TODAY: The Marlins have officially exercised Marte’s option, according to The Associated Press.
OCTOBER 18: During a conference call with reporters (including Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) to discuss the departure of president of baseball operations Michael Hill, Marlins CEO Derek Jeter noted that the club is planning to exercise its $12.5MM club option on outfielder Starling Marte for the 2021 season. The option contained a $1MM buyout.
Miami acquired Marte in a trade deadline blockbuster with the Diamondbacks that sent southpaw Caleb Smith, right-hander Humberto Mejia and minor league left-hander Julio Frias to Arizona. Given the substantial trade return, it always seemed pretty likely that the Marlins would pick up Marte’s option rather than see him only as a rental player for the rest of 2020.
Still, with all of the economic uncertainty around baseball, there are only a few contract options that could be seen as 100 percent sure things this winter. It is also noteworthy that the Marlins are the team making this decision, given their history of low payrolls. Marte immediately becomes their highest-paid player and a symbol that the rebuilding in Miami could be coming to an end, even though if it’s probably safe to assume that the Marlins won’t be going on a spending spree just yet.
Marte’s first month in a Marlins uniform had mixed results, as he only hit .245/.286/.415 in 112 regular-season plate appearances. The Fish did end up reaching the postseason, however, and Marte went 2-for-4 in the Marlins’ Game 1 victory over the Cubs in the wild card series. Unfortunately for Marte, he was also hit by a pitch and suffered a hand fracture, sidelining him for the rest of the postseason.
Assuming no long-term effects from the injured hand, Marte will be ready to roll as Miami’s everyday center fielder in 2021. The 32-year-old hit a combined .281/.340/.430 over 250 PA with the D’Backs and Marlins last season, and has been a consistently steady performer over his nine-year career, spent entirely in Pittsburgh prior to the 2020 campaign.
Marte’s original six-year, $31MM extension with the Pirates signed in 2014 contained club options for both 2020 and 2021, so with both options exercised, that contract will end up as an eight-year, $53MM pact. Marte forfeited roughly $2.4MM of that sum during his 80-game suspension for a positive PED test in 2017, and the shortened 2020 season reduced Marte’s salary from $11.5MM to a little under $4.26MM.
No-brainer. I hope he does well there. I always enjoyed watching him play as a Pirate fan. He gets hit with a lot of pitches so those type of injuries are part of the package with him.
I am surprised they paid him the option. Marlins are probably figuring on another shortened season so they only have to pay a pro rated amount again. The guy hit 245 over 100 at bats no longer has the blazing speed he once had. At 32 he seems to be showing signs of aging. I would’ve paid the million dollar buyout of the option. Overpay with the uncertainty of the economy and a large percentages of fans walking away from pro sports. Don’t believe me google 2020 World Series tv ratings (all time lows).
Ratings for now don’t mean much. People have too many other things to be concerned about right now.
As for signing Marte, this was a no-brainer. The Marlins need him as a stopgap, and a trade chip at the deadline.
Yeah I agree with you MarlinsFanBase. I think most people are busy dealing with covid/economy/election/etc and don’t have as much time for sports. Also, Marte is a good player, and it would be dumb to trade for him and then just let him go after 20 games. $11 million for a player like him is pretty decent.
do you not epact marlins not take easy way out( know they have him) and not get nothing for him?
2020 World Series tv ratings i read part of it is dh in n.l. .
His overall line wasn’t very good but I loved his defense out there. He also had some really clutch hits. He went through a rough year and I feel next full season he will be back to form.
Now they just need to say they are exercising Kintzlers option
Exercise it and trade him. Brinson, Sierra, Monte, Harold, Jesus Sanchez, Dickerson, and the promotions of Bleday and maybe Encarnacion. Berti can play the outfield too.
Everyone you say to trade has absolutely no value right now. Then what if JJ and Jerar are not ready?
Brinson did well towards the end of the season so I wouldn’t mind him being the 4th OF. Monte was awful I would give him another couple months in AAA. Sierra was great filling in this season before he got hurt. We had a great record with him in the lineup (he probably has the most value). Jesus Sanchez has had his stock slipping for years that’s why the Ray’s easily parted with him and he was also terrible this year and not looking so great in the minors. Harold is just a bonus we found and who knows now with his injuries. Dickerson looked great the last couple weeks and his overall career is above average I expect him to perform much better but either way no one will want to pay him what we owe him.
Trading Starling would be terrible. When we were trying to aquire him he asked about his option because he didn’t want to move a lot (his wife just passed) and apparently was told he will be here in 21. Would be a bad move. At least wait till July.
Point being is there would be no value trading those guys now. Give them another year to prove themselves without rushing JJ (who we need to be a big part of the future) and let Jerar learn how to use that power.
I can agree to trade Marte in July. But the only guy I’m saying to trade is Marte, and he has plenty of value. I did not say to trade anybody else.
Wow I read that very wrong then. I thought you were rattling to trade them all off to get JJ and Jerar a start. I still don’t think Marte has much value now with his overall line with us not being so great and his salary at a time teams will get poverty. Plus the whole thing with his family. Which is why they should definitely wait till the deadline at least.
I had no idea about his family. So yeah maybe keep him then. But I just would like to see Brinson, Sierra, and Harold get consistent at bats. I understand two of those guys are injury prone, but with Monte, Bleday, Sanchez, and Jerar waiting for the call up, they have depth. I think one of Dickerson or Marte needs to be traded. I guess wait until the deadline for Marte if we are not contending.
brinson cant hit . . just takin a spot of a better defensive player . like Victor Victor Mesa .
Mesa’s speed and defense are big-league ready right now. He’s a well above-average runner with the savvy to steal bases and he chases down balls from gap to gap in center field. Few players at his position can match his arm strength, which earns double-plus grades from some evaluators.
Of course. Play him or trade him.
I wonder if there’s a chance of them trading him. With the poor quality of the outfield market (especially in guys who can play CF, though Marte isn’t especially good out there) and the likelihood that spending will be low, one season of Marte at that price might be attractive to teams who need OF help)
Nope. Marlins want to win. None of the internal CF options have shown much to date…
Of course they are because he is good. Dbacks really traded 2 good prospects for him then decided to go cheap and trade him for much less.
Marlins won’t have the same success in a full 162 game series, they had a nice season but they will fall back to reality. Miami should just not pick up his option
Says an Angels fan….
Angels didn’t have the pitching unlike what the marlins had, Arte Moreno needs to redeem himself by getting bauer
Why would Bauer want to come tbere? They’re not going anywhere in that division. Bauer wants to win. My guess is Atlanta or Boston will pick him up. Never understood why Trout signed that extension. He’ll never win a World series there.
It’s actually the perfect division to go to. Only one team finished above .500. The Astros are about to rebuild and couldn’t even put up a winning record and still made the postseason. Who’s the competition? The A’s?? They have to slap together a roster every year on pennies and just lost Beane.
No, they definitely should pick up his option. He has value, they can trade. But to not pick up his option is crazy talk
That would be a stupid move. No wonder the Angels miss the playoffs every year, despite Trout.
Nobody will find a player with Marte’s skillset on the open market for $12.5M. It’s a win for MIA no matter how 2021 plays out.
Enough about the Marlins. Who’s going to be the yankees third string catcher next year? Now there’s a story.
Marte is a good player but I’ve seen few players as overrated by fans. He’s a decent fielding corner outfielder with a somewhat above league average bat. That’s what he is. Hopefully for the Marlins he performs next year and can be flipped for prospects cuz Miami is unlikely to contend next year. (Unless Manfred sets a blowtorch to the sport by making half the league qualifying for the playoffs permanent. In which case who cares about any of it).
Jeter said at the time of Marte’s acquisition he wasn’t expecting him to be a rental. It would be nice to see the Marlins continue to make inroads and build on this past season.
As a BB fan, I am extremely pleased, assuming they keep him, and not trade him.
I encourage all teams to occasionally tank, as part of a l/t strategy. But the flip side of that is that, when they do have a competitive team, they should be going all in.
Good move and a no-brainer. With Marte in CF and Dickerson in LF, it forces all of the young OFs to battle for RF and the 4th OF spot (Harold Ramirez, Brinson, Sierra, Harrison, Jesus Sanchez, and maybe Victor Victor Mesa). Might even see if some of those younger OFs show enough to not only cover RF, but to make the Marlins consider moving Dickerson in a trade for another need.
Now the interesting part in all of this is what to do with Garrett Cooper. He most likely will be in ST with us, but with no DH, he’s either in RF or possibly going to be moved if he can’t secure a key job. He is out on 1B with Aguilar there and Lewin Diaz on the verge of being ready.
People seem pretty confident we will have a DH next season. I’m usually against it but with Cooper and Aguilar I would love it. Either way Victor Victor Mesa looks like an absolute bust and with the logjam I don’t know how he gets a shot. It’s looking like his brother is the real get. Shame we spent that much on him but it seemed like we wouldn’t be the only team to do so and like so many of those Cuban players seemed like a good bet. Oh well.
I wonder why they haven’t announced Kintzlers option. Even if he isn’t the closer he was a good arm with a good track record and we will need all the pen help we can get. I also liked his attitude here and he really bought in to the process.
Yeah, I’m sold on the DH after this year. With the Marlins and Marlins Park, we can have a DH and still have fun strategy with our need to manufacture runs. Without it next year, Cooper is looking like an odd man out.
As for Kintzler, who knows. Probably trying to determine based on budget for next year. He is a solid piece. With him, I would still move toward another closer outside of the organization. Kintzler would be a solid set-up piece in support.
I feel the same way. Quality relief pitching is expensive so his 4 million option doesn’t seem bad at all. Even not closing he can get a ground ball when we need it, set up and spot close. Or come in at crucial moments. I think it is important how well he fit in to our ideology and became a leader.
I think if for some reason his option is not picked up he will easily find a 5 million plus offer for next season.
That was fast, but also no surprise.
Congrats to the dodgers. Well deserved
Good and smart next step for the Marlins, experienced leadership on the field to compliment the players who have been there and providing leadership
Bummer Marlins picked up Marte’s option. It’s both a bargain and a good move for Miami. I say “bummer’, because I was hoping my Phillies would sign him if he became a FA . We have nada in CF. Marte may be more of a corner OF at this time, but CBP is small, so playing CF there would have probably worked out okay.
Moot point now. Phils need to look at Jurickson Profar for CF. After a slow start (sub. 200 BA), from about mid-season on, he was one of the best hitters in the league. Nice pop and speed combo. Plus I like his position versatility. Wouldn’t be the first post-hype prospect to finally put it all together later than sooner.
Hmm I’m not sure that Profar is a center fielder. He played center for one or two games with the Padres, but he is mostly a second base/corner outfielder. Playing him at center for a full season is probably not a good idea. He is a pretty good player though, so I’m hoping the Padres keep him for DH/injury replacement.
No brainer
This is a good example of what can happen when you “hope” to bring a player back.
Easy decision that I hate… only cause I’m a Braves fan and don’t want them to have good players..
So it’s looking like Dickerson, Marte and Sierra/Brinson/J Sanchez in the outfield mix and an infield of B Anderson, M Rojas, I Diaz and J Aguilar, with Berti, Chisholm and Cooper in the backup mix. Wallach and Alfaro at C… I would love to see the Fish bring in Kike Hernandez or a vet of that caliber to add to the IF/OF mix.