Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Marlins Rumors

Starlin Castro: Back From The Abyss

By | at

As cliched as it sounds, this truly has been a tale of two seasons for Marlins second baseman Starlin Castro. Back on July 2, I wrote a piece titled “Starlin Castro’s Nightmare Season.” At that point, the four-time All-Star was in the throes of one of the worst years of anyone in baseball. He was a .230/.258/.313 hitter whose 51 wRC+ ranked last among qualified hitters and whose minus-1.2 fWAR was also at the absolute bottom of the sport. Since that date, though, Castro has rescued his season – an especially fortuitous development for someone who’s likely headed for free agency in another couple months.

This will hardly go down as a banner year for Castro, whose sorry first half has doomed him to a .270/.298/.420 line with an 87 wRC+ and 0.8 fWAR through 597 plate appearances. But the 29-year-old has quietly been among the majors’ most effective position players going back to the beginning of July. Since then, Castro has batted .324/.353/.567 in 252 trips to the plate. The 138 wRC+ he has posted ties him with Mets first baseman and NL Rookie of the Year favorite Pete Alonso, while the 2.0 fWAR Castro has accrued puts him in company with MVP candidates Cody Bellinger and Ronald Acuna Jr., among other big-time producers.

So what’s behind Castro’s radical change in production? A massive upswing in power seems to be the obvious answer. When Castro was one of the game’s least effective hitters, he managed a pitiful .083 ISO – the game’s third-lowest figure – and just four home runs. Over the past couple months, though, Castro’s ISO has climbed to .244, and he has swatted 13 homers. As always, Castro has drawn few walks and struck out less than most players. However, a more aggressive, power-driven approach has led to a drastic turnaround. Take a look…

Castro before July:

  • Groundball percentage: 52.2
  • Fly ball percentage: 30.9
  • Line drive percentage: 16.7
  • Pull percentage: 40.8
  • Infield fly percentage: 10.7
  • Hard-hit percentage (per FanGraphs): 40.1

Castro since:

  • Groundball percentage: 43.9
  • Flyball percentage: 33.3
  • Line drive percentage: 22.7
  • Pull percentage: 49.5
  • Infield fly percentage: 7.6
  • Hard-hit percentage: 43.4

All of the above bodes well for an increase in power, making it no surprise Castro’s home run-to-fly ball rate has risen from a meager 6.0 percent to 19.7 since he began digging himself out of an enormous hole earlier in the summer. The success has come with less selectivity for Castro, whose swing rate has climbed from 47.6 percent to 51.3 in the past couple months. At the same time, Castro has made less contact and swung and missed more, but it hasn’t mattered. The rise in meaningful contact has helped beget a sizable gain in batting average on balls in play (from .262 to .346). While there may be good fortune baked into the new number, it’s closer to Castro’s career figure than his first-half mark. Dating back to his MLB debut in 2010, the former Cub and Yankee has recorded a .320 BABIP. Moreover, Castro has registered a BABIP of .330 or greater in five different seasons. With that in mind, it’s all the more clear that his in-season revival hasn’t simply been a product of luck.

Looking past this season – which will go down as yet another lost campaign for the woebegone Marlins – Castro still has another year of team control remaining. However, even though Castro has gone back to being a useful contributor as the season has gone on, the Marlins are sure to decline his $16MM club option for 2020 in favor of a $1MM buyout. Consequently, Castro will get his first taste of free agency on the heels of a quality finish to the season. That’s a major relief for a player whose contract year looked like a disaster not long ago.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Marlins, Mattingly Still Unsure About Future

By | at

  • Expectations of a rough season for the Marlins have been fulfilled in full, though there have been some bright spots along the way. With relatively few trade pieces in the stable, it may be a fairly quiet offseason in Miami. But one area that is sure to receive attention is the coaching staff. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald provides some updates on the status of skipper Don Mattingly, who still hasn’t received any indication of the organization’s intentions. It seems that there’s a legitimate chance Mattingly will be retained, though the team may not want to pay him at or over his current $2.5MM salary. Plus, as the veteran baseball man notes, it’s not just a one-way street. Mattingly says he expects discussions to occur with some rapidity.

Outrighted: Castillo, Hart

By | at

These are the latest players to be outrighted after being designated for assignment …

  • Marlins catcher Wilkin Castillo is headed back to the Triple-A roster after being outrighted, per the PCL transactions page. The 35-year-old had returned to the majors this season for the first time since 2009, though he only appeared in two contests. An exceptionally versatile player, Castillo has spent most of his professional career behind the dish but has also lined up at every other position on the field. (Only barely. Though he has five pitching appearances, Castillo has logged just one inning in center field.)
  • The Mets outrighted southpaw Donnie Hart to their top affiliate after he cleared waivers, the International League transactions page reflects. Hart, who turns 29 tomorrow, has spent time this year with the Mets and Brewers. He previously appeared in parts of three seasons with the Orioles. While Hart carries a 3.13 ERA in 89 career MLB innings, that relies heavily upon his unsustainable debut showing (one earned run in 18 1/3 innings in 2016). Though he hasn’t been much of a strikeout pitcher in the big leagues, the soft-tossing lefty does have a career 54.1% groundball rate.

Marlins Announce Series Of Roster Moves

By | at

The Marlins announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of left-hander Brian Moran and catcher Tyler Heineman from Triple-A New Orleans. In order to open space on the 40-man roster, Miami transferred Brian Anderson from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list and designated catcher Wilkin Castillo for assignment. Additionally, outfielder Magneuris Sierra was recalled from New Orleans and added to the active roster.

Sierra, 23, will rejoin the club for the first time since the 2018 season. Acquired with Sandy Alcantara in the trade that sent Marcell Ozuna to St. Louis, it was hoped that he could serve as a long-term piece in the Miami outfield mix. That didn’t look to be the case by any stretch of the imagination in 2018 when Sierra batted just .190/.222/.211 in 156 big league plate appearances with the Marlins. His 2019 season in the minors has been better but not particularly impressive; in 549 trips to the plate between Double-A and Triple-A, Sierra has batted .275/.316/.387 with seven homers, 19 doubles, nine triples and 33 stolen bases (in 44 attempts).

This will be a big month for Sierra, who’ll be out of minor league options in 2020. That’s not to say he’s at jeopardy of losing his 40-man spot if he doesn’t show well in September, but a strong final impression in 2019 would surely improve his positioning for the 2020 campaign. Conversely, if he flounders in a similar fashion to his 2018 struggles, he’ll make it difficult for the organization to bank on any contributions from him next year.

Neither Heineman nor Moran seems like a long-term piece for the Marlins, but each will get his first look at the MLB level this month. Heineman, 28, was acquired from the D-backs in exchange for cash back in June. He’s batted a combined .336/.400/.590 in the Pacific Coast League’s supercharged offensive environment but has never hit much in four prior seasons at that level (most coming with the Astros, who drafted him in the eighth round back in 2012).

Moran will turn 31 later this month and has grinded through 10 minor league seasons leading up to today’s breakthrough to the Major Leagues. It’s undoubtedly an emotional day for the former Mariners farmhand, who has pitched to a 3.15 ERA with 11.6 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9 in 60 innings of relief in New Orleans this season. Moran has spent parts of five seasons in Triple-A, compiling a 3.67 ERA with 11.5 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 176 2/3 innings.

Anderson was already known to be done for the season after incurring a fractured hand last month. Miami’s best all-around player, the 26-year-old Anderson batted .261/.342/.468 with a career-high 20 home runs and 33 doubles in 520 plate appearances this year. He’s controlled all the way through the 2023 season and looks like a building block in South Florida.

Castillo, meanwhile, returned to the Majors in 2019 for the first time in a decade. He appeared in just two games but nonetheless was able to relish the bright lights of the Major Leagues after a long journey through the minors. Castillo has just 24 big league games to his credit, but the 35-year-old has played in 581 career Triple-A games, hitting .245/.283/.358 along the way.

Twins, Marlins Complete Sergio Romo Trade

By | at

TODAY: Per Craig Mish of FNTSY Radio, the trade has been finalized with the Marlins sending cash considerations to the Twins. It had been previously reported that Minnesota would receive a player to be named later in addition to Romo and Vallimont.

JULY 27, 8:21pm: Both teams have announced the trade.

7:48pm: Righty Chris Vallimont is the minor league pitcher going to Minnesota, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. They’re also getting a player to be named later, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports.

7:33pm: Romo is indeed going to the Twins, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. The Twins are also getting a minor league pitcher, Joel Sherman of the New York Post relays. The Marlins will acquire first base prospect Lewin Diaz, according to Betsy Helfand of the Pioneer Press.

7:28pm: The Twins are “deep into talks” to acquire Marlins reliever Sergio Romo, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports. A deal’s likely to be completed.

The 36-year-old Romo served his purpose for the rebuilding Marlins, who signed him for $2.5MM in free agency last winter with the intent of eventually trading him. A former Giant, Dodger and Ray, the three-time world champion continued his effectiveness in Miami, where he notched a 3.58 ERA/3.88 FIP with 7.88 K/9 against 3.11 BB/9 in 37 2/3 innings. Romo also converted 17 of 18 save attempts.

Romo’s velocity maxes out in the mid-80s, making him one of the game’s least imposing hurlers, and he only induces ground balls at a 36.4 percent clip. However, Romo has long shown a penchant for forcing a boatload of infield pop-ups, having done so 14 percent of the time this season, and generating a large amount of soft contact. Romo ranks near the top of the league in hard-hit rate and exit velocity against, according to Statcast, which credits him with an even better expected weighted on-base average against (.276) than the .282 wOBA hitters have mustered off him this year.

Based on his career production and the numbers he has totaled this season, Romo should be a welcome pickup for the Twins, who’ve been in the market for bullpen help for weeks. And his addition shouldn’t preclude them from finding more late-game aid in the coming days. The Twins’ bullpen entered play Saturday ranking better than average in K/BB ratio (ninth) and FIP (11th), but the unit’s closer to middle of the pack in ERA  (14th). Moreover, the Twins have jettisoned a handful of notable relievers – Mike Morin, Matt Magill, Adalberto Mejia and Blake Parker – since last week. Those four combined for just over 100 innings of work as part of Minnesota’s relief corps this season. Of their remaining arms, only closer Taylor Rogers and setup man Ryne Harper have recorded easily above-average numbers over a large sample of work.

In Diaz, 22, the Twins are parting with a player they originally signed out of the Dominican Republic for $1.4MM in 2013. Baseball America (subscription required) just ranked Diaz as the Twins’ 10th-best prospect earlier this month. BA lauds Diaz’s defensive ability at first, though it’s worth pointing out he has also excelled on the offensive side in 2019. After opening the season on a tear at the High-A level, Diaz advanced to Double-A for the first time and has since slashed .309/.348/.602 (165 wRC+) with six home runs in 135 plate appearances.

Also 22, Vallimont joined the Marlins as a fifth-round pick just last year. Back then, BA highlighted Vallimont’s fastball – which can hit 96 mph – and “wipeout slider.” More recently, the outlet rated as him as Miami’s 27th overall prospect. Vallimont has produced terrific results this year between the Single-A and High-A levels, where he has combined for a 3.16 ERA with 10.4 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in 105 1/3 innings.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

No Surgery For Brian Anderson

By | at

  • After suffering a broken bone in his left hand last Friday, Marlins third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson will indeed miss the rest of the season, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. However, Anderson won’t need to undergo surgery, and will go through “a normal winter” as a result, manager Don Mattingly announced. That’s a silver lining for the Marlins and Anderson, one of their few offensive threats over the past couple years.

Marlins Activate Pablo Lopez

By | at

Marlins righty Pablo Lopez returned today from the 10-day injured list. The 23-year-old had been out since June with shoulder problems, so it’s good to see he was able to get back up to speed before the end of the season. Lopez wasn’t at his best, allowing four earned in five innings, but averaged 94.1 mph with his fastball.

Pablo Lopez To Return Tomorrow

By | at

  • Marlins right-hander Pablo López is also slated to return to the big leagues tomorrow, tweets Venezuelan baseball writer Daniel Álvarez-Montes (later confirmed by MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro). The 23 year-old was off and running on cementing himself as a part of the Fish’s long-term rotation plans when he went down with a shoulder strain that ultimately cost him two months. On the season, López has logged 76.2 innings with a 4.23 ERA, albeit with more promising strikeout (23.3%) and walk (5.7%) rates.

Brian Anderson Suffers Broken Bone In Left Hand

By | at

This season has been a struggle for the Marlins, who have posted the National League’s worst record (45-81) and scored the second-fewest runs in baseball. Third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson has been one of the few bright spots in their lineup, but his season may have come to an end Friday. Anderson suffered a fractured fifth metacarpal in his left hand after Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez hit him with a 93.9 mph fastball, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com was among those to report.

If we have seen the last of Anderson in 2019, it’ll go down as a second straight effective campaign for the 26-year-old. In his first extensive major league action a year ago, Anderson slashed .273/.357/.400 with 11 home runs and a 113 wRC+ across 670 plate appearances. He has logged almost matching production on a per-PA basis this season, having recorded a 114 wRC+ over 520 attempts. Thanks in part to a red-hot August, he’s a .261/.342/.468 hitter with 20 homers and a .207 ISO – up 80 points from 2018.

The Marlins will recall outfielder Austin Dean from Triple-A New Orleans to replace Anderson, per Andy Slater of 640 The Hurricane. Dean has racked up a combined 210 PA with the Marlins dating back to last season, though he has limped to a .216/.252/.352 line with six HRs in that span.

Jose Urena Could Return As Marlins’ Closer

By | at

Marlins right-hander Jose Urena hasn’t pitched since June 7 on account of a lower back strain, though his season doesn’t look over. Manager Don Mattingly announced Friday that Urena could return in September as the Marlins’ closer, per Craig Mish of FNTSY Radio.

At 45-81, owner of the worst record in the National League, Miami hasn’t had much use for a closer this season. Indeed, the team traded Sergio Romo – by far its saves leader – prior to last month’s deadline. Nevertheless, it’s good news that the 27-year-old Urena, one of the Marlins’ several promising 20-something pitchers, is likely to make it back this season. Urena reportedly generated interest from other clubs prior to landing on the shelf, and if he returns this year and ends the campaign in solid fashion, he could wind up as a winter trade chip for the rebuilding Fish.

Urena entered 2019 as something of a workhorse for Miami, for which he delivered 169 innings or more of sub-4.00 ERA ball in each of the previous two years. He wasn’t as successful this year before his injury, though, as he pitched to a 4.70 ERA/4.59 FIP with 6.15 K/9 against 2.77 BB/9 and a 50.6 percent groundball rate in 74 2/3 frames. But Urena did fire fastballs at an average of nearly 96 mph in that span, and perhaps his above-average velocity will play up in a short relief role.

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

hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top