Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Marlins Rumors

Marlins Rumors: Yermin, Greene, Dickerson

By | at

The Marlins’ offseason trade interest in Willson Contreras was fairly well documented, but it appears he wasn’t the only Chicago catcher pursued by the Fish. Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald report that the Marlins also made an “aggressive” attempt to acquire Yermin Mercedes from the White Sox but couldn’t convince the South Siders to part with him. “Aggressive” is a relative term, but in the case of Mercedes, nearly any focused effort to pry him away could’ve been seen as such prior to Opening Day. He’d logged only a single MLB plate appearance prior to the 2021 season and entered the year as a 28-year-old with 53 Triple-A games under his belt. Scouting reports on Mercedes have universally tabbed him as a DH-only prospect who lacks a true defensive position.

There’s been no ignoring Mercedes’ remarkable breakout at the plate to begin the season, however. The bat-first characterization of his skill set looks to be well deserved, as he opened the year with an incredible eight consecutive hits and is now 16-for-32 with a pair of homers, three doubles and four walks to match his four strikeouts. Mercedes obviously won’t sustain a .538 average on balls in play, but at least early on, he looks the part of a strong DH option. Even with some regression to be expected, the torrid start has surely quelled any temptation for the White Sox to trade the “Yerminator.” The Marlins, meanwhile, figure to continue looking for catching help this summer and into next offseason, per Mish and Jackson.

A few more notes out of South Florida…

  • While the Marlins may be seeking catching help now, they had one of the game’s top all-around backstops not long ago. Miami traded J.T. Realmuto to the Phillies prior to the 2018 season, but The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal sheds some light on talks that took place with another interested party: the Reds. Talks between Cincinnati and Miami weren’t a secret at the time, and it’s been previously reported that current second baseman Jonathan India and catcher Tucker Barnhart were among the players who could’ve potentially been sent to the Marlins in a Realmuto deal with the Reds. The breaking point in talks, according to Rosenthal, was that the Reds staunchly refused to part with flamethrowing righty Hunter Greene in the deal. Greene was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 Draft, and while he’s since had Tommy John surgery, he remains a highly regarded pitching prospect. Then again, righty Sixto Sanchez, whom the Marlins actually did pick up in their eventual trade of Realmuto, is widely considered among the game’s top overall young talents.
  • Corey Dickerson doesn’t appear to be in the Marlins’ plans beyond 2021, Jackson and Mish add in the previously linked Herald column, making a trade at this year’s deadline appear possible. Dickerson stood out as a rather logical on-paper trade candidate in the first place, as a veteran on an expiring contract with an up-and-coming team that most do not expect to contend for a playoff berth. Dickerson, who’ll turn 32 in May, has batted just .259/.314/.402 through his first 243 plate appearances as a Marlin dating back to 2020. He inked a two-year, $17.5MM deal to serve as Miami’s primary left fielder, and while his power and exit velocity have dropped off, his strikeout and walk rates have actually improved a bit with the Fish. As of this year’s July 30 trade deadline, Dickerson will still have $2.97MM remaining on this year’s $8.5MM salary, plus an additional $1MM owed to him in the form of a deferred signing bonus. The Marlins could need to absorb a portion of that sum in order to bring about a trade.

Jorge Alfaro Battling Hamstring Tightness

By and | at

  • Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro was scratched from yesterday’s lineup due to what the team described as “lingering tightness in his left hamstring.”  Manager Don Mattingly told SportsGrid’s Craig Mish and other reporters the Marlins may decide tomorrow whether or not an IL stint is required.  Counting today, Alfaro will have been sidelined for four straight games, and Miami doesn’t have another off-day until April 19.  Should Alfaro hit the injured list, Sandy Leon is the only catcher in the Marlins’ farm system with any big league experience, so the team could select his minor league deal and install Leon as Chad Wallach’s backup.

Marlins Sign Brett Eibner To Minors Deal

By | at

The Marlins have signed right-hander Brett Eibner to a new minor league deal, SportGrid’s Craig Mish reports (Twitter link).  The outfielder-turned-pitcher is back for his second season in Miami’s organization, and Mish notes that Eibner has been assigned to the club’s alternate training site.

Eibner appeared in 87 total games as an outfielder with Royals, A’s, and Dodgers during the 2016-17 seasons, but he took his career in a new direction by becoming a relief pitcher while playing in the Rangers’ farm system in 2018.  He saw two-way action in the independent leagues in 2019 and 2020 before the Marlins purchased his contract last August, as part of Miami’s effort to fill out a roster ravaged by a COVID-19 outbreak.

Eibner did make his return to the majors, tossing 3 1/3 innings over three games (with a 13.50 ERA) for the Marlins.  The team did end up twice designating Eibner for assignment and then outrighting him off the 40-man roster, but clearly the Fish saw enough in the 32-year-old to bring him back and give him a longer look on a minor league mound.

Marlins To Attend Upcoming Anibal Sanchez Showcase

By | at

  • The Marlins are one of the teams that will be attendance for Aníbal Sánchez’s showcase tomorrow in Miami, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The free agent righty wasn’t in a rush to join a team over the offseason due to concerns about COVID-19 and accompanying protocols, but he’s now expected to sign in the near future. Sánchez began his major league career with the Marlins, pitching in Florida for five-plus seasons before being traded to the Tigers in a 2012 deadline blockbuster. Sánchez spent the last two seasons with the Nationals, combing for a 4.52 ERA with a below-average strikeout rate (18.5%) and a solid walk percentage (7.9%).

Latest On Marlins’ Local Television Deal

By | at

In late March, the Marlins and Sinclair Broadcast Group announced a multi-year local television rights contract. The specific terms and length of the agreement weren’t disclosed at the time, but Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald now reports it’s a seven-year deal that pays just over $50MM annually. The parties’ previous agreement averaged in the neighborhood of $18MM, Jackson notes, paying the Marlins a league-low $20MM last season.

While the $50+MM average annual value represents a significant increase over the prior contract’s, it’s not an unexpected figure. Craig Mish of SportsGrid reported last month the new local rights deal paid “substantially more than double” the annual salary of its predecessor over a six-plus year term. In January 2020, Jackson reported the Marlins turned down a 2017 offer from Sinclair that would’ve paid more than $50MM annually. The Marlins had hoped to secure around $60MM per season on the new contract, Jackson reports, but the intervening COVID-19 pandemic seems to have made that goal unattainable.

It isn’t clear when or to what extent the new TV deal will affect the Marlins’ payroll. Importantly, there is also no indication of the specific payment breakdown. TV rights deals are often backloaded. It wouldn’t be surprising if that’s the case here, particularly with the pandemic as a backdrop in negotiations. The Marlins have scaled back player payroll quite a bit in recent years, opening 2021 with an estimated $56.9MM outlay that ranks 28th leaguewide, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts.

Elieser Hernandez To Undergo MRI

By | at

  • Marlins righty Elieser Hernandez will undergo an MRI on Tuesday evening, manager Don Mattingly said (via Christina De Nicola of MLB.com). It seems to be a precautionary measure on the Marlins’ part, as Mattingly suggested Hernandez is making progress since he went on the IL on Monday with right biceps inflammation. Hernandez performed brilliantly during an abbreviated 2020, helping the Marlins to the playoffs with a 3.16 ERA/3.17 SIERA and elite strikeout (32.1) and walk (4.7) percentages across 25 2/3 frames, but had a more difficult time in his first start of this year last Saturday. In a win over the Rays, Hernandez gave up two earned runs in 2 1/3 innings before exiting.

Marlins Re-Sign Brandon Leibrandt

By | at

  • The Marlins have brought back lefty Brandon Leibrandt on a minors deal, Craig Mish of SportsGrid tweets. The 28-year-old Leibrandt picked up his first MLB experience with the Marlins last season and tossed nine innings of two-run, three-hit ball, but he succeeded in spite of issuing seven walks against three strikeouts. The Marlins outrighted him after the season. He’ll report to their alternate site, according to Mish.

Marlins Place Elieser Hernandez, Garrett Cooper On 10-Day Injured List

By | at

The Marlins have placed right-hander Elieser Hernandez and first baseman/outfielder Garrett Cooper on the 10-day injured list, the team announced.  (Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald was among those to report the details.)  Hernandez was placed on the standard 10-day IL while Cooper is on the COVID-related injury list.  Right-handers Nick Neidert and Jordan Holloway will fill the two open spots on the active roster.

Cooper was placed on the IL due to an adverse reaction after receiving a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a fairly common side effect for some vaccinated patients.  Because there is no 10-day minimum attached to the COVID list, Cooper could be back in action as early as Tuesday if he is feeling better, though the Marlins chose to sideline him.

Hernandez’s injury could be much more of a long-term problem, as his outing on Saturday was cut short in the third inning due to inflammation in his right biceps area.  More will be known about his status once Hernandez completes a doctor visit later today.

The 25-year-old had a 3.16 ERA/3.17 SIERA and a very impressive 32.7% strikeout rate and 4.7% walk rate over 25 2/3 innings and six starts in 2020, and the Marlins were looking forward to seeing what Hernandez could do over a longer stretch of innings as a member of their rotation this season.  That progress will now be set back for at least a little while, however, as Hernandez joins Sixto Sanchez and Edward Cabrera as Miami rotation candidates dealing with injuries.

This has created an opportunity for Neidert, who has a 3.20 ERA and 22.15% strikeout rate over 460 2/3 minor league innings in the Seattle and Miami farm systems.  A second-round pick for the Mariners in the 2015 draft, Neidert was dealt to the Marlins as part of the trade that sent Dee Strange-Gordon to Seattle in December 2017.  Neidert made his big league debut in 2020 with 8 1/3 relief innings over four games (posting a 5.40 ERA), and might have gotten more playing time had it not been for a stint on the COVID-19 injured list that cost him over a month of the season.

Holloway might also factor into the Marlins’ rotation plans depending on how the club opts to address its starting pitching situation, though he could also be a short-term addition if Cooper is able to make a quick return.  Holloway has worked almost exclusively as a starter throughout his seven pro seasons, delivering a 4.64 ERA over 304 1/3 innings since the Marlins selected him in the 20th round of the 2014 draft.  Like Neidert, Holloway spent much of the season on the COVID-related injury list, limiting his first big league season to just a single game (four batters faced over a third of an inning of work).

Elieser Hernandez Leaves Game Due To Biceps Inflammation

By | at

Marlins righty Elieser Hernandez left today’s start in the third inning due to what the team described as “inflammation in his right biceps tendon.”  Hernandez experienced a big velocity drop after his previous two innings of work, and manager Don Mattingly told reporters (including MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola) that he initially thought it could be a recurrence of the blister problem that has bothered Hernandez in the past.  Mattingly didn’t have any updates about Hernandez’s status after the game, other than to say “obviously, it’s something that we’ll have to be careful with.”

After posting a 3.16 ERA over the small sample size of 25 2/3 innings in 2020, Hernandez was being eyed by the Marlins as a candidate for a much more extended breakout this year.  However, with Hernandez now possibly sidelined and Sixto Sanchez and prospect Edward Cabrera already nursing injuries, Miami already finds itself short on pitching depth.  The Marlins have a bit of flexibility due to off-days both tomorrow and on April 9, but with Hernandez possibly facing an IL stint, De Nicola suggests the club could again look to acquire some veteran starting depth to replace the recently-retired Gio Gonzalez.

Sixto Sanchez Dealing With Mild Shoulder Inflammation

By | at

April 2, 3:05pm: Sanchez has mild inflammation in the back of his shoulder and will rest for a few days, De Nicola tweets. The Marlins don’t have a timetable for his return, but it should be a slow process, per Mish (Twitter link).

10:50am: Sanchez will undergo an MRI, tweets Craig Mish of the Miami Herald.

April 1: Prized Marlins righty Sixto Sanchez cut his most recent throwing session short due to what the Marlins termed “slight discomfort” in his right shoulder, tweets Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. He’ll be evaluated over the coming days as the Marlins determine a course of action. MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola adds that Sanchez had been slated to throw around five “innings” and 75 pitches in a simulated game but cut things short after just the second frame, at which point he informed the team of the discomfort.

While the decision is being tabbed as a precaution at the moment, there’s some obvious concerning when any pitcher complains of shoulder pain. Sanchez was optioned to the the Marlins alternate site earlier this week, but that decision was only made because he was behind in his throwing after being in Covid-19 protocol earlier in camp. He’d thrown just eight innings during Grapefruit League play, and the Marlins hoped to get him built back up at their alternate site, with an eye toward a mid-month debut in the rotation. The shoulder issue, however, could obviously impact that timeline.

Sanchez made his big league debut in 2020 and impressed through seven starts, pitching to a 3.46 ERA with a 20.9 percent strikeout rate, a 7.0 percent walk rate and a massive 58.0 percent ground-ball rate. He’s considered one of the 10 to 20 best prospects in all of baseball and is viewed by the Marlins as a future linchpin of the rotation. He accrued 103 days of Major League service time in 2020, so there’s no real service-related benefit for the Marlins keeping him down at this time; he’d need to be in the minors through late July in order for his path to free agency to be pushed back another year.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top