Offseason In Review: Miami Marlins
While the Marlins are far from pushing for contention, they did spend some money to add proven veteran talent to their roster.
Major League Signings
- Corey Dickerson, OF: Two years, $17.5MM
- Brandon Kintzler, RHP: One year, $3.25MM (includes $250K buyout of $4MM club option for 2021)
- Francisco Cervelli, C: One year, $2MM
- Matt Joyce, OF: One year, $1.5MM
- Yimi Garcia, RHP: One year, $1.1MM
- Total spend: $25.35MM
Trades And Claims
- Acquired INF Jonathan Villar from the Orioles for minor league LHP Easton Lucas
- Acquired LHP Stephen Tarpley from the Yankees for minor league 3B James Nelson and cash considerations
- Acquired minor league INF Angeudis Santos from the Red Sox for RHP Austin Brice
- Acquired minor league OF Diowill Burgos from the Cardinals for OF Austin Dean
- Acquired minor league C Jose Estrada from the Angels for RHP Kyle Keller
- Claimed 1B Jesus Aguilar off waivers from the Rays
- Selected RHP Sterling Sharp from the Nationals in the Rule 5 Draft
Notable Minor League Signings
Notable Losses
- Starlin Castro, Wei-Yin Chen, Jarlin Garcia, JT Riddle, Tayron Guerrero, Tyler Kinley, Hector Noesi, Bryan Holaday, Jose Quijada, Brian Moran, Martin Prado (retired), Curtis Granderson (retired)
In something of a role reversal, the Marlins took an undesirable contract off a rebuilding team’s hands when they landed Jonathan Villar in what was essentially a salary dump for the Orioles. Villar ended up avoiding arbitration by agreeing with Miami on an $8.2MM salary for the 2020 season — lower than both the $10.4MM MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz’s projection model forecast for Villar, and also the roughly $9MM or so that Swartz personally predicted in his closer examination of Villar’s rather unique case.
Even at $8.2MM, Villar was deemed too expensive by a Baltimore team that is stripping its roster down in the early stages of a lengthy rebuild, leaving the Marlins in position to add a quality second baseman coming off a 4.0 fWAR season. Or, I should say, a potentially former second baseman who will be seeing some time in center field, as the Marlins will try Villar on the outfield grass to free up a position for prospect Isan Diaz. It could end up being a short-lived audition depending on Villar’s glovework or if Diaz (who had only a .566 OPS over 201 MLB plate appearances in 2019) continues to struggle against Major League pitching. However, considering that former top prospect Lewis Brinson has also yet to break out at the big league level, there’s no harm for Miami in seeing if Villar can help their center field situation. If so, it could only enhance his trade value at the deadline, as Villar is only under contract through the end of the season.
The Fish added another veteran regular in Corey Dickerson, who was signed to a $17.5MM deal that covers the 2020-21 seasons. The outfield was a prime area of need for Miami this winter, as such names as Yasiel Puig, Kole Calhoun, Avisail Garcia, and — somewhat surprisingly — even Nick Castellanos and Marcell Ozuna were considered. The fact that the Marlins at least checked in on the latter two names could indicate that the team had at least some willingness to really expand their payroll, or it could be that they were simply doing due diligence to see if either Castellanos or Ozuna were willing to lower their asking price. (As it happened, Ozuna did end up signing a one-year deal, but with the reigning NL East champion Braves.)
In the end, it will be Dickerson who mans left field at Marlins Park, as the 30-year-old looks to rebound from an injury-plagued 2019 campaign. Dickerson was still very productive when healthy, batting .304/.341/.565 over 279 PA with the Pirates and Phillies, and anything close to those numbers would greatly boost a Marlins lineup that was arguably the worst in baseball last season.
In other offensive upgrades, the Marlins claimed Jesus Aguilar in the hopes that he can regain his 35-homer stroke from the 2018 season, and also signed Matt Joyce to share playing time in right field. Garrett Cooper will see plenty of at-bats as either a first baseman or right fielder, with Aguilar or Joyce (or utilityman Jon Berti, or younger outfield options like Magneuris Sierra or Harold Ramirez) in the mix to handle the other position.
With Jorge Alfaro perhaps questionable for Opening Day due to an oblique injury, Miami’s signing of Francisco Cervelli looks like an even more important move. Cervelli could end up getting a bit more time behind the plate than expected if Alfaro is on the injured list, though when Alfaro is back, Cervelli will slide into a backup role and offer a bit more seasoned glovework than the somewhat defensively erratic Alfaro.
Cervelli isn’t far removed from being one of the game’s better-hitting catchers, which fits the model of Miami’s approach to their position player acquisitions. All of these players were solid-to-very good just last year (Joyce), as recently as 2018 (Aguilar, Cervelli, minor league signing Matt Kemp) or in both seasons (Dickerson, Villar). Should the Marlins get some in-form production from the majority of these new faces and get continued improvement from the likes of Cooper, Alfaro, and Brian Anderson, Miami’s offense could take some pitchers by surprise.
The revamped bullpen also offers some upside, as Brandon Kintzler was signed to be the likely first choice at closer after the veteran righty’s solid 2019 season with the Cubs. Kintzler is a few years removed from his last closing experience at the back of the Twins’ bullpen, but he’ll handle the ninth behind a core group that includes Ryne Stanek, minor league signing and former All-Star closer Brad Boxberger, and Yimi Garcia, inked to a big league deal after the Dodgers non-tendered him. Garcia is perhaps the most intriguing of the newcomers, as his peripheral numbers hint at some real talent, were it not for the right-hander’s alarming propensity for allowing home runs. Pitching at Marlins Park could help that issue to some extent, and if Garcia can more fully limit the damage, he could be something of a steal.
While this winter’s expenditures count as something of a spending spree by Marlins standards, they aren’t doling out any new money. Villar’s $8.2MM and Miami’s $25.35MM in offseason free agents contracts just about match up to the 2019 salaries of several veterans who are no longer on the books (Martin Prado, Starlin Castro, Curtis Granderson, Neil Walker). As per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Marlins’ projected $68.925MM Opening Day payroll is actually lower than their $71.9MM figure from last season’s opener.
In short, the Marlins might not have done enough this winter to escape the ire of the players’ union. The MLB Players Association has filed an amended grievance against the Marlins (as well as the Pirates and the Rays) for their use of revenue-sharing funds in both the 2018-19 and 2017-18 offseasons. Given that none of those clubs broke the bank over the last few months, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 2019-20 offseason also added to this grievance.
It was no surprise that Miami didn’t spend big this winter, as the organization has been very clear about its intentions to build around young talent and resist the quick-fix splurges that often marked the Jeffrey Loria era. It still might be a couple of years before the Marlins feel they have enough of a core group in place to ramp up spending as the White Sox and Reds did this offseason.
It’s a sign of progress, however, that the scorched-earth phase of the rebuild seems to be over. Villar, Kintzler, or other veterans on short-term deals could well end up being moved at the trade deadline, but it doesn’t seem like younger talent is on the move. Despite interest from multiple teams, the Marlins held onto controllable rotation arms like Caleb Smith, Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez, and Jose Urena. Miami seems ready to find out if the young players it already has in the fold could end up being part of that next Marlins winner, and it will be intriguing to see which of the pitchers and position players take that next step in 2020.
2020 Season Outlook
Will the Marlins lose 105 games again? The NL East (and pretty much the entire National League) still looks quite competitive, but it seems on paper as if the Fish have done enough to get back down to double digits in the loss column. Fangraphs projects “only” 95.5 losses for Miami in 2020, which counts as some small victory, but it would still be a big surprise if Miami escaped another last-place finish.
How would you grade the Marlins’ offseason moves? (Link for app users.)
How would you grade the Marlins' offseason?
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B 36% (1,298)
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C 35% (1,271)
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D 14% (510)
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F 7% (259)
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A 7% (251)
Total votes: 3,589
Quick Hits: Sanchez, Mercado, Singer, Guerra
Yet another Yankees star is dealing with an injury, as Gary Sanchez has missed the last two days of Spring Training action due to back soreness. Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including George A. King III of the New York Post) that Sanchez will also sit out Monday’s game before hopefully returning to the field on Tuesday, though “we will kind of see how he responds.” Sanchez said his back was already feeling improved after a day off, so there doesn’t appear to be any reason for serious concern at this point, despite Sanchez’s already rather checkered health history (plus the seemingly never-ending string of injuries to afflict the Yankees over the last year).
More from around the baseball world….
- Oscar Mercado had an injury scare of his own when he left Thursday’s game after hurting his wrist diving for a ball in center field. The Indians outfielder was diagnosed with a sprain, but “thankfully it was nothing” serious, Mercado told MLB.com’s Mandy Bell and other reporters this afternoon. Mercado has already discarded the wrap that he had around his wrist for the last two days, and is now “getting better every day” after some initial discomfort. “I’ve dove for balls, caught my wrist and stuff, it’s never hurt….That was one where I dove and I knew it was awkward, but the pain was pretty big, so I got scared,” Mercado said. Given the positive early reports, Mercado might be on pace to achieve his goal of playing in Cleveland’s Opening Day lineup.
- The Royals continue to look at top prospect Brady Singer in big league camp, and there’s still a chance Singer could fill the fifth starter role, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan writes. Singer has a 4.76 ERA over 5 2/3 spring innings, striking out six batters and walking four. Given that Singer has never even pitched at the Triple-A level yet, it would be a surprise to see him in the majors quite so soon, though Kansas City is clearly intrigued by the 23-year-old. Selected 18th overall in the 2018 draft, Singer posted a 2.85 ERA, 8.4 K/9, and 3.54 K/BB rate over 148 1/3 combined innings at the high-A and Double-A levels, and is cited on the current top-100 prospect lists posted by MLB.com (59th) and Baseball Prospectus (64th). There isn’t necessarily any urgency about the Opening Day roster, as since the Royals won’t need a fifth starter until April 8, Singer could continue to work out at extended Spring Training. If not Singer, K.C. could use Jorge Lopez as a fifth starter, or perhaps use an opener rather than a traditional starter to handle the rotation spot.
- Javy Guerra has recorded five strikeouts over 5 1/3 scoreless Spring Training innings, and is looking like a realistic candidate to make the Padres‘ Opening Day bullpen, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. Guerra (not to be confused with longtime veteran reliever Javy Guerra, who pitches for the Nationals) was once a highly-regarded shortstop prospect coming up in the Padres’ farm system, but his progress stalled after three lackluster years at the plate. He converted to pitching at the end of last year’s Spring Training in an effort to revive his career, and the early returns have been very impressive — Guerra posted a 3.38 ERA, 12.7 K/9, and 3.00 K/BB rate over 21 1/3 combined innings at high-A and Double-A ball last season before getting an eight-game audition in San Diego’s bullpen last season. Now, the out-of-options Guerra is throwing his fastball at 99mph and, according to manager Jayce Tingler, could be in line for a multi-inning relief role. “I’ve never seen somebody in (11) months go from shortstop to do what he’s done on the mound,” Tingler said. “I’ve seen guys converted. I’ve never seen such easy strikes with such premier velocity with movement and the ability to throw a secondary pitch. Then having a shortstop background, somebody who can bounce off and make…plays, it’s like having a fifth infielder out there.”
Nationals Renew Juan Soto’s 2020 Contract
The Nationals have renewed Juan Soto‘s contract and will pay the outfielder $629.4K in 2020, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (Twitter link). The two sides were unable to agree on a salary for 2020, and thus the Nationals simply set their own figure for Soto’s contract in the coming season, as is the team’s right since Soto is a pre-arbitration player.
Each club has its own methodology for determining how much beyond the $563.5K minimum salary pre-arb players can earn, usually based on some type of formula that assigns extra money for service time and/or significant achievements. Pre-arbitration players can’t really negotiate since the club controls their rights, so the large majority of pre-arb players simply agree to whatever figure is offered. Some pre-arb players coming off particularly outstanding seasons, however, feel they should be better rewarded for this performance, and sometimes opt to turn down the team’s offered raise rather than accept what they feel is simply inadequate compensation.
Needless to say, Soto has delivered far above and beyond the slightly more than $1.1MM in salary he has earned over his first two MLB seasons. As Soto enters his age-21 season, the phenom has already hit .287/.403/.535 with 56 homers over 1153 plate appearances, and played a primary role in the Nationals’ 2019 World Series championship. As per Fangraphs’ evaluations, Soto has already delivered $67.9MM worth of production with his 8.5 career fWAR.
The Cardinals’ Jack Flaherty was another young star who took a renewal this spring rather than accepting his club’s terms, and several other notable players (including Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Carlos Correa, Blake Snell, Josh Hader, and even Soto’s Nats teammate Ryan Zimmerman) have also their pre-arb deals renewed over the years. Flaherty described his decision to turn down the Cards’ offer as a matter of “principle,” and a protest against baseball’s salary structure rather than against his particular team.
As we saw with Trout, Snell, and Zimmerman, contract renewals didn’t lead to hard feelings that prevented those players from signing lucrative multi-year extensions with their teams. There seemingly hasn’t been much news about a potential extension between Soto and the Nationals, though since Soto is controlled through the 2024 season, there isn’t any huge urgency on Washington’s part.
That said, Soto will become arbitration-eligible next winter and is sure to qualify as a Super Two player, so he’ll take four trips through the arb process instead of the usual three. That will only make Soto’s price tag rise even higher if he continues to perform at his elite level, and thus the Nats would certainly have interest in gaining some cost certainty over the young superstar. Scott Boras, Soto’s agent, is usually more likely to advise his clients to test free agency rather than accept an extension, and Soto would potentially be in line for a record-setting contract since he is scheduled to be a free agent in advance of his age-26 season. Boras does have a long history of doing business with the Nationals, however, so it wouldn’t be surprising if a deal was indeed worked out to keep Soto in the District.
Matt Carasiti To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Giants right-hander Matt Carasiti will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow, The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly tweets. Carasiti injured his elbow on Thursday, during his most recent Spring Training outing.
After signing a minors contract with San Francisco in January, Carasiti came to camp hoping to win a job in the Giants’ bullpen, and posted a 5.40 ERA with seven strikeouts and three walks over five spring innings. That will unfortunately be his last mound action for at least a year, as Carasiti now faces a 12-14 month recovery period.
The 28-year-old righty has 25 1/3 Major League innings on his resume, spread out over two seasons — 15 2/3 frames with the Rockies in 2016 and then 9 2/3 IP with the Mariners last year. In between those two stints, Carasiti pitched in the Cubs’ farm system and also spent a season in Japan with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Originally a sixth-round pick for the Rockies in the 2012 draft, Carasiti has a 4.26 ERA, 8.0 K/9, and 2.35 K/BB rate over 432 2/3 career minor league innings.
MLBTR Chat Transcript: Yelich, Rangers, Dodgers, A’s, Morton
Click here to read the transcript of tonight’s live baseball chat.
Willie Calhoun Suffers Fractured Jaw
6:56PM: Calhoun has suffered a fracture of his jaw, Rangers executive VP of communications John Blake writes (via Twitter). The outfielder will undergo further examination tomorrow.
3:57PM: Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun was hit in the mouth with a 95mph fastball from the Dodgers’ Julio Urias and taken to the hospital today, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, and others. Calhoun did get up before being carted off the field.
Calhoun, of course, is a former Dodgers farmhand who was sent to Texas in the Yu Darvish trade. He established himself as an offensive force in 337 plate appearances last year, hitting .269/.323/.524 with 21 home runs (110 wRC+).
Finding a defensive position has always been the task challenging Calhoun’s professional longevity. He made 71 starts in left field for the Rangers in 2019, though defensive metrics weren’t in love with his performance there (-7 DRS, -5.1 UZR). He came up as an infielder, though it seems more likely he’d move further down the defensive spectrum than back up it.
We will check back in with updates on Calhoun’s condition as they arrive. Calhoun did appear to get hit directly in the mouth, though he never lost consciousness. The injury is significant enough that manager Chris Woodward has left the yard to be with Calhoun at the hospital, per Grant.
Cardinals Renew Jack Flaherty’s 2020 Contract
The Cardinals have renewed the contract of right-hander Jack Flaherty for the 2020 season, as per a team announcement. Flaherty was the only one of 25 pre-arbitration players on the Cards’ roster who didn’t agree to terms on a contract for the coming season, and thus the team will impose Flaherty’s salary for 2020.
That number will work out to $604.5K, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Cardinals’ internal formula for calcuating pre-arb raises based on merit awarded Flaherty some extra money beyond the $563.5K minimum salary for his outstanding numbers in 2019, including a special $10K bonus for his fourth-place finish in NL Cy Young Award voting. However, that $10K was canceled out by a $10K penalty that the Cardinals impose on any pre-arbitration player who doesn’t come to an agreement.
This is the second consecutive season that Flaherty has had his contract renewed rather than come to an agreement, which the righty told reporters was a matter of “principle.” As a reminder, whether or not a player agrees to his pre-arb salary or gets his contract renewed, it doesn’t have any bearing on his roster status. Flaherty will still be suiting up as the Cardinals’ probable Opening Day starter, and he doesn’t appear to have any hard feelings about the situation.
“It’s just kind of the product of the system that we have,” Flaherty told reporters. “Can’t really do much. They’re going to play within what they’re allowed to do in the system. It’s not them. I can’t fault them for doing that. The system is what it is, and it’s not the best.”
Perhaps more notably, it doesn’t seem like the Cardinals and Flaherty’s made any headway towards a long-term contract extension, let alone his 2020 pact. The two sides “were not able to find common ground for the discussion of an extension going into this spring training,” Goold writes. Flaherty is still under team control through the 2023 season, so there isn’t any immediate rush for St. Louis to get Flaherty locked up, though the right-hander’s long-term price tag will only go up if he enjoys another good season in 2020.
The lack of an agreement on a pre-arb deal also doesn’t necessarily mean that a multi-year extension isn’t eventually possible. Just last offseason, the Rays renewed Blake Snell‘s deal for the 2019 campaign and then inked him to a five-year, $50MM extension only days later. The Cardinals have long been proactive in giving extensions, both early-career deals to impressive young players and then secondary extensions to veterans (i.e. Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright) who have established themselves as franchise cornerstones.
Trey Mancini To Undergo Non-Baseball Medical Procedure
TODAY: Mancini commented on his situation via Twitter (both links), saying “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone for their kind sentiments and well wishes. It further drives home the fact that I am surrounded by the best family, friends/teammates, and fans that I could ever ask for. Once there is more clarity, I will be sure to keep everyone updated over the next few days. I look forward to a healthy recovery and being back on the field soon!“
MARCH 7: Trey Mancini has left Orioles camp and is set to undergo a medical procedure unrelated to baseball, reports Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun. While manager Brandon Hyde shared as much with the media today, the Orioles have refrained from commenting further out of respect for Mancini’s privacy.
So while further details are unknown, Hyde added that Mancini would “miss some time” as a result of the procedure. As for a more precise timetable, we’ll have to wait and see. And with Opening Day just about three weeks away, Mancini’s status for the beginning of the season is up in the air, but concerns about roster construction seem secondary to Mancini’s overall health at this point.
From a baseball perspective, there’s arguably no player more critical to the Orioles’ roster than Mancini. He serves as the linchpin to an offense that scored the fifth-fewest runs in the American League last year, so removing him from the middle of the order could send the O’s offense into disarray. By all accounts, he’s regarded as a leader in the Baltimore clubhouse and has emerged as the undisputed face of the team.
Last year, Mancini put up career-best numbers in virtually every meaningful offensive category, clubbing 35 home runs, driving in 97 runs, and compiling a .291/.364/.535 slash line. At least some of his growth as a hitter can be attributed to a more discerning approach at the plate: he improved his walk rate to a career-high 9.3% while his strikeout rate dipped to 21.1%, the lowest mark of his three-plus year Major League career. Combine that with his innate ability to hit the ball hard, and you have a recipe for a middle-of-the-order slugger.
While the uncertainty of Mancini’s medical situation is worrisome, his manager had the following to say: “We hate to see Trey miss time, but hope it’s not too long,” Hyde told MASN’s Roch Kubatko. Stay tuned for further information as the situation gains clarity. Here’s hoping that Mancini is back to full-go before too long.
Quick Hits: COVID-19, Red Sox, Catching, Rays, Meadows Extension Talks
Commissioner Rob Manfred has a conference call planned with MLB owners on Monday to discuss the coronavirus, but all indications point to the season opening as planned, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich. MLB has been in contact with the CDC, and each team has a specified point person in charge of their specific situations. Locker room protocol across the North American sports landscape has been adjusted to help protect players from COVID-19, and fan access to players has also been limited as a precaution (though some players have prepared pre-signed autographs for fans at spring games). In Italy, all sporting events are planned to move forward without fans present, and the NBA has begun preparations for such a circumstance as well. As of right now, MLB plans to have fans present as the regular season kicks off at the end of March, but a lot can obviously change over the next three weeks.
- In non-virus news, catchers around the league are giving umpires a better view to call balls and strikes by receiving from a knee instead of the traditional crouch, per Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald. Christian Vazquez employed the stance for the Red Sox some last year, and the returns were good. He finished fifth in statcast’s Runs from Extra Strikes metric, trailing only Roberto Perez, Yasmani Grandal, Tyler Flowers and Austin Hedges, the latter of whom led the field by a substantial margin. Red Sox interim manager Ron Roenicke notes that receiving from a knee makes it tougher to block pitches, but the premium placed on stealing strikes makes the tradeoff worth it on the whole.
- In contract news, the Rays and Austin Meadows have begun preliminary discussions about a potential extension, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Both sides are open to the possibility, though talks have not yet reached the exchange-of-numbers stage. After a monster 2019, Meadows won co-MVP honors for the team and proved himself a key offensive cog moving forward. Meadows slashed .291/.364/.558 with 33 home runs and 89 RBIs (142 wRC+) in 2019. Locking up the soon-to-be 25-year-old would certainly be a boon for an organization ever-mindful of its financial limitations.
NL Notes: Castellanos, Cubs, Chatwood, Mills, Nats, Ross, Voth
Nicholas Castellanos spoke eloquently about his experience dealing with the Cubs this offseason – which is to say, he experience not dealing with them. And yet, the Cincinnati Red appears to harbor no ill will towards the Cubs. Instead, he offered nuanced insight and thoughtful considerations about the challenges facing ownership, per The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma. Said Castellanos, “I don’t know the intricacies of owning a team. The only thing I can speak on when it comes to the Cubs is what a tremendous and incredible soul that organization has when it has life. The only thing I would care about if I owned the Cubs would be to give it as much life as possible. It’s hard, I don’t know what it’s like to own a business.” Polite and diplomatic as he may be, Castellanos does offer an implicit criticism of a Cubs organization that has exhibited, shall we say, less “life” than in years past. Though Castellanos seems to understand and accept why the Cubs made no contact with him after his exit interview, he did wonder broadly about the lack of interest from teams league-wide. Let’s check in on some fifth starter races..
- Cubs’ manager David Ross gives Tyler Chatwood the lead in the race for the Cubs’ fifth starter role, tweets MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. Alec Mills is also a contender for the role, though whoever wins the spot on opening day is likely to keep it until performance dictates otherwise. Ross has no interest in modernizing his approach to the fifth starter role, preferring to let players earn a role in spring training and enter the season thusly, per Bastian. Mills is out of options, but he’s a heavy favorite to land a bullpen spot if he can’t unseat Chatwood for the rotation.
- Joe Ross has pole position to break camp as the fifth starter for the World Champion Washington Nationals, per MASN’s Mark Zuckerman. Austin Voth has pitched well enough to provide a legitimate challenge, but given that both players are likely to make the team, Ross has the track record to give him an edge. He also has the gaudy bullpen ERA to suggest he’s best utilized in the rotation. It’s fair to question the significance of rotation/bullpen splits, but few can boast a Jekyll-and-Hyde routine like Ross’ 2019. The 26-year-old put up an 11.17 ERA over 19 1/3 innings as a reliever, only to counter with a 3.02 ERA in 44 2/3 innings as a starter during the second half. Voth, meanwhile, is more of a late-bloomer at age-27, and he has yet to be tested in a relief capacity. Since making his professional debut in 2013, he has just 3 minor league relief appearances to go with 3 major league appearances out of the pen. Since the right-hander is out of options (as is Ross), Voth is likely to get his first real taste of bullpen life in 2020.