Jeffrey Loria Likely To Sell Marlins This Year
Contrary to a report from February stating that Marlins Jeffrey Loria had a “handshake agreement” to sell the franchise to New York-based real estate developer Joshua Kushner, he hasn’t yet reached a deal with anyone, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. However, Loria is ready to move on from baseball and poised to part with the team sometime this year, reports Jackson.
Loria is currently in discussions with four groups, both from Miami and elsewhere, about selling the Marlins and has also had talks with two others. Major League Baseball knows the identities of the potential buyers, Jackson adds.
Based on prior reports, it seems the Marlins could sell from between $1.4 billion to $1.7 billion, which would be quite a boon for the much-maligned Loria. Now 76, Loria bought the franchise for a relatively meager $158MM in 2002. The Marlins won their second World Series a year later, but they haven’t made the playoffs since and Loria has come under fire for, among other things, his reluctance to spend to improve the on-field product and the opening of a $634MM, taxpayer-funded stadium in 2012. Loria did sign outfielder Giancarlo Stanton to a $325MM contract in 2014, but he’d escape the remaining $309.5MM on the pact by selling the Marlins.
Should Loria leave baseball behind, he could become the United States ambassador to France under President Donald Trump, who’s the father-in-law of Jared Kushner, Joshua’s brother. The Kushner group issued a statement last month saying it wouldn’t pursue a purchase of the Marlins if Trump appoints Loria to that post. Regardless of whether that proves true, it does appear the Marlins will soon change hands.
NL East Notes: Mets, Reyes, Nola, Strasburg, Braves
The Mets face the potential departure of a big portion of their MLB position players after the season, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. But the organization still hopes to fill many holes without going outside the organization. “I don’t think we will have to sign five free agents,” says assistant GM John Ricco. “Some of the answers will come from within, and I think between now and July we will get a better idea of what we have and what we need.” It’s certainly possible to imagine veteran Jose Reyes playing any number of roles this year and beyond; per Ricco, the team is confident that it would be able to work out a new deal to keep him if there’s a sensible role available.
Here’s more from the NL East:
- Phillies righty Aaron Nola showed well in his spring debut, representing a notable step in his recovery from an elbow injury, as Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports. Nola, 23, showed good velocity and looked sharp, though perhaps that was to be expected. The big question for Nola and the Phils is whether his arm can stay healthy for the full season to come.
- Speaking of the Nola clan, older brother Austin Nola is attempting to convert into a catcher with the Marlins, as Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports. Nola, 27, has never really hit much in the minors and struggled to a .261/.308/.376 batting line last year over 407 Triple-A plate appearances. Nevertheless, he was given a 40-man roster spot as he makes the transition to a new position.
- Star Nationals hurler Stephen Strasburg will make his own spring debut tomorrow, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports on Twitter. He says he’s feeling healthy after missing the end of the 2016 season with a forearm strain. As ever, Strasburg’s health will be a key factor for the Nats in 2017.
- It seems the Braves are leaning toward carrying eight relievers to open the year, as Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. Roster considerations could be at least a partial consideration, as Atlanta has several out-of-options relievers to consider. Going with a four-man bench would likely leave Kurt Suzuki, Jace Peterson, and Chase d’Arnaud on the roster with Emilio Bonifacio battling with Micah Johnson for the final spot, Bowman writes.
NL East Notes: Conforto, Chen, Marlins, Rivero
There’ve been varying reports about the connection Mets‘ talks for Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez this winter, the most recent of which suggested that the Mets “seriously discussed” parting with Michael Conforto to acquire Martinez. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, however, was told “emphatically” that the notion was not seriously discussed whatsoever (Twitter links). DiComo notes that New York did indeed touch base with the Tigers and discuss Martinez prior to re-signing Yoenis Cespedes, but the Mets “balked completely” once Conforto’s name was brought up by the Tigers.
More from the NL East…
- Asked about his first season in a Marlins uniform, left-hander Wei-Yin Chen bluntly told Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald that his performance “was terrible.” The 31-year-old, who signed a five-year, $80MM contract with the Marlins last winter, posted a 4.96 ERA across 123 1/3 innings in an injury-shortened campaign. Chen admitted to pitching through elbow discomfort that would act up without warning and also revealed that at times he felt “a lack of strength” in his fingers and arm. Manager Don Mattingly told Spencer that the Marlins believe Chen’s elbow has healed, but he also suggested that the Marlins may be more willing to have turn to the bullpen should they sense that Chen needs a reprieve on any given day. “That is one of the things we have a better idea of, how to keep an eye on him and be ready to pull that trigger a little quicker,” said Mattingly.
- Generally speaking, the Marlins could be quick to turn to their deep bullpen if the starters are struggling, writes MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. Per Frisaro, the Marlins are planning to take a long look at how their starters are faring when facing the opposing lineup for the third time on a given day. Statistically speaking, starters tend to fare considerably worse as they turn a lineup over multiple times, due both to growing levels of fatigue and hitters’ increasing familiarity with their offerings. Miami’s starters appear open to the additional input they could receive from the team’s analytics department on the matter, as both Dan Straily and Tom Koehler spoke to Frisaro about how that type of data could potentially help to create an edge for pitchers. “I think that’s the way baseball is going with the analytics, with the data behind everything,” said Straily. Koehler added to that: “If there is something happening a third time, there’s a reason for it. So there’s probably a solution to it, too. … I think maybe if we dig deeper into it, we can find a solution.”
- MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that Braves Rule 5 pick Armando Rivero is currently dealing with shoulder soreness that stems from his stint in the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason. Selected out of the Cubs organization, the 29-year-old Rivero pitched to an exceptional 2.13 earned run average in 67 2/3 innings with Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate last season. Along the way, the Cuban-born righty averaged a whopping 14 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, though he also averaged 4.7 walks per nine in that time.
Minor MLB Transactions: 2/28/17
Here are the day’s minor moves, courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy:
- The Marlins added infielder Steve Lombardozzi on a minors deal. He’ll serve as infield depth but doesn’t figure to have much of a shot at cracking the Opening Day roster. Lombardozzi, 28, last appeared in the majors in 2015. He split last year between the independent leagues and the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate.
- Another former MLB infielder, 27-year-old Nick Noonan, is headed to the Brewers on a minors pact. He has a fair bit less major league time than does Lombardozzi, but was able to reach the bigs last year with the Padres. Noonan spent most of the season at Triple-A, slashing .301/.338/.427 over 374 plate appearances.
- The Padres have inked righty Justin De Fratus to a minor-league arrangement. He’s looking to make it back to the majors after spending a portion of 2016 in the upper minors in the Nationals organization. De Fratus, 29, worked to a 5.23 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 over 20 2/3 innings.
- Righty Caleb Cotham has agreed to a minor-leaguedeal with the Mariners. He scuffled to a 7.15 ERA in 34 MLB innings over the past two seasons, but has shown more in the past in the upper minors. In 2015, he worked to a 2.21 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 over 57 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A.
- The Orioles have struck a minors deal with former farmhand Chris Jones. Now 28, Jones spent the 2016 season with the Angels organization, working to an unsightly 6.92 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. He had performed better with the O’s, though he has yet to earn his way to the game’s highest level.
Pitcher Notes: Hellickson, Urias, Straily, May
Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson‘s November decision to accept the Phillies’ qualifying offer in lieu of testing free agency came as a surprise, but he believes it was the correct choice. “I feel like I made the right decision,” Hellickson told Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice.com earlier this month. “And seeing how it all went down, I definitely feel like I made the right decision.” Only three free agent starters – Rich Hill ($48MM), Ivan Nova ($26MM) and Edinson Volquez ($22MM) – ended up scoring deals worth more than Hellickson’s $17.2MM qualifying offer during the winter, and each did so via two- or three-year deals. Hellickson was actually eager to join them in a weak market before receiving advice from his agent, Scott Boras “The first few days I was set on declining it,” Hellickson said of the QO. “There really wasn’t too much stress involved. But then after hearing from Scott after the (GM Meetings), I didn’t know what I was going to do.” Ultimately, the market developed as Boras expected it to, per Hellickson, who added that he’s content in Philly and “glad” the Marlins’ attempt to acquire him last summer failed.
The latest on a few other pitchers:
- While the possibility of the Dodgers stashing Julio Urias in extended spring training to begin the year has come up, they’re now “leaning toward” having the left-hander open the season in their rotation, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. In that scenario, the 20-year-old wunderkind would make shorter starts to tamp down his workload, per Gurnick. Including postseason play, Urias tossed a career-high 127 2/3 innings between the majors and minors last year.
- Marlins righty Dan Straily enjoyed perhaps the best season of his career last year, when the then-Red totaled 191 1/3 frames of 3.76 ERA ball with 7.62 K/9 and 3.43 BB/9, and he attributes much of his 2016 success to analytics, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. One of Straily’s friends, a banking analytics specialist who “loves baseball,” helped the 28-year-old determine “which are the best pitches to throw against certain hitters.” Straily also studied one pitcher per division with similar velocity, spin rate and spin angles. “Now going into the game, there’s not a lot of guesswork,” Straily told Jackson. “I have a plan. I had a big change in terms of pitch selection more than anything else. I threw way more changeups last year. Just mixing speeds a lot more; not being predictable.”
- After working mostly as a reliever from 2015-16, including all of last season, Twins righty Trevor May is ready to leave the bullpen behind and win a starting job this spring. “I think I have a little bit of a chip, being unclear about knowing what I was going to be doing the last two years,” May, 27, told Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. “It wasn’t ideal for me or the vision I had for myself of my career. I’m going at it at 100 percent. There’s no, ‘Oh, I could fall back to the bullpen.'” May, who has logged a 5.61 ERA (3.85 FIP), 8.17 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 126 2/3 career innings as a starter, is competing against several other candidates for a rotation spot, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams detailed Friday.
NL Notes: Hamilton, Aguilar, Lugo, Marrero, Guerrero
Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton has gained perspective heading into his fourth full season in the majors, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. Learning to manage the tension of the game, and picking up some of Joey Votto‘s preparation routines, have Hamilton sporting a newfound confidence that comes from being “relaxed going to the plate.” Rather than overthinking things when he goes to bat, Hamilton says, “I know what I want to do before I go in the box.” That approach helped the 26-year-old put up a strong .369 OBP and swipe 36 bags over the final 45 games of the 2016 season; combined with an outstanding glove, that made him quite a productive player. Heading into his first season of arbitration eligibility, with two more to go, Hamilton could establish himself as a strong everyday center fielder (and, perhaps, an extension candidate) if he can continue that performance.
Here’s more from the National League:
- The Brewers are set to give Jesus Aguilar a shot at winning a bench job with the club, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports on Twitter. Claimed off waivers earlier in the winter from the Indians, the 26-year-old Aguilar is out of options. While he hasn’t seen much MLB action, Aguilar does own a productive .271/.346/.472 batting line at the Triple-A level and could share time at first with new Milwaukee signee Eric Thames if he impresses this spring.
- Likewise, the Mets seem to be giving righty Seth Lugo a shot at showing he deserves the team’s fifth rotation slot after a surprising showing in 2016. As Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports, Lugo will do battle with fellow righty Robert Gsellman in camp, with the former receiving the starting nod on Friday. New York plans to keep one on the staff, with the other working from the Triple-A rotation rather than the pen, while Zack Wheeler catches up and hopefully reclaims his spot on the MLB roster.
- Chris Marrero represents something of a dark horse in the Giants‘ active battle for bench spots — which we covered earlier tonight — as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News writes. San Francisco placed a call to his representatives right at the start of free agency, and the 28-year-old jumped at the opportunity. “If this team wants you, it’s a good thing,” he says. Once a highly regarded prospect with the Nationals, Marrero has scant MLB time, but did slash a productive .284/.344/.494 and hit a career-best 23 home runs in 544 Triple-A plate appearances last year with the Red Sox organization.
- Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tells the interesting tale of an unlikely Marlins pitcher, righty Tayron Guerrero. A towering, hard-throwing reliever, Guerrero hails from a tiny island in Colombia; learning to play ball there required a two-hour walk through the jungle and a boat ride to the mainland. Guerrero cracked the majors briefly with the Padres before being shipped to Miami as part of last summer’s Andrew Cashner trade. If he can refine his control — he averaged a career-low 4.0 BB/9 in the upper minors in 2016 — Guerrero could turn into a factor in the Marlins’ pen.
NL East Notes: Wieters, Braves, Locke, Marlins, Tazawa
Matt Wieters‘ deal with the Nationals became official this morning, and the veteran catcher provided some more details on the non-baseball injury that agent Scott Boras alluded to in recent weeks (Twitter links via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post). Boras noted that Wieters suffered a laceration on his non-throwing arm that required stitches, and Wieters elaborated on the matter, explaining that he dropped a glass water jug on his left forearm/wrist area in early November. The injury held him out of any baseball activity for a sizable 10-week time frame, but it doesn’t seem as though there are any lingering effects.
A few more items pertaining to the NL East…
- Braves general manager John Coppolella sat down with Mark Bowman of MLB.com to discuss the team’s offseason and the GM’s early impressions from the first week of Spring Training. Coppolella noted that he feels the team has better bullpen depth than it’s had at any point in the past four to five years. He noted that if there’s one area that the Braves could still look to make a late addition, it’d be in the form of a bench bat. “That could be a trade or it could end up being somebody in camp right now,” said Coppolella. Notably, Atlanta has been connected to former Braves bench pieces Jeff Francoeur and Kelly Johnson in the past month, both of whom remain available.
- Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports that Marlins left-hander Jeff Locke underwent an MRI to examine his left shoulder, though the team is optimistic that there’s nothing seriously wrong with the southpaw. Manager Don Mattingly noted that Locke has been feeling better of late but “was still feeling something” when he played catch yesterday. Outfielder Marcell Ozuna is also nursing some shoulder discomfort, though his situation sounds less concerning; Mattingly said Ozuna is getting “an extra day” before jumping into Grapefruit League play.
- Spencer also notes that the Marlins are still keeping an eye on the market for unsigned starting pitchers, including Henderson Alvarez, Jake Peavy, Colby Lewis and Doug Fister. However, they’re doing so on an “in case of need” basis, suggesting that they won’t add a notable name without an injury or unforeseen issue with a current member of the starting rotation.
- Tim Healey of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes that Marlins offseason signee Junichi Tazawa is happy to be reunited with Juan Nieves, his former Red Sox pitching coach who now occupies the same role in Miami. As Healey notes, Nieves was Tazawa’s pitching coach for the best two seasons of his career — the 2013 and 2014 seasons. During that time, the righty turned in a 3.02 ERA with 9.3 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 over the life of 131 1/3 innings. Nieves observed that Tazawa’s arm angle has risen since the two worked together, which could have had an adverse effect on his performance.
NL Notes: Sosa, Norris, Wieters, Magic, Ichiro
The Cubs‘ rocky relationship with former star Sammy Sosa — or, perhaps, the lack thereof — has been well documented. But Sosa himself hasn’t been much willing to discuss it, until participating in a chat with MLBTR contributor Chuck Wasserstrom at his personal blog. Sosa admits to some mishandling of the end of his tenure with the Cubs, saying: “My intention was to finish my career in Chicago. … The only thing we cannot do is turn back time. We can’t do that. But hey, we have to move forward. I understand I made a mistake. I regret it, definitely, but I have to move on.” There’s quite a bit of interesting information for Cubbies fans to digest; you’ll want to give the interview a full read.
Here’s more from the National League:
- Nationals manager Dusty Baker strongly hinted that the club will look to find a taker for catcher Derek Norris after agreeing to terms with Matt Wieters, as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweets. “There’s always someone looking for a front line catcher,” the veteran skipper said of Norris. The addition of Wieters creates an immediate glut at the catching position for the Nats, who also employ reserve Jose Lobaton and prospect Pedro Severino. While the immediate speculation turned to the youthful Severino, who’d be a much more likely candidate to help the Nats address another need at the major league level than is Norris, he still has options and likely maintains an important place in the team’s long-term picture at the catching position.
- Over at Fangraphs, Dave Cameron opines that the Nationals‘ deal with Wieters doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. While the price is reasonable enough, says Cameron, it’s just not clear that Wieters represents a significant enough upgrade over Norris to make it worthwhile. I’d note that the maneuvering could make greater sense if Washington were instead considering parting with Lobaton, whose switch-hitting capabilities aren’t as useful with a fellow two-sided hitter joining the mix, though the above-cited comments from Baker suggest that’s not the likely outcome.
- In his own look at the Wieters move, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suggests that the signing was largely driven by the special relationship between agent Scott Boras and the Nationals‘ ownership group. As discussed in our post on the deal, Boras and the Nats have linked up on a variety of contracts in recent years, often coming to fruition when the super agent sits down with principal owner Ted Lerner. As Rosenthal puts it, “Nats ownership … operates to its own rhythm, with Boras frequently calling out the beats.”
- NBA legend and part Dodgers owner Magic Johnson has taken over as the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, and you can find all the details at MLBTR’s sister site, Hoops Rumors. Despite his new duties, Johnson’s role with the baseball organization won’t change, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter links). “Whenever we need Magic, he’s been available,” says Dodgers president & CEO Stan Kasten. “That won’t change.”
- Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki suffered a bruised knee in a collision with fellow outfielder Brandon Barnes today, as Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports (links to Twitter), though it was perhaps notable for reasons other than the actual injury. The ageless Ichiro is expected only to miss a few days, but did require — incredibly — the very first training-room treatment of his 16-year MLB career. Teammates used the opportunity not only to mark that occasion, but also to have some fun at Barnes’ expense. A note, signed by Ichiro, was left at his emptied locker informing him that he had been cut loose and wishing him good luck in Korea.
East Notes: Bourn, Hellickson, Prado, Locke
Veteran outfielder Michael Bourn seems fairly likely to make the Orioles‘ Opening Day roster, Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com writes. His chief attributes — speed and defense — are areas where the club is lacking, and Bourn could conceivably not only lead off against righties, but also spell Adam Jones in center from time to time. Of course, his presence makes it less likely both that last year’s Rule 5 pick, Joey Rickard, makes the MLB roster and that the team is able to keep this year’s Rule 5ers (outfielders Aneury Tavarez and Anthony Santander).
Here’s more from the game’s eastern divisions:
- The Phillies seem inclined to hand the ball to righty Jeremy Hellickson when they start play this season, as Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “He’s probably got the best chance to be our Opening Day starter,” said manager Pete Mackanin. Hellickson, who took the organization’s $17.2MM qualifying offer rather than testing the open market, will be aiming to replicate a solid 2016 season and then test free agency without being saddled with draft compensation. (Under the new CBA, he won’t be eligible to receive a second qualifying offer.)
- Another player who steered clear of the open market, Marlins third baseman Martin Prado, discussed his decision to take an extension last fall. As Tim Healey of the Sun-Sentinel reports, Prado wasn’t sure he wanted to consider a new deal with just a few weeks left in the season. But the terms (three years and $40MM) were favorable enough for him to consider it, and he says he ended up preferring to stay in place after bouncing around a fair bit in prior seasons. As Healey writes, Prado had reasons both personal and professional for remaining in Miami. “I know I could probably get more money somewhere else if I go to a different team,” said Prado, “but I truly believe in this group of guys. They have fun. They play hard. I feel comfortable.”
- Meanwhile, Marlins lefty Jeff Locke is dealing with biceps tendinitis, as Healey further reports in the above-linked post. A few days’ rest is all that’s required at present, with Locke calling the brief shut-down a matter of taking a precaution early in camp. The southpaw struggled to a cumulative 4.90 ERA over the past two seasons, allowing the Marlins to grab him for $3.025MM on a one-year deal. While it seems reasonable to hope that the ailment won’t limit Locke, he already faces something of an uphill battle to win a rotation spot; Jason Martinez of MLBTR and RosterResource.com currently projects Locke to end up in the Miami pen to start the year.
AL Central Notes: Kelly, Twins, Royals
The Tigers have announced that they’ve hired former utilityman Don Kelly as a pro scout and assistant to player development. It would appear, then, that the 37-year-old Kelly, who played briefly for the Marlins in each of the last two seasons, has retired, or at least put his playing career on hold. He spent much of last season with Triple-A New Orleans, batting a modest .198/.284/.233. Kelly is best known for his six-year tenure with the Tigers from 2009 through 2014, during which he played mostly outfield, first and third while serving as one of Jim Leyland’s favored bench pieces. In nine years in the Majors, Kelly has batted .230/.294/.334. Here’s more from the AL Central divisions.
- Twins scouting director Sean Johnson plans to incorporate analytics into his team’s draft process, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press writes. The Twins have the No. 1 overall pick in June. Exactly how they plan to use analytics to inform that pick is unclear, but Berardino’s piece still demonstrates what appears to be a change in outlook from the Twins’ mostly traditionalist front office under Terry Ryan. Johnson was with the Twins under Ryan, previously serving as their West Coast supervisor, but new Twins front office honchos Derek Falvey and Thad Levine appear to be emphasizing a different approach. “At the heart of it, it’s always going to be about our scouts: who they like, who they want to draft,” says Johnson. “And then you layer on different things to make sure you’re on the right track. It might be numbers or psychological testing. It could be a makeup call. There are numerous things we want to implement.” Still, Johnson adds, “Broadly speaking, we’re going to use more of the metrics. We’re going to have more of the numbers, but not to drive the guys we go evaluate and who we want.” In contrast, Johnson says the Twins didn’t even discuss the spin rate on Tyler Jay‘s well-regarded slider before selecting him sixth overall in 2015.
- The Royals plan to use Alex Gordon at all three outfield spots during Spring Training, and perhaps in the regular season also, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan writes. “Every scenario is open,” says manager Ned Yost. “I’m going to move Gordy around. I’m going to play Gordy in right, Gordy in center. Just to see what we got.” Gordon has won four Gold Gloves as a left fielder, but it appears the Royals won’t be shy about experimenting, at least for now. The idea, it seems, is to see how best to utilitze Gordon along with new additions Jorge Soler and Brandon Moss, although Yost does note that he views Soler mostly as a right fielder. Moss played 58 games in left field for the Cardinals last season, although his defense there does not rate as highly as Gordon’s.