, of course) to appear in the majors since the legendary Jim Thorpe.  Beginning his career as an undrafted free agent, Alvarez has hit .278/.375/.413 with 40 homers over 2430 minor league PA, working mostly as a shortstop but also playing a significant amount of second and third base.

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Brian Navarreto Eddy Alvarez Luis Madero Miami Marlins Sandy Leon Transactions

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Marlins Select Braxton Garrett

By Anthony Franco | September 13, 2020 at 11:10am CDT

The Marlins selected the contract of left-hander Braxton Garrett and named him the 29th man for today’s doubleheader against the Phillies, per a club announcement. They’ve also activated right-hander Nick Neidert from the injured list, optioning left-hander Dan Castano to open active roster space. To clear space on the 40-man roster for Garrett and Neidert, southpaw Brandon Leibrandt was transferred to the 60-day injured list with left elbow ulnar neuritis and infielder Eddy Alvarez was designated for assignment.

Garrett is the most notable name in today’s swath of moves, having been selected seventh overall in the 2016 draft out of an Alabama high school. An ill-timed Tommy John surgery the following June threw Garrett off track, and his prospect status has never completely bounced back. Nevertheless, he’s still among the most talented arms in the Miami farm system, with Baseball America recently placing him ninth among Marlins prospects thanks to his 92-95 MPH fastball and plus curveball. Garrett was due to be added to the 40-man roster this winter to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The contending Marlins can afford to devote a roster spot to him a few months earlier if they anticipate him helping their playoff push.

Like Garrett, Neidert is one of the Marlins’ better pitching prospects. He was part of Miami’s season-opening roster but pitched in just one game before going on the IL amidst the team’s COVID-19 outbreak. The command artist turned in a 5.05 ERA in 41 Triple-A innings last year (deceptively productive work given the high-octane offensive environment in the Pacific Coast League).

Alvarez, meanwhile, was one of the more remarkable stories in baseball this season. The 30-year-old former Olympic speed skater cracked Miami’s MLB roster in the wake of their COVID outbreak. Unfortunately, he didn’t do nearly enough to hold down a roster spot permanently, hitting just .189/.268/.216 in 41 plate appearances.

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Brandon Leibrandt Braxton Garrett Dan Castano Eddy Alvarez Miami Marlins Nick Neidert Transactions

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