Jesus Sanchez

Marlins Designate Jonah Bride For Assignment

By Darragh McDonald | April 15, 2025 at 1:50pm CDT

The Marlins announced that outfielder Jesús Sánchez has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. He had suffered a left oblique strain during spring training. In a corresponding move, infielder Jonah Bride has been designated for assignment.

It’s a somewhat surprising decision. Bride seemed to have a decent breakout with the Fish last year. Acquired from the A’s in February of 2024, he spent much of the first half getting shuttled to Triple-A and back but was in the majors for most of the second half of the season. He eventually got into 71 big league games and stepped to the plate 272 times. He hit 11 home runs and drew walks at a solid 11% clip, while keeping his strikeouts down to a 20.2% level.

That wasn’t a massive sample size but Bride also had a decent minor league numbers. From 2021 to 2024, he hit .289/.421/.489 on the farm for a 137 wRC+. His 17.1% walk rate was better than his 16% strikeout rate. He didn’t perform well when he first got to the majors with Oakland in 2022 and 2023 but seemed to turn a bit of a corner with Miami last year. He also provided a bit of defensive versatility, playing all three non-shortstop infield positions last year.

There’s no denying that he’s out to an awful start this year. Through 12 games, he has been punched out in 15 of his 45 plate appearances and has a line of .100/.200/.100. That’s obviously not great but it’s a tiny sample and the Fish didn’t need to open up a 40-man roster spot today. They could have simply optioned a player to the minor leagues to make room for Sánchez, while keeping Bride around to see if he could get back on track.

But Bride is now out of options and he was getting squeezed off the roster. Matt Mervis and Otto López are playing well so far this season at first and second base, respectively. At third base, Graham Pauley isn’t playing especially well but Connor Norby is nearing a return from the IL. Kyle Stowers and Griffin Conine are hitting well from the corner outfield spots. With Sánchez now coming back, the designated hitter spot might be needed to get all of them in the lineup. Sánchez got some center field reps during the spring but it’s unclear if the Marlins want to continue that experiment after his injury hiatus.

The Marlins could have kept Bride on the bench but there are reasons they opted for other guys there. They need a backup catcher and shortstop, which works for Rob Brantly and Javier Sanoja. In center field, Dane Myers and Derek Hill have been splitting them there. Hill had some minor injury trouble a few weeks ago, getting Myers into the lineup, but they’ve switched more recently with Myers banged up and Hill in the lineup. The Marlins ultimately seemed to prefer Pauley and Eric Wagaman, as they opted to DFA Bride instead of optioning either of those guys. Pauley is hitting .195/.233/.293 while Wagaman is at .231/.318/.359 in the early going.

Bride will now head to DFA limbo but he’ll know his fate in a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, meaning the Marlins could spend the next five days exploring trade talks. If Bride were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the Marlins as non-roster depth.

Photo courtesy of John Jones, Imagn Images

Jesus Sanchez To Miss At Least Four Weeks Due To Oblique Strain

By Mark Polishuk | March 15, 2025 at 1:29pm CDT

Marlins outfielder Jesus Sanchez suffered a left oblique strain during Thursday’s Grapefruit League game against the Astros, as Miami manager Clayton McCullough told reporters (including MLB.com’s Chuck King). The injury will put Sanchez on the injured list to begin the season, and he’ll miss at least the next four weeks recovering.

That timeline is a little fluid, as McCullough said tests revealed Sanchez has somewhere between a Grade 1 and Grade 2 strain. “That’s one of those areas and things that are kind of tricky to nail down. Category one, you’re looking at [a return], probably optimistically…like a month from now,” McCullough said.

Given the perpetual overhaul that is the Marlins roster, Sanchez is the team’s longest-tenured position player, having played 446 games with the Fish since making his big league debut in 2020. A top-100 prospect during his time in the minors, Sanchez has shown some flashes of that potential in the Show, but is still looking to find consistency. His career 99 wRC+ (from a .240/.308/.428 slash line and 59 home runs) reflects how Sanchez has ultimately been pretty average, and his career slash just about matched his numbers during a 100 wRC+ season in 2024.

Sanchez had settled into a regular role as Miami’s right fielder over the last two years, and was projected to again get the bulk of the work in right in 2025, though the Fish were considering giving him more looks in center field. These plans will now be put on hold until Sanchez is healthy, and his absence creates a hole in the Marlins’ outfield.

Recent reports indicated that Derek Hill was pulling ahead of Dane Myers for the regular center field job, though Myers might now be utilized in right field with Sanchez out. Griffin Conine and utilitymen Javier Sanoja and Eric Wagaman provide further depth on the grass, and Albert Almora Jr. is more of a veteran outfield option in camp on a minors contract.

Since the Marlins are in clear rebuild mode, it is worth noting that this injury might also impact Sanchez’s trade value, even if there isn’t any indication that he wouldn’t be back in plenty of time before the July 31 trade deadline. Sanchez is in his first year of arbitration eligibility and is earning a $4.5MM salary for the 2025 season, making him the second-priciest player on the Miami roster apart from Sandy Alcantara.

Marlins Giving Jesus Sanchez Center Field Reps In Camp

By Anthony Franco | February 18, 2025 at 11:08am CDT

The Marlins will get Jesús Sánchez reps in center field this spring, manager Clayton McCullough said this morning (relayed by Isaac Azout of Fish on First). The 27-year-old still projects as Miami’s right fielder on most days but could see some action in center if he shows well in camp.

“We think he’s more than athletic enough, he’s done it in the past and he’s graded out well as an outfielder. To us, there’s no downside to do this in Spring Training,” McCullough said. The first-year skipper noted that he expects Dane Myers and Derek Hill to combine for the majority of playing time up the middle, though Sánchez could seemingly also factor in there.

Sánchez started nearly half of Miami’s games in center field back in 2022. He has moved almost exclusively to the corner outfield since then. He logged 58 innings in center two seasons ago and didn’t play there at all last year. Sánchez has primarily played right field while picking up a handful of starts in left.

The defensive grades have been solid, if unexceptional. Sánchez has graded as a league average defender by Statcast’s metrics in every season of his career. Defensive Runs Saved has been slightly more bullish on his corner outfield work, typically rating him a little better than average. DRS has graded him nine runs above average in over 3100 career innings. Both metrics felt his 2022 center field work was close to neutral.

Sánchez has average speed with good arm strength. He’s better suited for right field but probably athletic enough to play center on a part-time basis. Myers and Hill are each faster and better all-around athletes. They should provide better defense up the middle, but neither has much of an MLB track record. Myers, 29 next month, has a decent .265/.315/.407 slash over 66 career games. He has struck out in more than 30% of his plate appearances with a middling 5.6% walk rate. The 29-year-old Hill has hit .233/.276/.353 over parts of five MLB seasons.

Somewhat remarkably, the 27-year-old Sánchez is the most experienced hitter on Miami’s roster. He’s the only Marlins position player with over three years of service time. The former top prospect has settled in as a capable regular in right field. He has hit between 13 and 18 home runs in each of the last four seasons. He’s coming off a .252/.313/.417 showing that more or less aligns with his league average .240/.308/.428 career batting line.

The Marlins will have Sánchez in the everyday lineup somewhere in the outfield, most frequently in right. He could find himself on the move at the deadline. His $4.5MM arbitration salary makes him the second-highest paid player on the team behind Sandy Alcantara (not including the $17MM still owed to released outfielder Avisaíl García). He’s under club control for three seasons but could wind up as a non-tender candidate in a year or two as his projected salaries continue to climb. It stands to reason that the Marlins would be comfortable moving him if they find decent interest over the summer. Sánchez would be a slightly more valuable trade piece if he shows he’s an adequate center fielder, as that’d position him for a potential fourth outfield role on a contender.

Marlins Unlikely To Move Jesus Luzardo, Bryan De La Cruz

By Steve Adams | July 9, 2024 at 11:49am CDT

The Marlins are open to offers on center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and will have multiple bullpen pieces available in the next three weeks, but they’re not planning to move anyone and everyone on the roster. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports that the Fish aren’t going to move lefty Jesus Luzardo until he’s fully healthy again, which likely points to an offseason trade or even a deal at next year’s deadline. Mish adds that Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez are both likely to stay in South Florida as well. De La Cruz has already drawn interest, but he and Sanchez are both controllable through the 2027 season.

With regard to Luzardo, the notion of holding onto him is rather straightforward. The talented 26-year-old is on the 60-day injured list due to a stress reaction in his lower back. That 60-day term will extend beyond the July 30 trade deadline. Trading Luzardo right now would require selling low, and for a pitcher of his caliber with two remaining seasons of club control, that’s not a palatable course of action. It’s likely possible that a club could still obtain Luzardo by blowing the Marlins away with an offer commensurate with that of one for a healthy Luzardo — but it’s also highly unlikely a team would make that type of offer with Luzardo ailing.

Beyond that, the southpaw simply didn’t pitch up to his capabilities prior to landing on the shelf. Perhaps that back injury played a role, and Luzardo also had a brief IL stint for some elbow tightness early in the season. Whether he’s been fully healthy at any point this season isn’t clear, but the lefty has been tagged for a 5.00 ERA in 66 2/3 frames.

It’s an unflattering mark, though a 21.2% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate are both portents for some improvement. And it’s of course important to emphasize how good Luzardo was in the two prior seasons; the former third-round pick who once rated as the sport’s top left-handed pitching prospect started 50 games and notched a 3.48 ERA with a huge 28.7% strikeout rate and sharp 7.9% walk rate in 279 innings from 2022-23. He averaged 96.7 mph on his heater in those two years, though this year’s average fastball dipped to 95.5 mph — still a strong mark but a red flag for a pitcher who hasn’t been at his best.

If Luzardo is able to return from his back injury in the second half and close out the year in good health, then offseason interest should be robust. He won’t turn 27 until Sept. 30, still boasts a power arsenal, is only earning $5.5MM this season and is controlled through 2026 via arbitration. That type of pitcher should command a significant prospect haul — the type that’s extremely unlikely to be available when Luzardo is on the 60-day IL and questions about his ability to recover from this back injury persist. Luzardo has reportedly continued to draw interest while on the injured list, but it’s safe to presume the offers aren’t close to what they’d be if he were healthy and performing as he did in 2022-23.

As for the pair of outfielders, neither is a household name but both De La Cruz and Sanchez have shown some upside with the bat in the past. They’re both having below-average seasons at the plate in 2024 but have roughly average batting lines in their careers to date. De La Cruz is 27 years old. Sanchez is just 26.

De La Cruz is hitting .237/.286/.410 this season (94 wRC+). He’s popped 15 home runs and is on pace for a new career-high, but his 26% strikeout rate and 6% walk rate both offset some of that solid power. Sanchez is hitting a comparable .239/.291/.386 (92 wRC+) with nine home runs. He strikes out a bit less (23.6%) and walks at a similar 5.8% clip. Both players have notable platoon splits. The left-handed-hitting Sanchez is batting .270/.323/.445 against righties but just .091/.130/.159 against lefties (albeit in only 44 plate appearances). The righty-hitting De La Cruz has hit lefties at a .288/.318/.464 pace but floundered to a .210/.269/.380 line against righties.

There’s a case for the two to simply be platooned, and perhaps on a deeper roster that’d be how they’re utilized. But the Marlins are thin on outfielders as it is, and trading one or both Sanchez and De La Cruz — likely at a fairly low rate — would only further expose that deficiency. With three seasons of remaining club control apiece, there’s no urgency to move either. A big second half or strong start to the 2025 season could increase the trade value of either player.

Sanchez, in particular, has displayed some tantalizing batted-ball metrics that could signify the potential for growth. He’s averaged a whopping 93.5 mph off the bat this season with a huge 51% hard-hit rate. Those figures rank in the 96th and 94th percentile of MLB hitters, respectively. It’s also worth noting that current Marlins president Peter Bendix knows Sanchez well from his prospect days in the Rays system, where Bendix previously served as general manager. (Although that also means that Bendix was in the Tampa Bay front office when Sanchez was traded for Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards.)

NL East Notes: Soroka, Sanchez, Garcia, Rogers, Phillies, Doolittle

By Mark Polishuk | May 27, 2023 at 9:49pm CDT

The Braves optioned Dylan Dodd to Triple-A today, creating a question about who might start against the Athletics on Tuesday during what was supposed to be Dodd’s next turn in the rotation. Whether Bryce Elder pitches on Monday or Tuesday, Atlanta will need another starter for one of those two games, and it seems possible that Michael Soroka might be on the verge of his return to the big leagues. Manager Brian Snitker downplayed the idea to Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other reporters, saying that Soroka was just one of “all options” the team was considering.

A decision will have to come relatively quickly, as Soroka is slated to start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday. The right-hander has a 4.33 ERA, 23% strikeout rate, and 7.2% walk rate over 35 1/3 innings for Gwinnett this season, though one rough outing against Buffalo on April 30 (seven ER in three innings) somewhat skewed Soroka’s numbers. If Soroka does return against the A’s, it will mark his first MLB appearance since August 3, 2020, as Soroka has had his career interrupted for close to three years due to a pair of Achilles tears. It remains to be seen if Soroka can pitch anywhere near his 2019 All-Star form, but for an Atlanta team that will be without Max Fried and Kyle Wright for some time yet, the Braves would love to see Soroka at least eat some innings and stop a revolving door in the rotation.

Marlins Activate Garrett Cooper, Place Jesus Sanchez On 10-Day IL

By Nick Deeds | May 14, 2023 at 10:29am CDT

The Marlins have made a pair of roster moves this morning, as noted by MLB.com’s Christian De Nicola. First baseman Garrett Cooper has been activated from the 10-day injured list, while outfielder Jesus Sanchez was placed on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain. Sanchez’s placement on the IL is no surprise after he left yesterday’s game with a hamstring injury.

Sanchez, 25, was in the midst of a hot stretch that had made him one of the club’s best hitters this season, with his 150 wRC+ only topped by second baseman Luis Arraez among the club’s hitters. Sanchez has been heavily platoon-protected so far this season, however. The lefty slugger has stepped to the plate against same-handed pitchers just five times so far this year, though he does have two hits, including a home run, in those limited opportunities. While no timetable has been announced for Sanchez’s return, it seems certain that the youngster will miss more than the minimum 10 days.

Taking over for Sanchez on the active roster is Cooper, who earned his first All Star appearance last season. Cooper, who posted a .271/.352/.443 slash line (good for a 123 wRC+) in 852 plate appearances across the 2020-2022 campaigns, hadn’t quite lived up to those standards this season prior to going on the IL with an ear infection.. In 98 plate appearances in 2023, Cooper has slashed .272/.306/.413 with a 97 wRC+ that hovers just below the league average.

Cooper figures to primarily spend time at first base and DH, spots Yuli Gurriel and Jorge Soler currently occupy. That being said, both Cooper and Soler have outfield experience, so either player could also factor into the outfield alongside Bryan De La Cruz, Jon Berti, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. while Sanchez is on the shelf.

Jazz Chisholm, Jesus Sanchez Leave Game Due To Injuries

By Mark Polishuk | May 13, 2023 at 8:51pm CDT

The Marlins’ 12-0 streak in one-run games came to an end today, as Miami dropped a 6-5 result to the Reds. However, the loss may have had a bigger-picture cost, as outfielders Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jesus Sanchez both had to make early exits due to injuries.

Sanchez’s day lasted just one inning, as he suffered a sore right hamstring while making a diving catch on a Tyler Stephenson fly ball in the top of the first, and was replaced in right field by Peyton Burdick for the top of the second inning. Chisholm made his own attempt at a highlight catch in the eighth, but collided with the wall while in full pursuit of a Henry Ramos fly ball that landed for a double. After staying down for a few minutes while examined by trainers, Chisholm left the game and was replaced by Garrett Hampson in center field. The team later announced that Chisholm suffered a contusion on his right foot.

Sanchez will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, though a trip to the injured list seems like it will be in order considering how the outfielder has been dealing with hamstring problems for a few days. He had to leave Wednesday’s 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks due to a hamstring soreness, but after Thursday’s off-day, it appeared as though Sanchez was okay after pinch-hitting in Friday’s game and then returning to the starting lineup today.

After getting off to a very slow start, Sanchez has been one of baseball’s hitters over the last few weeks, with a 1.185 OPS over his last 42 plate appearances. This hot streak has boosted his season slash line to .290/.364/.551, with 72 of his 77 PA coming against right-handed pitching. While the Marlins are still using Sanchez in a platoon capacity, he has certainly carved out a valuable role for himself on a team in sore need of offense.

X-rays were negative on Chisholm’s foot, so as ugly as his collision initially looked, the center fielder might have avoided any serious damage. A trip to the IL can’t be ruled out if Chisholm’s foot experiences swelling or soreness in the next couple of days, but he did tell reporters after the game that his foot was feeling somewhat better. We might not have an answer on his status until Tuesday, since it seems likely that Miami will sit Chisholm for Sunday’s game and the Marlins then have an off-day Monday.

Chisholm is hitting a modest .229/.291/.403 over 159 PA this season, though he does have seven home runs and 14 steals in 16 chances. While this offensive production is below average, the Marlins’ experiment of moving Chisholm from second base to center field seems to be working out, depending on what public defensive metric you prefer. Both the Outs Above Average (+3) and UZR/150 (+6.6) metrics are fans of Chisholm’s glovework, though the Defensive Runs Saved metrics grade Chisholm with -4 DRS. Of course, today’s situation also highlights some of the injury risk posed by the position switch, even if Chisholm also dealt with plenty of injuries while working as an infielder.

Losing two regular outfielders would be a blow to any team, but Miami is already thin on the grass with Avisail Garcia and Garrett Cooper both on the 10-day IL. Cooper is at least closer to a return from his inner infection, as he started a minor league rehab assignment on Friday. Burdick, Jorge Soler, and utilitymen Hampson and Jon Berti can all play the outfield on at least a short-term basis, and Joey Wendle has outfield experience even though he has played exclusively as an infielder since the start of the 2020 season. Looking further down the depth chart, Jerar Encarnacion is the only other outfielder on the Marlins’ 40-man roster.

The Marlins Are Still Facing Questions In Their Outfield

By Darragh McDonald | April 26, 2023 at 4:32pm CDT

The Marlins came into 2023 with a fairly unsettled outfield mix, despite not making any external additions. The club planned to move Jazz Chisholm Jr. off second base in order to take over the center field job that they had been trying to fill for years. Veterans Jorge Soler and Avisaíl García were both coming off disappointing seasons, while a batch of younger player were still looking to establish themselves at the major league level.

Almost one month into the season, the Fish are swimming at a decent pace so far. They are currently 12-12, though with a -37 run differential that suggests they might be a bit lucky to be at that level. Then again, it’s still early and they’ve had a challenging schedule, with all of their games coming against teams that came into the season as surefire contenders or borderline ones (Seven against the Mets, three each against the Twins, Phillies, Diamondbacks, Giants and Guardians, two against Atlanta).

How are their outfielders faring so far? Let’s take a quick look at each one.

Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Chisholm hit .254/.325/.535 in 60 games last year for a wRC+ of 139 before a stress fracture in his back put him on the shelf. He perhaps could have returned late in the year, but the club was out of contention and shut him down, at which point Chisholm underwent surgery on a torn meniscus that he had been playing through.

Whether it’s due to the long layoff, the injuries or the position change, he hasn’t gotten into a groove at the plate yet this year. He’s currently hitting .218/.269/.391 for a wRC+ of 81. He’s struck out in 38.3% of his plate appearances thus far, a jump of more than 10 percentage points from his 27.4% rate last year.

As for that position change, the early reviews are mixed. Defensive Runs Saved has him at -1 so far, with Ultimate Zone Rating at -1.1. On the other hand, Outs Above Average has him at roughly par, 56th percentile. His outfielder jump is in the 84th percentile and his sprint speed is in the 92nd. Some growing pains were surely to be expected since he’s never played the position before, so hopefully these numbers will all trend in a positive direction over time.

Jorge Soler

Soler is perhaps the most mercurial player in the league, having spent the past few years oscillating between being one of the most feared sluggers on the planet and looking lost at the plate. Last year, his first with the Marlins, was a downswing. He struck out in 29.4% of his plate appearances and hit just .207/.295/.400 for a wRC+ of 98, missing significant time due to back spasms. He could have opted out of his contract but chose not to, likely a wise decision with that platform.

Here in 2023, he’s back on another one of his patented heaters. He’s hit five home runs already and has dropped his strikeout rate to a more manageable 23.6%. His .253/.337/.544 line amounts to a 137 wRC+. He’s largely served as the designated hitter but has been given five starts in right.

The torrid stretch for Soler is good for the Marlins in the short-term, but the long-term may be different. Soler has another opt-out opportunity after this season and would likely take it if he can maintain anything close to this pace, as he’d be walking away from just one year and $9MM.

Avisaíl García

García has a similarly inconsistent track record to Soler, posting above-average wRC+ figures in 2017, 2019 and 2021 but dipping below average in the following year each time. Last year was an especially low ebb, as his 28.7% strikeout rate and 4.5% walk rates were both career worsts, as was his 66 wRC+ from his .224/.266/.317 batting line.

Now that we’re in an odd-numbered year, García is scheduled for a bounceback but has actually gotten worse in the early going so far. He’s slashing just .161/.200/.274 for a wRC+ of 30. The .211 batting average on balls in play is due for some regression, but he’s also been punched out 32.8% of the time while drawing walks at just a 3.0% clip. The Marlins desperately need him to turn things around, as his contract pays him $12MM per year through 2025, with a $12MM club option for 2026 that has a hefty $5MM buyout. Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reported yesterday that the club haven’t considered releasing him, but a benching is on the table.

Bryan De La Cruz

De La Cruz came into this year with 574 plate appearances. His 24.9% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate were both a little worse than average, but he had 18 home runs and a .269/.318/.430 line for a 108 wRC+. He’s a little bit ahead of that pace this year, currently hitting .295/.341/.436 for a 114 wRC+ with fairly similar strikeout and walk rates.

He won’t maintain a .396 batting average on balls in play all year, but he is making solid contact. His average exit velocity is in the 88th percentile of MLB hitters, and his hard-hit rate sits in the 80th percentile. Even without elite plate discipline, he can still be a useful hitter with that kind of bat. The right-hander hitter actually has reverse splits, both in his career and so far this season, which would seem to lessen the likelihood of him ending up in the short side of a platoon.

Jesús Sánchez

The hot start of De La Cruz seems to have cut into the playing time of Sánchez, as he’s been given only 36 plate appearances in 16 games. He’s hit just .172/.333/.241 in that time, which isn’t doing much to get him in the lineup more.

A left-handed hitter, he has traditional platoon splits for his career. He’s hit .226/.310/.440 against righties for a 108 wRC+, but he has a dismal .195/.230/.323 against southpaws for a 49 wRC+. He could seemingly serve as a useful platoon lefty bat but probably won’t get a chance as long as De La Cruz continues to seem like a viable lineup regular. He’s out of options and can’t be sent to the minors without first being exposed to waivers, which might keep him on the bench until an injury opens a spot for him. Per Jackson and Mish, Sanchez is at risk of losing his roster spot, though the club won’t make a decision on that front until Joey Wendle is back from the injured list.

Peyton Burdick

Burdick got to make his major league debut last year and hit .207/.284/.380 for a wRC+ of 91 in 102 plate appearances. He’s been in Triple-A this year and utterly mashing. Through 20 games, he has a line of .309/.385/.654 and a 157 wRC+. He has a 37.4% strikeout rate and won’t sustain a .436 batting average on balls in play, but he’s already hit eight home runs and stolen four bases.

Jerar Encarnación

Encarnación also got a brief major league debut last year, stepping to the plate 81 times but hitting just .182/.210/.338. Like Burdick, he’s also having an excellent start to his 2023 in Triple-A. He has a current batting line of .292/.378/.472 for a wRC+ of 119. However, it’s bolstered by a huge .529 batting average on balls in play and comes despite a 42.7% strikeout rate. His 12.2% walk rate is encouraging but there’s surely some regression coming here.

——

It’s hard to glean definitive judgment from one month’s worth of data, but there are some trends and takeaways in the Miami outfield with nearly 15% of the season in the books. Chisholm’s defense in center has been at least passable thus far, so he’s likely to continue on in that role. De La Cruz could hit his way into an everyday role in left field, but right field looks like a continued problem unless Garcia can correct what’s now more than a full season’s worth of struggles. Sanchez’s grip on a roster spot appears tenuous, but while the primary alternatives in Triple-A (Burdick, Encarnacion) have flashy batting lines, their lack of contact calls into question whether they’d be improvements. It’s easy enough to see the outfield again being a point of focus at the trade deadline, whether the Marlins are looking to add a veteran bat to stay in the Wild Card race or looking to acquire a controllable outfielder as part of another selling effort.

Marlins Notes: Iglesias, Gurriel, Sanchez, De La Cruz, Cooper

By Mark Polishuk | March 25, 2023 at 10:52am CDT

The Marlins seem to be “leaning toward” only breaking camp with one of Yuli Gurriel or Jose Iglesias, according to Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald. The two veterans recently signed minor league contracts and joined the Marlins’ spring camp as non-roster invitees, and perhaps due to that late start (both players signed on March 9), it isn’t unsurprising that neither Gurriel or Iglesias have hit well in their small sample size of Spring Training at-bats. A decision will have to be made soon, since both Gurriel and Iglesias can enact opt-out clauses in their minor league deals if Miami doesn’t let them know who or who isn’t making the Opening Day roster.

Gurriel was signed to either back up Garrett Cooper at first base or (perhaps ideally) join in at least a timeshare, if Cooper stays healthy and Gurriel rebounds to his pre-2022 levels of offense. Miami signed Iglesias to provide further depth at shortstop, since after Miguel Rojas was traded to the Dodgers, utilityman Joey Wendle is expected to handle the bulk of shortstop duty despite a relative lack of experience at the position.

Of the two, it would seem like Gurriel has the advantage, Jackson noted in a tweet today. Manager Skip Schumaker suggested that utilityman Jon Berti could be utilized at shortstop against left-handed pitching while Wendle faced righties, which might be a cleaner situation for the Marlins than including Iglesias on the roster and finding him playing time. In terms of other shortstop candidates, the Fish have also already selected the contract of another minor league signing in Garrett Hampson, plus Jordan Groshans and Jacob Amaya are at Triple-A.

The club’s decision on Gurriel or Iglesias is also influenced by the fact that both Jesus Sanchez and Bryan De La Cruz now seem like good bets to make the Opening Day roster. It already seemed like Sanchez (who is out of minor league options) would make the room, but De La Cruz’s status was a little more tenuous since he still has a minor league option remaining. This means that Miami might eventually send De La Cruz to Triple-A at some point in 2023, but using De La Cruz and Sanchez in a left field platoon seems like the team’s preferred opening heading into Opening Day. Having an extra outfielder on the roster is also helpful since Jorge Soler will mostly be a DH this season, and Jazz Chisholm’s ability to stick as the regular center fielder is still up in the air, given his lack of experience at the position.

Returning to the first base picture, the position remains a long-term question for the Marlins. Jackson and Mish report that the team hasn’t had any talks with Cooper about an extension, making it seem likely that Cooper will hit free agency as scheduled following the 2023 season. Given Cooper’s age (32), injury history, and his past linkage to some trade rumors, it isn’t surprising that Miami is perhaps looking to move onwards, though Cooper has been a quietly productive player when healthy. Before signing Gurriel, the Marlins explored some bigger-name first base options this offseason, including such free agents and trade targets as Jose Abreu, Josh Bell, and Triston Casas. Depending on how the Chisholm/center field experiment plays out, it is also possible that the Marlins might ultimately install Luis Arraez back at first base.

Marlins To Move Jazz Chisholm To Center Field

By Anthony Franco | January 20, 2023 at 5:04pm CDT

The Marlins made their long-awaited swap of a starting pitcher for a hitter this afternoon, sending Pablo López to Minnesota as part of a deal for Luis Arraez. Shortly after the trade was finalized, Miami general manager Kim Ng told reporters (including Craig Mish of SportsGrid) the newly-acquired infielder would take over as the primary second baseman. All-Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. will move from the keystone to center field.

It’s an interesting gambit for Miami, who’ll indirectly address their uncertain center field mix with today’s trade. Arraez has plenty of experience as a second baseman. He came up through the minors at the position and has logged more MLB innings there than at any other position. Over parts of four seasons, Arraez has spent a bit more than 1200 innings at the keystone.

Public defensive metrics have been mixed on his effectiveness. Defense Runs Saved rated him as nine runs below average in just 390 innings there as a rookie in 2019. Over the three seasons since then, DRS has pegged him as a slightly better than average second baseman. Statcast hasn’t been quite so optimistic. While it also feels he’s improved since a poor rookie showing — an estimated -7 runs in 2019 — it has rated him a little below par in two of the last three years.

Statcast has graded Arraez’s arm strength as slightly above-average for the position. Scouts have raised questions about his lateral quickness and athleticism since his time as a prospect, though. Minnesota pushed him primarily to first base work last season, starting him 31 times at the keystone compared to 60 times at first base (with a handful of games at third also mixed in). Of course, Minnesota’s signing of Carlos Correa solidified shortstop and ensured Jorge Polanco would play almost exclusively at second base. The Twins felt more comfortable with Polanco’s glove than Arraez’s up the middle, but it’s possible they’d have given the latter more second base time if they hadn’t landed one of the sport’s best shortstops.

It does come as a surprise to see Miami move Chisholm out of the middle infield. The 24-year-old (25 next month) established himself as the organization’s top position player with a .254/.325/.535 first half before suffering a season-ending stress fracture in his back. He also later underwent surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee.

Signed as a shortstop prospect out of the Bahamas, Chisholm has only ever played the middle infield as a professional. He’ll take on the outfield on the fly during the upcoming season, with a month-plus of Spring Training action to acclimate to the new position.

With zero outfield experience, it’s impossible to know how Chisholm will take to the different reads and angles he’ll need to learn as an outfielder. Miami is clearly confident he’ll polish those aspects of his game quickly while relying on his elite athleticism in the interim. Chisholm was long credited by scouts with plus speed, and Statcast placed him in the league’s 94th percentile in that regard last season. He would’ve tied for 19th among 74 center fielders in sprint speed, so he certainly shouldn’t have issue covering the spacious outfield at Marlins Park from that perspective.

Prospect evaluators also praised Chisholm for an above-average throwing arm. He hasn’t shown that at the MLB level, though it’s not fair to compare his throwing speeds as a second baseman to those of center fielders. Chisholm obviously had quicker releases and much shorter distances to throw on the right side of the infield than he will from center field.

It’s a gamble for the Fish nonetheless, given the challenge of projecting how quickly he’ll develop the kind of reads needed to be a solid defensive center fielder. Yet it’s one Miami will take after missing out on their chances to directly upgrade the position from outside the organization. The free agent market at the position was mostly limited to depth players beyond Brandon Nimmo, Cody Bellinger and Kevin Kiermaier. Trades only offered a few more obvious candidates, with the Pirates sticking to a massive asking price on Bryan Reynolds and even reports of a somewhat significant ask from the Royals on a glove-first option like Michael A. Taylor.

Rather than run things back with players like Jesús Sánchez, Bryan De La Cruz and JJ Bleday — all of whom are better suited in the corner outfield — they’ll turn things over to Chisholm. Their younger outfielders will vie for a spot in the corner opposite Avisaíl García, while Arraez looks like to be joined by Joey Wendle, Jean Segura and Garrett Cooper in the primary infield.

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