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Marlins Could Have Avoided Teardown With Different Ownership

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Major League Baseball officials complained “to the highest levels of ESPN management” after commissioner Rob Manfred’s fiery interview with ESPN Radio’s Dan Le Batard on Wednesday, Ryan Glasspiegel of The Big Lead reports. Le Batard took Manfred to task for the payroll slashing the Marlins have done this offseason under rookie owners Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter, and Manfred insisted (perhaps disingenuously) during their discussion that he was unaware the club would cut costs under its new leadership. ESPN spokesperson Ben Cafardo confirmed to Glasspiegel that MLB officials did reach out after the Manfred interview, though the exchange doesn’t seem to have fractured the two entities’ relationship. Cafardo passed along a statement to Glasspiegel from ESPN Executive Vice President, Programming and Scheduling, saying: “We have a terrific relationship with Major League Baseball and we’re in constant communication at all levels, so it’s not uncommon that we would discuss both issues and opportunities in the course of that communication.”

  • Had one of the other serious bidders for the Marlins acquired the team, this winter’s controversial roster teardown likely wouldn’t be occurring, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The runner-up, Jorge Mas, told Jackson he’d have retained Giancarlo Stanton, increased payroll from $115MM to $130MM and hired a new general manager. Fellow would-be owner Wayne Rothbaum would not have slashed payroll, either; instead, he’d have saved money by cutting “wasteful non-player spending,” including reducing executive salaries, a league source informed Jackson. Under Rothbaum, the Marlins would have tried to contend and improve their farm system – not one or the other. But both Mas and Rothbaum were outbid by Sherman and Jeter, who acquired the franchise for $1.2 billion. In doing so, they overpaid by roughly $400MM, a Marlins official suggested to Jackson.

AL Notes: Gordon, Segura, Twins, Roberto Perez

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New Mariners center fielder Dee Gordon doesn’t like what’s happening in Miami, Tim Healey of the Sun Sentinel reports. While his words don’t stir up controversy quite to the level of Giancarlo Stanton’s upon the slugger’s own exit from Miami, Gordon was very candid with his feelings about the direction of the Marlins’ franchise. “It’s terrible,” Gordon said, via Healey. “It’s almost — I’m not even going to say almost. It’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing. I don’t want to bash anyone, but what’s happened is not good.” The former Marlins second baseman expressed a distaste for the franchise’s trades of Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and himself, accusing the team of getting rid of them because of payroll obligations the Marlins’ new ownership “can’t take care of.” When asked what he thinks the club should do with Christian Yelich, Gordon said, “I think you have to let the dude go win.” Under new ownership, or course, the Marlins have expressed a desire to change the way the team operates financially in order to create sustainable success for the long-term. While the strategy has been met with skepticism by many (including colorful agent Scott Boras), others side with Derek Jeter and co., believing that the new owners aren’t morally obligated to remain bound to the financial decisions of the old regime.

More from around baseball’s American League during the holiday season…

  • In other Mariners news, shortstop Jean Segura says he was assaulted and robbed at gunpoint by corrupt police in the Dominican Republic. Mark Townsend of Yahoo Sports delves into the details of incident, which Segura made public via a post on his Instagram account. The photo of the post appears to show a number of DICAN officers, one of whom is “visibly armed,” in Townsend’s words. The Dominican Republic National Police have since announced the appointment of a commission to investigate the incident. Segura followed up a breakout 5-WAR 2016 campaign with the Diamondbacks by hitting .300/.349/.427 across 566 plate appearances in 2017.
  • The Twins “hope to get a meeting soon with Darvish,” Darren Wolfson of KSTP reports in a tweet. While the prospect of a meeting certainly doesn’t imply a serious pursuit of the former Rangers ace (indeed, Wolfson adds that there’s no indication the club has made a formal offer), a potential pursuit of Darvish by Minnesota is intriguing. Any contract large enough to lure him in would need to nearly triple the club’s highest-ever guarantee given to a pitcher ($55MM to Ervin Santana). However, it’s no secret that the Twins are in dire need of pitching if they plan to compete this offseason, and as MLBTR’s Steve Adams notes, the club is definitely in a position to spend this offseason.
  • Roberto Perez, backup catcher for the Indians, is focused on getting his mother a new home. A story by Jordan Bastian of MLB.com details Perez’ desire to sit down with his mom Lilliam Martinez this holiday season and discuss plans to build a new house to replace the one that was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria. Bastian’s piece provides some insight into the emotions of Perez since the storm hit; the piece is well worth a read for fans looking to learn more about how Puerto Rico has been affected since landfall by the Class 5 storm. The 29-year-old Perez made his MLB debut with the Indians back in 2014. He signed a four-year, $9MM extension last spring following three excellent defensive seasons with the Tribe.

Marlins Looking To Trade Starlin Castro?

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  • The Marlins are still indicating to rivals that they’re not particularly interested in dealing Christian Yelich or J.T. Realmuto, Heyman tweets, though of course that could yet be a bargaining stance. Notably, though, the Fish are said to be seeking ways of parting with the recently acquired contract of Starlin Castro. Though Miami executive Gary Denbo indicated earlier today the club intends to keep Castro, it certainly would not be surprising for Miami to strike a deal if it means shedding yet more salary obligations to a player who likely won’t be a part of the organization’s next contending roster.

Marlins Notes: Yelich, Starlin, Smith, Rotation

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The White Sox are among the clubs that have spoken to the Marlins about Christian Yelich, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter), though he adds that those talks never gained much traction. Per Crasnick, talks never advanced beyond “routine dialogue.” Certainly, though, if the Marlins elected to shop Yelich to other clubs, there’d be a fit between the two sides. Chicago has one of the game’s top farm systems, and the 26-year-old Yelich would align nicely with the rebuilding White Sox’s projected timeline for contending. Yelich is owed $44.5MM over the next four seasons — a sum that includes the buyout on a $15MM option for a fifth season. All told, Yelich can be controlled for five years and $58.25MM — a relative bargain for a player that has batted .293/.371/.447 with outstanding left field defense over the past three seasons. Yelich showed in 2017, too, that he can handle center field if needed, though defensive metrics are much more bullish on his corner work. For now, however, Crasnick notes that execs with other clubs believe the Marlins will hang onto Yelich.

A bit more on the Marlins…

  • Marlins vice president of player development Gary Denbo tells reporters that he expects Starlin Castro to be a part of the club in 2018 as well (link via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). Denbo spoke highly of Castro, praising his ability to hit for power relative to other second basemen. Castro, acquired in the blockbuster that sent Giancarlo Stanton to New York, is owed $22MM over the next two seasons and has a $16MM option for a third year. There’s been plenty of speculation that the Marlins, looking to further trim their payroll, could flip Castro to a club in need of a second baseman. Marlins fans will want to check out Jackson’s piece for Denbo’s evaluations of prospects Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers — the other two players in the Stanton deal.
  • Jackson’s column and this column from MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro both contain a number of quotes from Denbo on the young pitchers the Marlins have acquired this offseason. Denbo suggests that lefty Caleb Smith (another pickup from his former organization, the Yankees) will compete for a rotation spot in 2018. Smith, 26, was hit hard in a tiny sample of 18 1/3 innings with the Yankees last year, but he turned in an outstanding 2.39 ERA with 8.9 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 41.1 percent ground-ball rate in 98 Triple-A innings in the Yankees organization. Smith averaged 94 mph on his heater with the Yanks last year, though he did so primarily as a reliever, so that velocity will likely take a step back when working as a starter. Denbo also weighs in on first baseman Garrett Cooper, who could potentially serve as a right-handed complement to Justin Bour.
  • In his latest Marlins Inbox, Frisaro breaks down the Marlins’ potential rotation, noting that he’s not convinced Dan Straily will be traded (thus positioning him to be the team’s Opening Day starter). Jose Urena should be in the mix as well, with Adam Conley, Justin Nicolino, Odrisamer Despaigne, Dillon Peters and (as Denbo suggested) Smith all in the mix as well. Wei-Yin Chen, of course, will start if he can return to health, though his status remains up in the air. Frisaro tackles a number of other roster-related issues, including the outfield alignment, the timeline of some pitching prospects to the Majors and Derek Dietrich’s role with the club.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/21/17

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We’ll cover the day’s minor moves in this post:

  • The Cubs have re-signed catcher Taylor Davis, MLBTR has learned. The 28-year-old was non-tendered after a season in which he received his first MLB call-up, staying long enough to pick up his first few base knocks but not to put down a meaningful track record. Davis strode to the Triple-A plate 406 times in 2017, producing a .297/.357/.429 batting line with six home runs. Notably, he continued to exhibit strong plate discipline and contact ability, striking out just 45 times while drawing 37 walks.

Earlier Updates

  • Indians have agreed to a deal with right-hander Lisalverto Bonilla, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). The 27-year-old struggled badly in his ten MLB appearances last year with the Reds, working to a 8.10 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 while serving up eight long balls in 36 2/3 innings. He did generate a useful 11.8% swinging-strike rate, though, and has typically drawn a fair number of grounders in the minors.
  • The Nationals reached a minor-league pact with righty Chris Smith, MLBTR’s Steve Adams tweets. He gets an invitation to participate on the majors side of camp next spring. Smith, 29, got a brief taste of the majors last year with the Blue Jays, showing a 93.9 mph average four-seamer. He spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he worked to a 5.40 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9, but Smith has recorded much higher strikeout rates in the upper minors in the past.
  • Lefty Hunter Cervenka was outrighted to Triple-A by the Marlins after clearing waivers. He had been removed from the 40-man roster recently as the organization continues to tweak its mix of MLB assets. Cervenka spent most of 2017 at the Triple-A level, where he pitched to a 4.58 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 5.9 BB/9. That hefty walk rate has long been a problem for Cervenka, who’ll soon turn 28.
  • The Tigers announced a series of minors signings today. Lefty Will Lamb, infielder Ronny Rodriguez, and outfielders Jason Krizan and Kenny Wilson are all joining the Detroit organization, with Krizan and Rodriguez also taking spring invites. Lamb, 27, has struggled to a 6.06 ERA in 120 1/3 career Triple-A frames, but owns a 2.28 ERA in 90 2/3 innings at the penultimate level of the minors. The 25-year-old Rodriguez brings some infield versatility and pop to the table; he hit .291/.324/.454 with 17 home runs in 483 plate appearances last year at the Indians’ top affiliate. Krizan, 28, will return for his eighth year in the Detroit system; in 2017, he hit .281/.351/.417 in 480 upper-minors plate appearances. Wilson, who’ll soon turn 28 as well, is a speed-and-defense type who has not yet hit enough to earn his way into the big leagues.

Rob Manfred On Marlins’ Fire Sale, Long-Term Direction

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In a heated interview on the Dan Le Batard show, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred refuted the notion that he had any advance knowledge that the incoming Marlins ownership group, led by Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman, had plans for a reduction in payroll (Facebook link with full audio/video of the interview).

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, however, cites multiple sources that agree with Le Batard’s assessment, suggesting that the Commissioner’s Office was fully aware of what would unfold after Jeter and Sherman took the reins in south Florida. Per Jackson, two sources that were “directly involved” in the sale said that the new ownership group was required to inform other owners of their intentions with payroll, and they let it be known that there’d be a reduction to the $85-90MM range.

Jackson also writes that someone “directly involved” in the sales process said that Manfred’s comments were “absolutely not true,” adding that the Commissioner’s Office requests an operations plan from all prospective bidders. The Jeter/Sherman group’s operational plan, titled “Project Wolverine,” according to Jackson, was “widely circulated” and known about prior to the league’s approval of the sale. Manfred paints the bidding process in a considerably different light.

“Just like in every other ownership transfer, we examined the financial wherewithal of the group,” says Manfred of the approval process. “We made sure that the governance structure of the partnership was consistent with our rules. And we had interviews with the people who were going to be running the club to get a general understanding of their approach to running the club. Everyone that was involved in that process, including me, was convinced that this group is committed to winning baseball in South Florida over the long haul.”

Manfred repeatedly denies any knowledge of the Marlins’ plans for tearing down payroll and stresses that he is a firm believer in the fact that the Jeter/Sherman group has a long-term plan and a commitment to bring winning baseball to south Florida. Pressed on whether there was an indication that the Marlins planned to trade Giancarlo Stanton and others, Manfred emphasizes that specific baseball operations decisions aren’t a part of the approval process when soliciting bids from prospective owners.

“We don’t approve, dictate or necessarily ask clubs what they’re going to do with respect to their individual operations,” Manfred explains. “Those are local decisions that really are not part of the approval process. .. We don’t get into, ’Are you going to trade Player X or Player Y at a particular point in time?’ Nor do we ask them to make a commitment as to what they’re going to do with payroll before they’ve even got in and made an evaluation of their talent level, their ability to win with the people that they have there. That’s just not how the ownership process works.”

Manfred goes on to argue that Major League Baseball has long been a cyclical game, adding that recent World Series victories from the Astros and Cubs underscore the fact that aggressive payroll cutting and rebuilding tactics can indeed produce winning clubs. Conversely, the 2012 World Series participants (San Francisco and Detroit) have the first two picks in next year’s draft.

To be sure, there’s logic behind those claims, though not all rebuilds are created equally. As Le Batard contends, south Florida — more than perhaps any other market — has long harbored feelings of betrayal at the hands of Major League Baseball and former Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria. The distrust that many baseball fans in Miami have toward the Marlins organization is palpable, and the support (or lack thereof) that the Marlins figure to receive throughout this process is not synonymous with the loyal fan base that a team such as the Cubs enjoyed during its own rebuild.

That said, the organization is ultimately a business, and it never seemed especially plausible to expect a new ownership group to enter and hemorrhage money by throwing millions more at a roster that lacks the depth of a sound farm system and has ranked last in the National League in attendance in each of the past five seasons.

If anything, the true point of contention for Miami fans isn’t necessarily (or shouldn’t be) the decision to tear down the roster but rather to do so in a manner that looks to have generated more financial savings than top-tier talent in the process. Many pundits have suggested that the returns the Marlins have received thus far are all on the light side. One can argue that cost savings should have taken a back seat to talent acquisition and prompted new ownership to include additional funds in the trades in order to bolster the respective returns.

Whether the league had any inkling that another fire sale was forthcoming for the Marlins, the reality facing the team now is that they’re presented with an even greater uphill battle in terms of generating attendance as they field a team that is without, at minimum, star-caliber players like Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Dee Gordon. Additional trades involving J.T. Realmuto, Christian Yelich and others, of course, may yet come to fruition; both Realmuto and Yelich are reportedly unhappy with the Marlins’ direction — so much so that Realmuto’s reps at CAA are said to have let the Marlins know that their client would prefer to be traded.

The entire interview between Le Batard and Manfred is more than 17 minutes long but is well worth a full listen both for fans in Florida and those of teams in other markets.

Marlins To Sign Jacob Turner

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The Marlins have agreed to a contract with righty Jacob Turner, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). Details of the pact are not yet apparent.

Now 26, Turner spent parts of three seasons with the Marlins earlier in his career. The former top prospect was acquired in the swap that sent Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to the Tigers.

Things never went quite as hoped for Turner, who turned in twenty starts of 3.74 ERA ball in 2013 but without the peripherals to match. He struggled badly in 2014 and ended up heading to the Cubs in a DFA-limbo swap that kicked off something of a journeyman existence of late.

Most recently, Turner stepped into a swingman role for the Nationals. In 39 MLB frames in the 2017 season, he worked to a 5.08 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9. Though he averaged a career-high 95.6 mph on his four-seamer while spending most of his time in the bullpen, Turner generated only a 6.0% swinging-strike rate.

It’s conceivable that Turner will compete for a rotation or bullpen spot in Miami. The Marlins are obviously on the hunt for affordable pitching as they oversee a payroll-paring effort this winter.

Christian Yelich “Unhappy” With Marlins’ Direction, Set To Meet With Front Office

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Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich is — rather unsurprisingly — not particularly enthused with the direction the club has taken so far this winter, according to a report from Jerry Crasnick of EPN.com. That said, the 26-year-old has not demanded a trade and is willing to hear out president of baseball operations Michael Hill on the organization’s plans.

Yelich joins catcher J.T. Realmuto as veteran Marlins players who are evidently disappointed by the fact they are bound to an organization that has already dealt away three critical roster pieces this winter. While neither player enjoys no-trade protection, their views are hardly irrelevant for a new ownership group that has not exactly endeared itself to local fans since taking the helm a few months back.

Miami previously shipped out veterans Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, and Dee Gordon, each of whom was a key regular who came with contract rights beyond the 2018 season. Those deals relieved a significant portion of the team’s payroll pressure, though more paring is anticipated.

It was already fair to wonder whether and when Yelich, Realmuto, and others would be put on the block, but the question is now teed up publicly. At the same time, Hill issued a statement (which Crasnick tweets) saying “we will be the ones who initiate” any efforts to trade further veteran players.

Miami’s true plans are still a bit of a mystery. The organization has suggested it would like to attempt to build around some of its remaining established big leaguers, though it’s unclear as yet just how the team proposes to surround them with enough additional talent to create a contending roster in the near future. It’s certainly still possible the club is mostly just hoping to maintain its bargaining position by refusing to acknowledge that certain players are truly available.

Last we heard, multiple organizations were eyeing the talented Yelich. Along with Realmuto, he’s the most valuable trade asset in the organization, with enough outside interest that it seems the Marlins will enjoy a favorable bidding situation even if it’s made clear they are willing to make a move.

J.T. Realmuto Reportedly Requests Trade

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11:15am: Per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter link), the Marlins say they understand the reasoning behind Realmuto’s desire to be traded (the same goes for Christian Yelich), given the scope of the team’s recent rebuilding efforts. However, the Marlins still do not have any intention to trade Realmuto at present, Nightengale adds.

10:51am: Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that Realmuto does indeed want to be traded out of Miami.

10:46am: The Marlins haven’t been shy about blowing up the active roster, having traded away Giancarlo Stanton, Dee Gordon and Marcell Ozuna. Those trades, obviously, aren’t likely to sit well with the remaining talent on the roster, and it seems that catcher J.T. Realmuto can be counted among that camp. Craig Mish of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM tweets that Realmuto has requested a trade out of Miami; FanRag’s Jon Heyman, meanwhile, more softly suggests that Realmuto has simply told the team that he “wouldn’t mind” a trade of his own, given what has transpired in recent weeks (Twitter link).

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that one of the remaining top-tier young talents in Miami would, to whatever degree, express to the front office and ownership that he’s amenable to a trade (or, more strongly, that he would definitively like to be traded). The Marlins’ moves to shed payroll and the unlikeliness that the saved resources will be invested into the 2018 product leave little chance that the team will be competitive next year.

Realmuto, 26, might not be a household name but has quietly emerged as one of the better all-around catchers in the game over the past couple of seasons. In 1124 plate appearances dating back to Opening Day 2016, Realmuto has slashed .290/.337/.440 with 28 homers, 62 doubles, five triples and 20 stolen bases.

He’s also thrown out 33.7 percent of would-be base thieves — well above the league average of 27 percent — and in 2017 ranked as an above-average pitch framer (after a pair of negative seasons in that regard). Realmuto also ranked among the game’s best in terms of blocking pitches in the dirt, and Baseball Prospectus’ overall Fielding Runs Above Average metric pegged him as MLB’s sixth-best defensive catcher in 2017.

Realumuto’s value, though, goes well beyond the fact that he’s established himself as an above-average contributor on both sides of the ball. He’s also highly desirable from a contractual standpoint, as he’s entering his first offseason of arbitration eligibility and remains under team control through the 2020 season. Realmuto will turn 27 in March, so any team acquiring him would be acquiring three affordable years of his physical prime; he’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn an eminently affordable $4.2MM in 2018.

Heyman notes that the team’s response to Realmuto’s suggestion/request isn’t yet known. It’s worth noting that the Marlins are under no obligation to trade him even if he wants out. However, ticket sales in Miami already figure to be in the tank after their aggressive moves to pare back the payroll, and from a pure baseball standpoint, there’s an easy argument to be made that they should deal him now to continue adding young talent to what entered the offseason as perhaps baseball’s worst farm system. Three years of Realmuto should come with quite a bit of value even if there aren’t too many contending clubs in dire need of an everyday catcher. Speculatively, though, the Nationals, D-backs and Rockies are among the expected contenders that could use an upgrade behind the dish.

Dodgers' Offer For Stanton Included Gonzalez, McCarthy, Kazmir

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The Dodgers and Braves swung an out-of-nowhere, payroll-geared trade Saturday consisting of five major leaguers, with just one (Matt Kemp) going to Los Angeles in exchange for Adrian Gonzalez, Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy and Charlie Culberson. LA, which made the trade for luxury tax purposes, previously tried to send Gonzalez, Kazmir and McCarthy to the Marlins as part of a package for now-Yankee Giancarlo Stanton, according to Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. Although that failed, Dodgers brass already had a fallback option in the Braves, whose general manager – Alex Anthopoulos – worked in LA’s front office until mid-November. The two sides began discussing the parameters of Saturday’s trade shortly after his hiring, per McCullough. Talks gained steam during this week’s Winter Meetings before culminating in an agreement Saturday.

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