The Marlins and outfielder Jorge Soler have agreed to a three-year, $36MM contract, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports (Twitter links). Soler has opt-out clauses after each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Soler is represented by MVP Sports.
Soler will earn $12MM in the first year of the contract, as per FanSided’s Robert Murray (Twitter link). Provided he doesn’t opt out of the deal, Soler is slated to earn $15MM in 2023 and $9MM in 2024. Various incentives based on playing time could significantly boost that 2024 salary, as Soler gets an extra $500K for reaching the 350-plate appearance and 400-PA thresholds, and then a $1MM bonus for hitting 450 PA, 500 PA, and 550 PA.
The deal represents the second big free agent splurge of the winter for the Marlins, who also signed Avisail Garcia to a four-year, $53MM pact prior to the lockout. Miami went into the offseason with a stated need for outfield help and more lineup pop, and the result is two players who have combined for 154 homers since the start of the 2019 season.
Soler led the AL with 48 home runs during that 2019 campaign, one of the high points of what has been an inconsistent eight-year run in the majors for the 30-year-old. Both sides of the Soler experience was on display in 2021, when he began the season hitting only .192/.288/.370 with 13 homers over 360 plate appearances with the Royals.
After the Braves picked Soler up at the trade deadline, however, the switch seemed to be flipped. Soler proceeded to hit .269/.358/.524 with 14 home runs over 242 PA for his new team, and then topped that strong performance in the World Series, batting .300/.391/.800 with three more long balls during 23 PA in the Fall Classic. With Atlanta capturing the championship, Soler earned World Series MVP honors.
There was plenty of interest in Soler on the open market this winter, as the Braves were interested in a reunion, and clubs like the Rockies, Padres joined the Marlins as known suitors for the slugger. MLBTR ranked Soler 25th on our list of the winter’s top 50 free agents, and correctly predicted Soler’s actual three-year, $36MM contract. (Our Anthony Franco took the prognostication a step further and even picked Soler to sign with the Marlins.)
The challenge for any interested club, of course, was determining how much to bid for a player whose production has ebbed and flowed over the years. By that same logic, Soler and his representatives obviously wanted a solid deal that wouldn’t sell the outfielder short for future years if he did return to that 48-homer pace. The two opt-outs allow some flexibility in both cases, as if Soler does enjoy a big 2022 season, he can test the market again next winter.
If Soler did end up only being a Marlin for one season, the team might prefer the flexibility, given the continued uncertainty of Miami’s center field situation. General manager Kim Ng said earlier today that the team was on the lookout for center field help, though Garcia was cited as a possible center field candidate at the time of his signing.
With Soler now added to the mix, it would seem as though Garcia will be tapped for at least semi-regular center field duty, barring another move for the Fish. Jesus Sanchez can also get some work in center and will play regularly as a corner outfielder, while Soler will play every day in either the other corner slot or as the designated hitter. Garrett Cooper will likely get the other right field/DH spot that Soler doesn’t occupy, with Cooper and Jesus Aguilar also sharing time at first base.
Bryan De La Cruz will get one outfield bench spot, while minor league signings Delino DeShields and Roman Quinn could be battling for another bench role. Since DeShields has a stronger defensive track record, that might give him the edge in winning a job, especially if the Marlins seem to be prioritizing hitting over glovework with their other outfield choices.
The likes of Brian Anderson, Joey Wendle, or Jon Berti could also factor into the outfield picture, and future acquisitions can’t be ruled out during what has been a very aggressive offseason for the Marlins. Between the Soler/Garcia signings and the trades for Wendle and Jacob Stallings, the Fish are making a concerted effort to improve, and the free agent deals represent some notable expenditures for a traditionally lower-payroll team. Due to some reports that Derek Jeter’s surprising departure as CEO was because of a change in ownership’s willingness to spend, the Soler contract will quiet some criticism directed at the franchise in the aftermath of Jeter’s decision.
If Soler doesn’t opt out and he hits his 2024 incentive clauses, the total value of the deal will top out at $40MM over three years, which isn’t a huge spend in comparison to other free agent contracts. That said, Miami native Nick Castellanos was another rumored Marlins target, and the Fish might’ve simply felt that spending $36MM (or as little as $12MM) on Soler was a better investment than topping the five-year, $100MM contract Castellanos received from the Phillies. Castellanos also would’ve cost the Marlins a draft pick via the qualifying offer, whereas Soler wasn’t attached to any draft compensation.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Soler means “to usually do” in Spanish.
The Marlins soler not compete
lmao
This is one of the funniest comments I have ever witnessed. Congratulations on being great
Gracias ⚾️
I thought I was the mercenary. My boy Soler showed me up this time. At least I went to a team that will complete. Enjoy the next few years near the bottom of the NL East my old teammate.
Wow. That name. I imagine there may be a few fans a bit miffed by Freeman.
@Mercenary: I’m going to mute you. No offense.
“Wahhhh! Someone has a different opinion than me!”
Porfavor (it’s all I got)
Adios muchachos, No Soup For You!
Not exactly a center fielder…
I assume they could possibly shift someone to OF but could be wrong here.
Brian Anderson, only from 3b to outfield right
but knowing done the battle is in left.
marlins and media make it more than it in cf right now. between two players Avisail Garcia and Jorge Soler . don will let Jorge Soler win till proven other wise. .
Marlins could be innovative……….
Play a 4 man OF with Anderson moving out there from 3B.
Heck, most LH hitters don’t hit to the 3B area anyway, and most RH hitters would rather take a chance on K’ing then drop a bunt there.
Better plug who eill slug with no pressure to win
Not exactly a fielder lol
I thought Randall Grichuk would be a Marlin by now.
don’t get me wrong, soler is a great player but i think this signing will come back to bite the marlins depending on the money. soler is clutch and succeeds in high intensity moments but on a team quite far away from playoff contention his value shrinks
Is he clutch? He had a good playoffs. Players get hot. He doesn’t suddenly get better during the playoffs, he just got hot this time.
Great player? Really?
Idk he had some decent years with the Royals and they weren’t anywhere near contending.
We all know if he has a good first half, Miami will trade him
I am thinking he is going to be like Adam Duvall last year lol. Maybe even be traded back to Atlanta lol (probably not)
Marlins shouldn’t have to worry about a 12 or 9 million dollars hurting the team. It’s pathetic that he will be the highest paid player there in 2024 if he sticks around.
The point is to win. Not collect bad contracts.
Giants continue to make big moves
Back to rebuild.
Darn it, man!
Litle Cuba
Little proofreading?
Fragmented sentence? =}
I can’t get too elaborate with the sentence structure, otherwise they won’t understand.
They still need someone to play in the middle of the outfield not sure how another dh corner type is what they needed
But can he hit .230 AND play CF?
I really wanted him to be a brave… I wish he wasn’t playing on a team we always play.. really stinks. He’ll hit a bunch of bombs off us like duvall did last year lol
Yeah but Ozuna is blocking him unfortunately
rumor braves offer same deal . without plate ap bonus . state taxes won this at end of the day.
If true, prob right. But I’m the type of guy that would avoid playing for a train wreck of an organization all else being equal or close to equal. Lol
I really hope Toronto’s OF gets more crowded because I would love to see a guy like Mallex Smith in MIA
Mallex Smith is worse than DeShields jr.
The NLE has been consistently trying every year. I liked the Marlins pre-lockout moves. This is a feisty team with solid pitching.
As a Braves fan I don’t mind this too much, wish he didn’t sign in the NL east though. We have Duvall and they are about the same type hitter but Duvall plays a little better defense.
Duvall is a plus defender who can play CF. Soler is a DH who is limited to RF and is rated the worst defensive player at that position.
Now what AA?
Either another pitcher or more minor depth signings, I think.
Overpay. Probably gets traded mid-season to Atlanta.
Lol. Just saw a comment saying the same thing on Bleacher Report.
rumor is braves offer same deal. taxes at end of day won..
PA bonus was not on table by braves. that work good.
and he cant be as bad as lewis brison
He has had 1.5 good years. Career War numbers aren’t very good. Cashed in a good second half and post season into a good pay day. Good for him.
That’s reasonable.
He should go back to making those panels for roofs.
He’s AOC’s favorite player ⚾️☀️
I don’t know why the Marlins are in desperate need for a center fielder. Just let De La Cruz play there for this year and call up Peyton Burdick next season to be the everyday guy. De La Cruz could just move into a 4th outfield role in 2023 if both Burdick and Bleday get called up.
Good dh plug
People forget this man hit 48 HRs a couple years ago. Could be a sneaky good signing for Fish but still need to add a CF imo
Lots of players put up big numbers in 2019.
An outlier fueled by the juiced baseball and Jorge’s juiced little balls.
So much for my pipe dream of the fish taking Gallo or hicks off our hands lol
I don’t really mind Gallo because his glove is so good. Granted, he’s tough to watch; downright ugly at-bats many times (212 of them last year). But GG OFer with 40-50 HR potential is useful – it just can’t be how your entire roster is constructed.
No, Gallo as a #7 hitter is fine if the rest of the lineup is good. We have some existing issues as you well know. Issues that we need to address if we want to win by anything other than luck & a milkshake.
In 3 moves we could have our offense & defense set:
– Trade for Contreras: No top prospects needed
– Sign Story with multiple opt-outs; won’t kill budget or hold back Volpe
– Trade for Naquin for CF – good offensive guy, Hicks can be D replacement late in games. Won’t cost much at all in trade.
I assert we need one more pitcher but that’s another conversation….
I question if they add any more payroll to this team now, aside from a pitcher. Granted, they could turn around and sign Story at any point.
I agree, I think they’re trying to avoid increasing payroll at all.
Aside from a locker room speech I’d have preferred Soler the last 5 years over Heyward and one year of Wade Davis.
And you would have been wrong even not counting a locker room speech
YES
Cheap enough signing. Still have them in 4th place.
Seems like a poor use of their (supposedly) limited resources.
Damned if they do, damned if they don’t.
If they were a team who was willing to spend a lot, sure. I’d agree with you. But Soler is a league-average hitter with no defensive skills and they just made him their highest-paid player.
Adding to an offense that needs help, especially in the power dept… nothing poor about it
My point is that the Marlins are always crying poor and not spending money because of it. Now they just made Soler their highest paid player and aside from 2019, he has been mediocre at best. Maybe he plays great and I’m wrong, but it seems like they just blew what is presumably the bulk of their remaining money on a guy who has played in parts of 8 seasons and aside from one season, he’s been replacement level. 3.6 career WAR in 661 games, 3.5 of it coming in 2019.
And I didn’t even mention his injuries.
Welcome to the Marlins experience
The Marlins really should have tried harder to land Nick Castellanos (or even Kyle Schwarber), but this is a solid consolation. Much needed signing for the Marlins.
Say it ain’t so Jorge!
Probably going to love it in Miami though.
Thanks you! I’m so glad we missed out on him
Why would be go to a trash team like the Marlins?
In order to pad his numbers. If you’re the only one hitting on the team then your numbers look really good.
That seems like crazy high money possibility. I love the bonus structure.
LMFAO! WORST DEAL EVER! SUCH A JOKE.
And the Marlins have now topped the Yankees in FA $ given out this offseason…….
Soler has enough juice to get an opt out. Lol. Miami shouldn’t be using their money on high risk low reward guys. Project Wolverine FTW.
Jeter leaves the Marlins after they tell him they aren’t going to splurge on FA’s. Now this. Makes sense?
Well, to be fair Jeter alluded to an available minimum of $15M this offseason that was supposed to be available to him, and a progressive increase of available funds next offseason, which this doesn’t meet. So they did come in under that threshold still.
Jeter wanted Castellanos, and Castellanos wanted to come to the Marlins. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Castellanos had been willing to take a few million less to sign with them instead of the Phillies. They committed basically the same amount of money to Soler/Garcia as Castellanos got, so I guess it comes down to whether you think those two are more valuable than Castellanos alone. I would have taken just Castellanos over those two, personally. I’m a Red Sox fan, but I’m with Jeter on this one. I would have been pissed off too.
wrong just reports by new york media.. while miami media said they never heard marlins where stopping spending…
lot of it was attendance. jete was one turn marlins man down on buyingg 3 years of season tickets. nd he buy extra to give away also.
and sale of other things . like jersey sale was at bottom under jeter while new one under loria was rank 12,14, 15, 13 ,16 16
plus it was rumor jeter was a double ss o work for behind seen .
What the heck did I just read? Rock you ok there man?blink twice if you can move. Wow what a stupid post.
He’ll probably hit .250 with 30 homers and 170 strikeouts and about 3 WAR if he plays 140+ games. I think most of his games will be DH.
Doubt 3 war with his defense.
Hence why most of his games will be DH.
If he doesn’t miss half the season to injury like he does most of the time
May want to pump the brakes on that prediction. He’s amassed 3.6 WAR in his entire career. He played in 149 games last year and was only worth 1.1 WAR.
Trading Cooper (if he’s healthy) to the Rays now for either Kiermaier or Margot makes a lot of sense now. Marlins have enough flexibility with RH’ers Garcia/Soler/Aquilar at 1st/RF/DH now to move Cooper.. Do they want to spend another 12 million for KK and his LH’ed bat and GG defense or for Margot and his RH’ed bat, 4 million dollars and almost as good defensively in CF (or either corner as well)?
Rays get a good RH’ed bat they have been looking for to play COF./1st base/DH..
So we get two corner OFs. Either Bryan de la Cruz or Lewin Diaz are very likely to be blocked as a domino effect, we still don’t have a true CF, have yet to get a legit Closer, and we’re still stuck with Anthony Bass.
I think that covers this, right?
Can we at least get a legit Closer to hold leads when we have them, unlike last year when our bullpen couldn’t find a lead they couldn’t blow in the last two innings of a game?
I feel your pain, man. We are complaining about the same types of approaches to addressing team role problems. I don’t get it either.
I do wonder if they are doing what many posit on here as a trade deadline acquisition. Simply get a guy a team will likely want/need for a good enough contract that you’re confident you can flip him for more personnel at the deadline or in the offseason…. Makes sense in that light.
In the meantime, one of our strengths (defense) is hurt, and so far we didn’t address our weakness (bullpen).
I like Soler and Avisail Garcia, but that’s not good to have them when we already have corners in Jesus Sanchez, Bryan de la Cruz, and then DH get’s clogged up because we already have Aguilar and Cooper, with Lewin Diaz just about ready to take over 1B permanently.
I hope this is a precursor to a trade for either Kimbrel or Lou Trivino. Although it may mean that de la Cruz (or maybe Lewin Diaz) would be in a Trivino trade. I’d be okay with one of the vets (preferably Cooper) being part of a package for Kimbrel. If this isn’t a precursor for a trade, it like, “Huh…what?”
Deshields probably gets a shot at CF, speed and on base percentage to even out the corners.
I hope not. When we got him, I was thinking de la Cruz starts and DeShields was a late-inning CF replacement.
when the last time Lewin Diaz prove himself ?
what a true cf to you? when you got at three who can do it.
we got victor mesa in minors Scotts claim defense is better than most mlb player. bet not much better than lewis brison.
What are you talking about? You pretend to be a Marlins fan, but clearly seem like you’ve never watched them play. Lewin Diaz is a 1B and he was hitting better at the end of last season. The Marlins are clogged at corner OF and at DH as a result of what they have at 1B possibilities with Aguilar, Cooper and Lewin Diaz.
Before you pretend to be a Marlins fan, at least learn a bit about the team. This is not the first time one of us Marlins fans have called you out for your false narratives based on complete ignorance about the Marlins…the team you pretend to root for.
So we get two corner OFs. Either Bryan de la Cruz or Lewin Diaz are very likely you the one put them in same senates.
yes what you do pretend to be a Marlins fan,.. lot you claiming craps that 94% of jeter trades where great .. just wait and see. i never took bate. .
i bet you support dh and still claim to be a fan. when marlins or clear n.l. team
i glad you can back number up on Lewin Diaz Career
WAR 0.5 AB 161 H 31 HR 8 BA .193 R 18 RBI 16 SB 0 i know he a 1b
BA 205 at bats 122 in 2021 witch is last year
Lewin Diaz is not in same sentence as Bryan de la Cruz
1B possibilities with Aguilar, Cooper and Lewin Diaz. . 162 at bats you still comparing him to Aguilar, Cooper
pretend all you like .
First, get Hooked On Phonics. You really need it. Your writing is confusing to read. You seemed confused as an individual with some of the stuff that you state here and what you’ve stated in the past that has had several of us Marlins fans call you out.
As for my statement in this situation. For your reading comprehension, since it seems there is a comprehension problem here (no surprise considering your writing), I’ll simplify the roster situation I pointed out. There are three OF spots. We entered the offseason with two corner OFs Jesus Sanchez and Bryan de la Cruz. We now added two more corner OFs (Avisail Garcia and Jorge Soler). So, that would mean that one will have to be standing in CF, which is not his best position (Garcia or de la Cruz). We will still need to find playing time for another, which would naturally say move him to DH (most likely Soler), but we’re clogged there too because we have Jesus Aguilar and Garrett Cooper to cover both 1B and DH – and we have Lewin Diaz on the verge at 1B (I’ll get to him in a moment). In this scenario, Aguilar plays 1B, Cooper plays DH. We still have four OFs to play three positions – and all three are natural corner OFs, with no natural CF. Comprehend now?
As for Lewin Diaz, you just revealed once again that you don’t watch Marlins games. You cited his stats, therefore confirming that you did not see him play at the end of the season to see his improvements at the plate. This isn’t the first time you’ve made statements that indicate you aren’t watching Marlins games. If you’re going to troll as a pretend Marlins fan, at least watch a game. Had you done that, you’d know that Lewin is very skilled defensively to where we’re waiting to see if he can hit enough to play 1B. He showed very little until the end of this past season when he started being more consistent, and started showing his HR power. But clearly you weren’t watching.
Now to your Jeter comments: On behalf of every real Marlins fan that called you out when you were making your statements, you lost all credibility when you praised Jeffrey Loria as an owner. And it continued downhill when you followed that up with dismissing that the Marlins did not have the pitching to support the hitting, and trying to sign the free agents that were available at the time (Arrieta, Darvish, Lynn, Cobb, etc.) would have brought their payroll over $200 million for a team that would have still not made the playoffs when looking at the performance of those pitchers after they signed their contracts. And you became a joke when you bashed Jeter for trading Stanton to the Yankees, which even Yankees fans called you out on that one.
In short, go troll another fan base and pretend you root for another team. You’ve already been revealed by us Marlins fans and the other fans that have seen your ridiculous statements.
@rockofloveusa
Here’s a good suggestion for your trolling efforts. Go pretend to be a Mets fan next. At least there, you won’t be discovered as easily because you’ll simply blend in with @MetsFan22…and a couple of others that roam in and out.
I could easily see Soler being a mid season acquisition for a contender
When they play the Phils, any ball hit to the OF is an automatic double. It’ll save a lot of injuries and drama.
Padres still need a corner outfielder, but sure am glad they didn’t sign this guy. 36 million buys a lot of cigars.
Nick pick up
I bet he’ll hit some dingers next year!
This has to be the biggest contract ever given to a player that had a negative WAR in the previous season, right?
Well I called it in the previous article earlier today. This is a good signing. I don’t see why everyone tries to knock the Marlins on every move they make. In 2020 everyone was singing praise about how close they are. Yes they took a step back in 2021 but they will be better this year. I believe they will not be in the playoff picture but who knows. That is why the play the game’s.
If the do not sign or trade for a true CF it will either be Cruz and DeShields manning the position. Burdick will inherit the position next season so there is no rush.
Is Burdick a good defensive CFer? I genuinely didn’t even know that he played CF. And yes, I agree that this Soler signing was a move they badly needed to make after losing out on Schwarber and Castellanos.
Not the greatest but better than average. They also have Bleday who can play CF but he is not swinging the bat like he did with Vanderbilt.
Burdick could end up being a good CF he just doesn’t have much time there. He has tools to be average at worst. I would like to personally see him groomed to the CF of the future .
This signing?bad. Cooper Soler Aguilar Lewin BA BDLC all rotating like 3 positions.
Bender better be closer. Bass had something like a .071 ERA in the 7th last year. Some good arms waiting to bust out like Pop. Bleier manages to be top tier somehow. The pen isn’t as bad as you think.
Stallings makes them allllll better. You need Jazz and Sanchez to grow. We need Asvail to find his passion. We need Aguilar Cooper and Soler to pu up good numbers rotating and hopefully BDLC and Asvail can man CF till we find the true answer.
If Pablo and Sixto can make 20 starts and be there at the end with Rogers,Meyer, Rogers and Sandy there with Cabrera and Luzardo fixing things we may have a team. I’m not saying ring. But I’m saying 81 wins.
de la Cruz or DeShields can’t man CF as starters unless the Marlins move a piece or two because for the OF, they now have Sanchez, Garcia, and Soler. For DH, they have Aguilar and Cooper who are 1B/DH, with Lewin Diaz about ready to take the the fulltime 1B job.
The OF is kinda in a mess right now because we have so many corner OF. As the roster stands now it’s Cruz as the starter and DeShields coming in the late innings as a defensive replacement. There really is no more options right now.
With de la Cruz manning CF, where do you play Soler, Garcia, and Sanchez if Aguilar and Cooper are handling DH/1B?
Pretty sure De La Cruz becomes a 4th OFer with Garcia taking center. Corner OF spots will probably be a rotation of Sanchez, Soler, and Cooper with Coop also rotating with Aguilar at first and DH with Soler. There’s a lot of moveable pieces which could help with depth for inevitable injuries, scheduling off-days for players to keep them fresh, and playing with matchups.
I don’t think Sanchez/Cooper/Aguilar will be with the team too much longer. One is getting traded for some type of BP arm.
It would suck to trade Sanchez so early in his career, unless they’re getting a sure thing.
I hope you’re right. After Sanchez got consistent ABs, I was impressed at the end of the year with what he was doing. I’ve always liked Coop – he’s just always getting injured, and because of that, his value is way down. It’s a shame because, if he plays 150 games, I see him hitting 30 homers and driving in 100. Aguilar has been great for us, too. Love his personality and leadership for our team.
But you’re also right in saying we need a bullpen arm, and more specifically, a closer.
see Cooper get traded first
It would suck to trade Sanchez no after yelich and zac gallen trades
im the only one from day one yelich bad. and jt
Good deal. Now sign Cespedes so I can see a dream Cuban outfield.
To paraphrase and edit a quote once said by Rick Pitino: Yoenis Cespedes is not walking throught that door. And if he does, he’ll be past his prime, immobile, still self-centered, and fearful of all pork products from a hot dog, to Cuban sandwiches and mostly carnitas de puerco.
I guess Astudillo will be the Closer or?
hip hip!?
Good call on Correa to the Twins.
Miami’s main need is offense, and Soler provides that. Good signing.
Could not agree anymore. Hopefully we can score a lot of runs so when the BP comes in they don’t blow all the leads like last year. We need a closer and a couple of setup men. I looked today at their AAA roster today and there is not much help there either.
Solid money for a guy who has routinely been a slightly above replacement player for most of his career. Shoutout to that agent.
I’m generally of the opinion that guys who can’t stay healthy in their early to mid 20s are to be avoided (unless there are some fluke injuries). I liked Soler, but not only is his health a major question mark, he’s not guaranteed to give good production even if he stays healthy. However, the deal does have potential upside.
potential upside that is severely limited by the opt-outs
I really thought he was going to be a 2 for 16 type of signing. I was way off and multiple opt outs
So Soler, like Correa basically signed a series of one year contracts
yeah im not really a fan. 36 million can be worth it if he outplays the deal. if he has a good first or second year, the rest of the contract is worth a lot to the team, but that can’t happen here. he could also very well put up negative WAR over the three total seasons.
soler seems to have low risk/high reward whereas the marlins have high risk/low reward. in my opinion, that’s how a lot of these opt-out heavy deals are.
if jason heyward plays great, he’s gone. if he doesnt play great, the cubs are stuck with a gigantic albatross. i really think teams should ask for more of a discount in exchange for opt outs.
Would have liked to see the Braves keep him but didn’t make sense with Ozuna coming back. Both are defensive liabilities.
Rosario is not good with the glove either. Only so many no-field, good-bat players you can roster. Well, unless you’re the Phillies.
To conserve oil and electric resources the Marlins will utilize SOLER Power in their stadium for the 2022 season ….!!
Soler signs a mid-minors league deal with the Braves and is assigned to their AAAA team in Florida
The reason why Soler hit so well and the light came on with the Braves and Soler’s improved approach and plate discipline-Kevin Seitzer.
Not sure wat to make of Kim Ng at this point.
I understand the Marlins revenue issues and that they’re waiting on their pitchers. Thought Stallings was a great pickup as well as Wendle. But picking up Solar after Garcia is pretty much taking on the same player. I’d guess the intent is to trade off one in-season to a team that needs a bat. And like the Phillies and others have experienced, legitimate ML CF’s are next to impossible to find. But the problem is this – the Marlins position players and especially their offense has been 2nd rate for some time now. And their defense is hardly superlative.
The Marlins have excellent young pitching on their ML roster – and it looks like more will be coming up in 2022. But at some point they’ve got to get better production out of their position players. I think Stallings will show some team leadership on the field – something they lack. But they badly need a few impact players that can turn the momentum of a game. I thought early last year that Jazz Chisholm might be one, but he hit a wall within a few months. He’s only 24, so there’s still time to grow. But there are too many players like Anderson, Rojas, Berti, Aguilar and Cooper that are decent MLB guys but……
Ms. Ng did the right thing coming in and getting the lay of the land so to speak. But too many of those position players are similar in what they bring, with the result being the Marlins are in a rut. There appear to be no minor league prospects about to hit the ML roster anytime soon. She has to consider using one or two of their young pitchers and maybe package them with some position players to get a few guys that can shake up that what is an incredibly bland O and D.
Perhaps acquiring Joey Wendle, Avisail Garcia and Jorge Soler means no more Jon Berti, Garrett Cooper and Brian Anderson. Regardless, the Marlins really do need a CF.
No. That means they don’t need Brinson, Isan Díaz and Alfaro (playing both C and LF). The Marlins do need a CF, but my feeling is at they try Sanchez and Garcia over there and see how it goes.
He will be traded to Atlanta at the deadline.
He’ll be gone at the trading deadline.
Just shows how a good half-season and postseason can blind people. Except for 2019 Soler has literally been a replacement level player. 3.5 bWAR of his career 3.6 bWAR came in 2019. For the math-challenged, that leaves 0.1 bWAR for the entire rest of his eight-year career in the majors.
My guess is that the contract will be a bust. Miami will find nobody to take any of the salary off their hands, and the Fish will end up paying $36,000,000 for replacement level performance.
As a Royals fan, I delighted in Soler’s 2019 season. But as has been said, he has been an inconsistent hitter (and **never** being of any value defensively) for his entire career. The only thing more surprising to me than MLBTR’s forecast of his contract is the fact that it became a reality. Even more audacious: The Braves will get away with paying Ozzie Albies one million dollars *less* than Soler’s 3 year contract (a contract with opt outs!!!!) over the next **8** years. And this for a player, Soler, who has already banked tens of millions already SMH!
So much for seeing Lewin play this season.
Good luck to Jorge, hope to see him in a Braves uniform again. I will never forget this as long as I live.
youtube.com/watch?v=6IdbOxI2N7I
What happens on the FA contest for cash prizes if third place is a tie?
More than I thought he’d sign for.
Can someone list the Fish’s starting lineup? I’m not seeing it.
With the way the roster stands now
LF Sanchez
CF Cruz/DeShields
RF Garcia
3B Wendle/Berti
SS Rojas
2B Jazz/Berti
1B Aguilar/Cooper
C Stalling
DH Solar
What about Brian Anderson?
Catchers: Stallings and either Jackson/Fortes
Infielders: Aguilar, Cooper, Chisholm, Anderson, Rojas, Wendle and Berti
Outfielders: Sánchez, Soler, García and De La Cruz (unless DeShields or Quinn take that last OF spot with a fantastic ST)
My lineup would be (vs RHP):
1. Chisholm 2B
2. García CF
3. Aguilar DH
4. Sánchez RF
5. Soler LF
6. Cooper 1B
7. Anderson 3B
8. Stallings C
9. Rojas SS
But of course, I’m no Mattingly.
Happy with the signing anyways. Now make a trade for a closer, bring a veteran LH reliever (a la Detwiler last year) and call it an offseason.
right What about Brian Anderson? Joey Wendle will mostly be playing at second with marlins and Shortstop the most
only why he take 3b is if Brian Anderson is playing right field..
witch be ok with as long defense not hurt at 3b .
no way Jon Berti take over 3b before Brian Anderson . like MarlinsFanHere saying.
I don’t expect Anderson to be with the team when they break camp. Read the article on Marlins.com and you will know what I mean.
Didn’t say Berti was taking over 3B. Anderson knows he must be willing to play in the OF in order to make the team. Read the article on Marlins.com
Which article on Marlins.com?
And I guess you forgot about Jazz playing 2B.
I couldn’t find it either.
I just looked myself and I couldn’t find it again. It was on there before the Spring Training games. Basically it says Anderson will need to be open playing in LF in order to make the team.
I also read an article saying BA has to be open to play RF, but I do not recall that it said he won’t make the team if otherwise.
Besides, that article was obviously before the Soler signing, so there is no an actual necessity for that right now. As much as Wendle is a good baseball player, he is no improvement over BA at 3B so no point moving him to RF. Maybe he will play a handful of games in the outfield when someone gets hurt and/or to squeeze Wendle/Berti in the lineup, but shouldn’t be too often.
left him out your lineup
like Anderson not their .
how you think people going take that ???
Anderson to be with the team when they break camp. ??? what gave you that reason ??? their never was a hot topic related to Brian Anderson time you wrote your line up .
Jazz playing 2B. never forgot. i said Joey Wendle will mostly be playing at second with marlins and Shortstop more than third . because i think Anderson hold down third and Joey Wendle is most 2b /ss
why i agree most
i know why that way
but be toss up between over some players getting Joey Wendle in if come own to dh
why i agree wit lineup most
i know why its that way
but be toss up between over some players getting pa compare Joey Wendle in if come own to dh
If he has a decent season hes traded at the deadline imho.
And probably for nothing b/c it’s the Marlins and they always give up too much, or not get enough back, in trades. They dont know the meaning of the word “value”
That’s a lot of money for a negative WAR
This is the centerfielder they desperately needed?
They got the desperate part.
Miami is projected by Fangraphs to win 80-82 games, and has a 21.9 percent chance to make the playoffs. Every incremental improvement will raise those odds a lot, since they’re on the cusp. Trading for Ramon Laureano would make sense.
Laureano would make more sense if he wasn’t in the middle of a PED suspension. I’ve got no problem with acquiring him at the Trade Deadline if he’s proven he can still hit, but at this point in time it just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense (other than being a gamble.)
agree 100 %
proven he can still hit i dont
i dont see him hit hr in marlins stadium. more
plus his rbi are not all that good best pa 481 rbi 67 not hitting a lot when people on base unless A’s are that bad in his 4 years.. A’s ask for pitcher .
His ability to hit is the same whether or not runners are on base. Talent doesn’t change like that. Maybe he hasn’t hit as well with runners on but that’s just a result of randomness. It will even out. Talent doesn’t change according to situation.
The Marlins just signed their DH.
Money aside, what a terrible signing this is. The guy doesn’t fit on their team at all. They already have the corner spots covered and he stinks defensively. He had a NEGATIVE WAR last season and if you take away the one season where he hit like 50 homers, then he has like a career 0 WAR. They really should have just kept Duval and saved the 80 million they’ve now wasted on Garcia and Soler. Not to mention the majority of their top end position prospects are outfielders who are now blocked…
All I asked for as a Marlins fan was to finally address the bullpen, and not give away too much value if they felt the need to move prospects. and they’ve once again done the opposite of that, and on top of that, have wasted money on OFers they dont need, or got them multiple years too late. Now, they paid Soler, and if he is good, they probably dont get anything for him in a trade, or he leaves. Meanwhile, they also paid him at that amount, when they didnt want to pay Marte about that same price…Also feels like they decided to make good on missing out on him coming out of Cuba 10 years ago, and just gave him the same offer lol
Still need 3 bullpen arms, including someone that can pitch in high leverage/close games, a veteran SP that can give them some innings, and I’m not sure there is room for more help position player wise, beyond relying on the young guys. I’d give De La Cruz another extended opportunity, although I personally think he is more of a RFer
I also should add that giving him the opt outs, in addition to the money, is unbelievable to me. I dont see how there would be anyone else in at those terms, but I guess if you really believe he is what he was for the Braves over larger sample sizes moving forward, and he actually somehow stays healthy, it somewhat makes sense in whatever universe that is…I guess it’s the one the Marlins operate in
With the opt outs,I bet they want him to opt out. Have a great 22 and say goodbye. Then we have Bleday and Burdick closer to ready (and you see where the franchise is as a whole and what you have). If anything he’s good and stays. The obvious thing is he’s mediocre and he stays.
The moves could not be over yet as well. As much as I love him maybe it’s time to try to move a Cooper or Aguilar with a pitcher for another area of need. Let Lewin start at first. Then whichever guy isn’t traded can DH with Soler and you get creative with. I wish the team would just gamble and go get Laureano (cause he wont cost much with his ped nonsense). Unfortunately here there is still work to be done.
Now the pen isn’t as bad as you think if they make some smart decisions in spring. Right now you do everything you can to get Bender a closers mentality. Last year Bass had like a 0.71 ERA in the 7th (or 8th?) So you keep him there NO MATTER WHAT. Bleier was extended and always seems to work out. Pop has the stuff. We need the team and Stallings to help him find it. Then they should finally convert someone in to a reliever like NN, Poteet or something like that where their stuff plays up. Campbell can probably be the long man. I’m sure.im forgetting some people since it’s been a moment but there is a blueprint that leads to a a decent pen.
And yes I know “decent” is not what we want. But everyone seems to feel it’s a dumpster fire. It can be better than you think. I wish they’d trade for Kimbrell or something. Either way I don’t think the moves are over with Soler coming. If they are then we have one heck of a show to watch with Mattingly juggling all these pieces,being the amazing manager he is. Also how ya doing man? I’m actually excited to go to some games this season..I didn’t get to make it out last year as all my people were afraid of something. Seems this year everyone is ready to go.
Probably the best way to answer is I’m doing ok…depending on the definition of that lol
Ya, I’m not saying its impossible to build the bullpen without grabbing more bullpen arms, and typically, you dont want to be spending too much money on that area, in my opinion, but this has been a desperate need for a long time, and especially important right now. I do agree a couple of the young guys can potentially be converted, although the names you mention probably wouldnt be the guys I try that with. Trading is scary, just b/c we know how the Marlins make their trades, and moving value for bullpen help seems like something that will come back to hurt them, as usual. They just always let too many pieces go for free, and then it leaves them in this type of position
I could see another trade being made with 1-2 of the position player excess, but regardless, I expect them to lose whatever deal they make, by a lot. I’ve been a fan of Cooper, but he has had awful luck with injuries. 1 of those guys is probably on their way out, but depth isnt a bad thing if you can work around it
Ya it’s been extremely weird for me to not be at the ballpark for this long. Not sure how my health will effect my ability to do so this season, but we’ll see.
3/36m for a 30 year old with all of one season statistically distinguishable from replacement level on his cv?
Marlins, Marlins, Marlins… it doesn’t get much dumber than this.