Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Marlins Rumors

Pirates Claim Nefi Ogando, Designate Jason Rogers

By | at

The Pirates have claimed righty Nefi Ogando off waivers from the Marlins, per a team announcement. He’ll take the roster spot of corner infielder Jason Rogers, who was designated for assignment.

The 27-year-old Ogando only has 18 MLB appearances to his credit, but has shown an average fastball that sits right at 95 mph. He has also generated grounders at an impressive 57.6% clip and owns a solid 3.66 ERA in his 19 2/3 frames.

Of course, that’s not all there is to the story. Ogando has also recorded as many walks as strikeouts (ten apiece) in his limited big-league time. And he has never fully capitalized on his big heater in the minors, where he compiled pedestrian whiff rates and often exhibited a lack of command. Over two seasons and 52 2/3 frames of action at Triple-A, Ogando owns a 3.08 ERA with 7.0 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9.

In order to take a shot on Ogando’s arm, Pittsburgh will open the possibility of losing Rogers. The 28-year-old had shown some hitting ability with the Brewers, but largely struggled in his first year with the Pirates organization after coming over in a trade last winter.

Rogers struggled in brief action in the majors in 2016, receiving just 33 plate appearances over 25 games of action. He spent most of the year at Triple-A, slashing .263/.338/.371 with just four home runs over 420 plate appearances. That represented a rather significant fall-off in power output (and overall productivity at the plate) as against his prior work in the minors.

Marlins Designate Elvis Araujo, Announce Brad Ziegler Signing

By | at

The Marlins have designated lefty Elvis Araujo for assignment, per a club announcement. He’ll play in 2017 for Japan’s Chunichi Dragons, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tweets. Araujo’s roster spot will go to veteran reliever Brad Ziegler, whose two-year contract was also announced.

Araujo was claimed off waivers from the Phillies earlier in the offseason, and had been perhaps second to Hunter Cervenka on the team’s depth chart among southpaw relievers. It seems increasingly plausible to expect that Miami won’t put too great an emphasis on ensuring that its bullpen features at least one lefty; Jason Martinez of MLBTR and Roster Resource currently projects an all-righty relief corps.

The 6’7 Araujo threw 62 total major frames over the past two seasons. He produced largely equivalent K/BB numbers — which average out to 9.1 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 — but suffered much worse batted-ball fortunes in 2016. All told, he owns a 4.35 ERA in the big leagues, which is just about what ERA estimators expect based upon his peripherals.

Araujo did show improved control when pitching at Triple-A last year, where he carried a 2.18 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and just 2.6 BB/9 over 20 2/3 frames. Notably, he debuted there after he reached the majors — which came after he had made only 25 total appearances at Double-A — so there’s perhaps added reason to believe that Araujo could still undergo some refinement.

6 Teams Have Made Offers To Edwin Encarnacion

By | at

6:56pm: Cleveland, Texas, and Oakland appear to be the three most likely destinations at present, Bowden adds. On the N.L. side, the Rockies are said still to be “monitoring” the developments while the Marlins aren’t involved.

6:13pm: In addition to the Indians and Blue Jays, the Rangers, Astros, and Athletics have all made offers to Encarnacion, according to ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden (who cites team sources for each organization). As noted below, there’s apparently at least one other organization that has dangled a proposal as well.

Each of those five clubs have put multiple years on the table, per Bowden, who notes that some of the offers include opt-outs following the 2017 campaign. Two suitors, in particular, are said to be engaged in negotiations “at a rapid pace” with Encarnacion’s reps. It’s not known which of the five organizations are pushing hardest at present.

2:35pm: The Indians are “pulling out all the stops” to land Encarnacion, although they might ultimately not be able to afford him, a source tells Fan Rag’s Jon Heyman. Kinzer tells Heyman that two teams have been especially enthusiastic in their pursuit of Encarnacion, although he doesn’t say who.

11:14am: Here’s the latest from Edwin Encarnacion’s agent Paul Kinzer, via an interview with Jeff Blair of Sportsnet590:

  • Kinzer says he is surprised Encarnacion isn’t yet signed. He acknowledges the “glut” of power hitters remaining on the free agent market (presumably including players like Mark Trumbo, Mike Napoli, Jose Bautista and Chris Carter) but says he felt Encarnacion and Yoenis Cespedes stood above that group.
  • Encarnacion has gotten three- to four-year offers from six teams, Kinzer says. Most of those offers were for three years. National League teams have been involved in Encarnacion’s market as well as American League teams.
  • Encarnacion’s priority, though, has been to return to the Blue Jays. The Jays, of course, made a significant offer to Encarnacion, but that offer came right around the opening of free agency, and Kinzer says the timing wasn’t quite right for Encarnacion, who wanted to assess other teams’ interest. After the Jays signed Kendrys Morales and then Steve Pearce, Kinzer and Encarnacion felt it wasn’t likely Encarnacion would return to Toronto. “We never had any idea that the Blue Jays were going to move that fast,” Kinzer says. He acknowledges the two sides have spoken recently, but says Encarnacion is coming to grips with the fact that he probably won’t be a Blue Jay next season.
  • Kinzer says he expected significant offers from teams like the Red Sox and Yankees early in free agency. Those apparently didn’t materialize, and Kinzer says he believes the threat of a lost draft pick had an impact on Encarnacion’s market. The absence of a new CBA early in the offseason was a factor as well, he adds.
  • Kinzer feels it wasn’t a mistake that Encarnacion didn’t discuss an extension with the Jays once the 2016 season started. He says that when he negotiated Starlin Castro’s extension with the Cubs, it was a significant distraction for Castro, affecting his eating and sleeping habits. Encarnacion, meanwhile, was very productive in his final year before free agency.

Marlins Not Concerned About Lack Of Lefty Relievers

By | at

  • The Marlins have assembled their bullpen based on talent, fit and availability, without any specific regard to balance between left-handers and right-handers.  As a result, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro notes, Miami could head into 2017 with an entirely right-handed relief corps.  Hunter Cervenka and Elvis Araujo are the only southpaw relievers on the Marlins’ 40-man roster and either could potentially win a job in Spring Training, though both pitchers are way down depth chart at this point.

Marlins Sign Javy Guerra To Minor League Deal

By | at

  • The Marlins have signed righty Javy Guerra to a minor league deal, tweets MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. The 31-year-old Guerra pitched briefly for the Angels in 2016 but spent most of the year with Triple-A Salt Lake, where he posted a 4.35 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 in 51 2/3 innings. As that line suggests, Guerra has struggled with his control, and his 4.3 career MLB BB/9 has probably been his biggest impediment to sustained success (although he’s also had injury issues, and he missed 50 games in 2015 due to a drug suspension). Nonetheless, he has had strong seasons with the Dodgers and White Sox in parts of six years in the big leagues, and his experience could be valuable to the Marlins as they continue to address their bullpen.

Marlins Sign Brandon Barnes

By | at

  • Outfielder Brandon Barnes is headed to the Marlins on a minors pact, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets. The deal includes a Spring Training invite. Barnes, 30, figures to function as a depth piece after seeing time in the majors over parts of the last five seasons. He struggled to a .220/.250/.320 batting line in just 109 MLB plate appearances last year.
  • The Tigers added third baseman Zack Cox on a minor-league arrangement, the indy ball Wichita Wingnuts announced. Once a highly regarded prospect, Cox never earned a major league call-up during his time in the Cardinals and Marlins systems, but hit .290/.348/.452 last year in 460 plate appearances for Wichita.

Marlins To Sign Brad Ziegler

By | at

The Marlins have struck a two-year, $16MM deal with reliever Brad Ziegler, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Ziegler can also earn $2MM through incentives, per SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter).

The agreement won’t be finalized until the veteran takes a physical, but he’s slated to earn $7MM for 2017 and $9MM in the following year, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets. Ziegler’s total guarantee lands exactly where MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted in rating Ziegler 27th in earning power among free agents.

[RELATED: Updated Marlins’ Depth Chart]

Ziegler, 37, will join the just-signed Junichi Tazawa in a revamped Marlins’ bullpen. That unit had lost Carter Capps to injury (and then trade) before watching Mike Dunn depart via free agency. While the hoped-for addition of Kenley Jansen did not come to pass, Tazawa and Ziegler will plug two quality arms into the late-inning mix on a much less onerous overall commitment. Just who’ll take what role remains unclear, but there are plenty of options (albeit, perhaps, still also an ongoing need for an additional left-hander).

Aug 25, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Brad Ziegler (29) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Though he didn’t reach the big leagues until he was 28 years of age, has long worked in the mid-eighties with his fastball, and has always posted pedestrian strikeout and walk numbers, Ziegler has still yet to end a single season having allowed over 3.5 earned runs per nine. In nearly 600 major league frames, he owns a stellar 2.44 ERA.

The reason? Ziegler’s submarine delivery has enabled him to draw groundballs on just under two out of every three balls put in play against him. He’s also exceedingly difficult to take out of the yard, having allowed just 0.35 HR/9 over his career. And despite his lack of velocity, Ziegler is basically impossible to run off of (17 stolen bases allowed lifetime) — which helps enhance the value of his groundball-inducing sinker, by keeping the double play in order when a runner does reach base. It’s an utterly unique profile, but one that has had undeniable success.

Whether Ziegler can continue his magic act is anyone’s guess, but he has shown no signs of slowing down and Miami won’t take on too big a risk in the contract. And there are some encouraging signs even beyond the still-dominant groundball and earned-run figures. Ziegler’s 11.7% swinging-strike rate in 2016 was a personal high, as he successfully baited hitters to offer and whiff at pitches out of the zone more than ever before.

Beyond age, and the lack of strikeouts, the biggest limitation in Ziegler’s package lies in the platoon department. He has dominated opposing righties while showing some vulnerability to lefties over his career. Hitters stepping in with the platoon advantage have hit .271/.365/.392 against Ziegler, drawing 121 walks against just 115 strikeouts.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Marlins Designate Nefi Ogando, Announce Junichi Tazawa Signing

By | at

The Marlins have designated righty Nefi Ogando for assignment, per a club announcement. His departure from the 40-man creates space for the addition of fellow right-hander Junichi Tazawa, whose signing was reported yesterday.

Ogando, 27, allowed just four earned runs on ten hits in his 15 2/3 major league innings in 2016. And he showed a mid-nineties fastball. But he recorded only eight strikeouts with eight walks in that stretch, reflecting longstanding questions.

Ogando has had effective seasons in the minors, but has never flashed all that much functional strikeout ability and has never managed to tamp down the free passes. Ultimately, there’s enough to like about his live arm that another organization will surely have interest in attempting to harness it — if the Marlins don’t retain him — but it’s not difficult to see why the Fish were willing to cut bait to make way for Tazawa.

Jeffrey Loria Open To Considering Sale Of Marlins

By | at

Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is “receptive to the possibility of selling” the organization, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Loria has at least floated the rather lofty price tag of $1.7B, Mike Ozanian of Forbes reported yesterday, though Jackson says that he dangled a lower asking price (by how much isn’t known) to one prior would-be buyer who checked in.

While the news is notable — as Jackson says, Loria previously has balked at the idea of a sale — it’s important to recognize its limitations. For one thing, the current ownership group has not hired a firm to broker a deal. For another, it has reportedly already failed to progress in talks with several interested suitors in recent months.

As has been rumored, one of the entities to pursue the Marlins was Mitt Romney’s Solomere Capital, which brought an offer of less than $1.7B to the table and was rejected. It’s not immediately clear where the market might land for the Miami organization (along with its stadium-rights agreement and other revenue sources), though Jackson cites one “potential buyer” who says he’d consider paying something in the neighborhood of $1.3B — nearly double Forbes’ $675MM valuation.

Of course, that paper valuation doesn’t necessarily reflect the market situation; MLB organizations are obviously in high demand and can deliver long-term returns to owners that aren’t strictly tied to annual earnings. There may be some untapped potential in the Marlins’ franchise, too, though surely another stadium bonanza won’t occur again for some time. Stadium naming rights and a new TV rights deal (which would go into effect after the 2020 season) certainly hold out the promise for a cash-flow boost. And it’s at least worth wondering if other prospective owners see opportunities to boost attendance, which continues to lag behind most of the league, or otherwise enhance the margin.

Ultimately, whether a serious bidder emerges for the Marlins remains to be seen. And Major League Baseball would certainly need to be involved in approving any sale that ultimately is arranged — which, obviously, has not yet occurred. But it’s interesting to consider that the controversial Loria could seriously weigh a divestiture of his interests in the organization, which he is said to have purchased for $158.5MM back in 2002.

Marlins Interested In Brad Ziegler, Joe Blanton

By | at

The Marlins’ preferred bullpen targets after missing out on both Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman are righties Brad Ziegler and Joe Blanton, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Miami reportedly agreed to a two-year deal with Junichi Tazawa yesterday but is still hopeful of adding one more reliever to its bullpen, it seems.

[Related: Miami Marlins Depth Chart]

Blanton and Ziegler are arguably the top two relievers left on the market now that upper-echelon names like Chapman, Jansen and Mark Melancon have signed. Ziegler, 37, has recorded a sensational 2.05 ERA with 6.2 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 68.1 percent ground-ball rate over the past two seasons while pitching in hitter-friendly environments (Arizona and Boston). Though he averages just 84 mph on his fastball, Ziegler is a ground-ball machine that has a penchant for inducing weak contact. He’s said to be weighing multiple two-year offers right now, as teams are apparently reluctant to put three-year deals on the table due to his age. With an average of 70 appearances per season dating back to 2009, though, Ziegler’s durability has been impressive.

As for Blanton, the 36-year-old looked to be done with baseball in 2014 after a rough stretch with the Angels, but he’s reinvented himself as a reliever over the past two seasons, pitching to a 2.65 ERA with 9.2 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 in 165 innings between the Royals, Pirates and Dodgers. Despite his age and his struggles toward the end of his tenure as a starting pitcher, multi-year deal seems likely for Blanton based on that impressive run.

Miami currently has a solid on-paper bullpen featuring A.J. Ramos, Kyle Barraclough, David Phelps, Tazawa, Dustin McGowan and lefty Hunter Cervenka. Adding either Ziegler or Blanton would further deepen that unit and provide support to a considerably shakier rotation. Deepening the bullpen has been a long-stated goal for the Marlins, who reportedly made a significant offer to Kenley Jansen before he inked his new deal with the Dodgers. FanRag’s Jon Heyman reports that Miami also made Aroldis Chapman an offer that was between $80-86MM and may have been willing to go higher, but their offer didn’t include a no-trade clause and was heavily backloaded (Twitter links).

Show all

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

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top