The Marlins, owners of a 34-40 record, have plenty of baseball to play before committing as a buyer or seller at the August 2nd Trade Deadline. Given that record however, Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald spoke with Miami GM Kim Ng about the club’s upcoming plans given their likely status as deadline sellers.
Ng, like most front office members in June, didn’t throw the towel in on the season, but admitted the team will need to close the gap in the NL East (13 games back of the Mets) or Wild Card race (7 games back of the Cardinals) if her club is to pursue veteran additions at the deadline: “[Y]ou want to be within striking distance. I hope we get there. The club is playing a lot better this month than they were last month. We’re getting healthier.”
Ng also added that the club will be ready to increase its payroll in the right scenario: “If we feel that we’re within that striking distance, I think [owner Bruce Sherman] will continue to be supportive.” That striking distance won’t be easy to obtain, of course, as two competitive clubs in the Giants and Phillies are currently blocking Miami from even sniffing the Wild Card spots held by the Padres, Braves, and Cardinals.
Should the club end up selling in a month’s time, Mish and Jackson speculate that the team has a few bullpen arms that will be in high demand. The most likely candidates include Anthony Bass (1.74 ERA in 31 innings) and lefty Steven Okert (2.28 ERA in 23 plus innings), two relievers in their thirties with club control that extends beyond this season. Given the club’s crop of pitching on the farm and several other arms of note already in the bullpen, either veteran reliever figures to be expendable if it helps strengthen the club next season.
Interestingly, Mish and Jackson cite the back of the bullpen as an area to improve via trade if the club heats up in the next month. As buyers the club also figures to target “a high-end center fielder,” per the report, though center field will likely be an area to watch even if the team is selling, thanks to the underperformance and misalignment of the team’s current outfield unit. Center field has been an area of focus for Miami dating back to the offseason, but they’ve yet to find a sufficient everyday solution and have instead regularly trotted out a carousel of miscast corner bats.
The Marlins currently hold a 3.9% chance of making the playoffs in the eyes of FanGraphs, but plenty of time remains for the club to turn into bullpen buyers over Steven Okert sellers. Turnarounds from 2021 All-Star Trevor Rogers plus offseason acquisitions Avisail Garcia and Jacob Stallings could go a long way in bolstering a club that is otherwise receiving sneakily elite production atop its rotation and throughout its lineup.
They made a mistake not spending big on castellanos causing Jeter to leave. Soler and Garcia been awful.
well, let’s not act like Castellanos has been some kinda superstar so far this season…
Have you even bothered to look at Castellanos’ stats this season? Thank god they didn’t listen to him
Castellanos hitting 91 OPS+ and forced to play defense combined for a negative bWAR almost half way through season. Ironically, Soler has a cheaper contract (esp if he opts out after year 1) and is better so far in OPS+ (103) and bWAR (0.6), fwiw.
I haven’t followed the Marlins much or not at all. How is Ng doing? I wished she would have got hired in Seattle. Not that I don’t like Dipoto but would have been cool to have first female GM. She is brilliant from what I heard. Hope she does well.
I can’t disagree with you on that, Jeter knew that the Marlins had the funds capable of signing Castellanos, but they decided to sign mediocre players in Soler and Garcia. Both of whom have been inconsistent all season. And yes, one can argue that Castellanos can fit in the same group as them but at least he would be worth the money offered to him. A missed opportunity indeed.
Soler WS MVP
He was also below avg offensively the first half of last season and was traded for peanuts just to avoid paying him. He has always been inconsistent
You need guys to get you to WS for Soler to be that MVP. Soler ain’t that guy. Appreciate him leveling up, but let’s not kid ourselves with smoke n’ mirrors.
Seriously! Castellanos has been TERRIBLE. The way fans would spend the teams money, yeesh.
Soler is on a one year deal and can be released at any time. Giving Garcia a four year deal was head scratching at the time and even more so watching his play as we get to the halfway mark of the season.
However, both could have big second halfs. Soler was awful for much of last season but flipped the switch when he was traded to Atlanta, and is still statistically ahead of where he was at this time last year. Garcia’s numbers have been sinking since the second half of last season so not sure if there is cause for optimism but you would think he would get going at some point
point being with jeter?? spending big
cause you have Castellanos $20,000,000 being wih marlins .if jeter stay . and both said tat 30 runs / 37 rbi 290ab -0.9 war
Avisaíl García $12,000,000 per year i did not understand why get him. 22 runs / 24 rbi 233ab -0.6 war
Soler the better one out of the three in 2022 32 runs / 34 rbi 255ab +0.6 war
why jeter left cause his wolverine plainfail. when owner try find info about team jeter would not give. only reason jeter took job cause he wanted total control . what he had . to he fail and would not give info to owners of the team.
When did Jeter become some front office genius that Miami fans have to cry over his departure? They’ll be fine without him. They weren’t winning this year anyway. Castellanos would only have made them more expensive, anything beyond that is pure speculation.
When did Jeter become some front office genius that Miami fans have to cry over his departure? They’ll be fine without him. They weren’t winning this year anyway agree agree agree
Ng also added that the club will be ready to increase its payroll in the right scenario: “If we feel that we’re within that striking distance, I think [owner Bruce Sherman] will continue to be supportive.”
Is that what the quote means? The use of “I think” seems to suggest uncertainty and “supportive” doesn’t necessarily mean payroll increases it could just mean rearranging deck chairs
In fact the article mentioned trading for a veteran and she responded with “I wouldn’t put a number on it”. That is telling for a team with a sub 70 mil payroll.
Jeter “thought” that too until he couldn’t get the players he wanted and quit
Jeter “.did not quit. was let go.
owner told him he would not have full control for this season an forward. only reason he agree to it from start.. cause they could not answer from jeter why his plain was failing. he had total control at time . . but owner was not about let jeter spend 25 m a year for one player.
Those two relief pitchers would look great in Tronna. The backup catcher,Gouriel and Biggio are on the block.
I can definitely see both Bass and Okert playing in Toronto with the former already establishing a solid reputation with the Blue Jays. The question that I’m most curious about is whether or not the Marlins would dangle Trevor Rogers out of all people come the deadline, considering the fact that he just came off of a season where he finished 2nd in the NL ROTY voting.
Add Wendle and that helps the bench too…Once he’s healthy
As a Marlins fan who has watched them on our team, Bass and Okert would look great on any team that isn’t the Marlins.
As for Rogers, why would a team trade a young LH starter who is going through growing pains in his second full season? Kind of dumb, don’t ya think?
Bass and Okert lol on same team . marlins not trading to same team and get less ..
Trevor Rogers no Hernandez maybe
Gurriel has been one Toronto’s hottest hitters recently and I’m not sold they would trade him, Biggio either, especially for bullpen arms that can be free agents next winter. Jansen i can see being expendable. Kirk is likely the AL All Star starting Catcher unless their is a dramatic shift in voting and Moreno and Collins give the Jays flexibility to play with with using him as a DH to keep his bat in the lineup when he’s not Catching.
Sellers. It’s a fire sale folks.
They will sell just like they always do. The franchise is bad for baseball. They are stealing money.
two ws say different .
not stealing money .
o,s /a’s could be said to be . but you agree they doing good.
They have to move either Agui and/or Cooper. There are at least 4 teams looking for a RH bat like them. Get whatever they offer you for García (swap of ugly contracts… David Price, Myers, Moncada, hello?). Get prospects for Bass, keep Okert.
It is time to give Lewin and Jerar a chance. Maybe moving one back end starter whenever Luzardo, Cabrera and Poteet are back from injuries.
one if you watch marlins you know they not moving Cooper. .
David Price contract never work in on marlins should know that.
It is time to give Lewin and Jerar a chance have not liike you want ever day.
Agui could be had but marlins want a full time 1b player. cause dh .
The Marlins will be playoff contenders in 3 to 5 years… from whatever the current year is.
Would love to see Bass in a Red Sox uniform…
@ duffys
So would I, if the price is right. Bass has value right now and I can’t get away from feeling he’s one pitch away from a meltdown
Red Sox bullpen is soon to get a major overhaul. Josh Taylor will be back soon, as will Matt Barnes. During last nights game it was suggested that Whitlock may be headed back to the bullpen when he returns so that would mean three of the current relievers being on the bubble. Hansel Robles almost certainly has to go. Austin Davis seems likely to be sent down when Taylor is ready because i don’t see them carrying four lefties and Diekman and Strahm have pitched well all season. That leaves one last pitcher to go and it’s likely going to be Tyler Danish as i doubt bloom would release or send down Sawamura
Barnes isn’t a boost
As a Marlins fan, I’d love to see Bass in a Red Sox uniform too…or any team willing to take him.
Trade Aguilar, Okert, Bass, and maybe Berti (should have really good value).
This team really needs another bat or two (I’m talking great to elite level bats) to be competitive.
I’m sure Atlanta would bring back Soler if they aren’t looking for much. Like a bucket of balls.
Atlanta is prob gonna trade Duvall so prob not getting soler
LA could use some bullpen help with Hudson out for the year and the “unknown:” return of Treinen.
THE OWNER IS A TOOL
The rebuild isn’t over
…and may never be.
Oh please, this team is only a playoffs contender when Sandy pitches……..I just hope we can get unload Soler and Avisail on a desperate contender
3.5 years of Garcia says no contender is that desperate
And they only haave themselves to blame for the “misalignment” of the OF”, they had Starling Marte for God’s sake, but instead of offering a little more when we had him, they were too cheap to later end up spending more on Soler and Garcia, it’s like there is no direction, rhyme or reason to what they do.
I think the rhyme and reason is called realistic expectations. Marte doesn’t push this team into contention. They may be selling the whole team ready to compete thing, but they know they got a way to go. Patience is a good thing for this team. They do need to try and prepare to contend next year though. This rebuild can’t last forever.
Patience?? We havent sniffed the playoffs in 20 years (no, the covid season doesnt count), and you are telling me to be patient??? Anyhow, they ended up spending about the same on Soler/Avi, so your point of not spending until ready to compete is moot. Any combination of Marte + 1 of Soler or Avi, wouldve been much better than both Soler and Avi, and they woupdnt have found themselves on this current OF misalignment situation.
Patience?? We havent sniffed the playoffs in 20 years (no, the 60 game season does not count) and you are asking me to be patient??? Anyhow, they ended up spending about the same on Soler/Avi, so your point about realistic expectations and patience is moot. Any combination of Marte + 1 of Soler/Avi wouldve been much better than both Soler and Avi, and cost about the same, and they wouldnt be in this current OF misalignment situation. For the record, imo this team is only a good hitter and a decent closer from contending, we all knew that 6 months ago,but of course going out and spending a little more to address those needs is definitely not a realistic expectation of this franchise.
Patience has NOTHING to do with the last twenty years. You can’t transform a team in one off season. This team wasn’t winning no matter who they signed so yes, patience is required. Or go for it all and lose anyway. And lose next year and so on. Ooooor… put a plan into action, which is what Ng is doing. You’d have some fend Castellanos, they’d still suck and have less maneuverability for next year. Is that a good plan?
Thank you for proving my point. If it is all about the future and maneuverability, why commit 90 mill to 2 mediocre bats, who both happen to play corner OF, with Brian Anderson and Jesus Sanchez already on the roster?? And thats what I mean by there is no rhyme or reason to their moves!Then Kim tells us now that we have a misaligned and underperforming OF, shoot, we couldve told you this much 6 months ago! But again, I beg to differ, this team is 6 games under, and I’ve lost count of how many 1 run losses + blown saves by our closer of turn in the 9th or extras, if we had one more good bat, and a decent closer, we’ll be hovering around 500 and right in the hunt for a wild card spot.
Oh sure. I was speaking in very general terms about long term planning without too much focus on the specific moves that WERE made. You’re right, some of their moves could have been better and maybe they’d be in a better position now.
@jp82 and @Cosmo2
You both make good points. On one hand, I prefer patiently smart moves. On the other hand, our front office did fail with the Closer situation and the additions of 2 more corner OFs. I feel that they certainly needed one OF bat, so would’ve been okay with either Garcia or Soler at the time, but not both is where I was bothered. We have Sanchez and de la Cruz. We would’ve been better with our ‘misalignment’ with de la Cruz playing everyday in CF with Sanchez and one of Garcia or Soler playing the corners. Then the other money could’ve been dedicated to signing Jansen or trading for Kimbrel…both very realistic possibilities that make a huge difference if they just pitch decent enough to eliminate half of the bullpen meltdowns we’ve had for the second season in a row.
The Marlins are looking like 76-79 wins this year with the up and down play. They are a Closer away from .500 or a little over and contending for the 6th spot. A better bat in the middle of the lineup (not necessarily a Superstar bat) would get them stably into playoff contention.
And I’ll address the Castellanos talk. I still prefer the contracts of Soler and Garcia over Castellanos. If the Marlins were going to spend $20+ million AAV on any player, I personally feel that they might as well just go all in on one and kept an eye on Correa this past offseason, and they could’ve easily signed him to that deal that Minny signed him to. That bat would’ve helped us more than Castellanos, Soler or Garcia types. It also would’ve shifted Rojas to a utility role with Wendle, Berti and Anderson, and allowed us to move other pieces to get a true CF if needed. Other than that, I would not have signed Castellanos for that salary.
With Marte, the Marlins did drop the ball partially, but I’m of the opinion that they are not at a point in their rebuild to have given Marte that 4th year, which is what was the point of contention and deal breaker for the Marlins’ talks with him. The Mets can do the 4-year deal at an insane AAV for Marte, but they are financially capable of letting Marte ride the bench for the final year or two of that deal, which the Marlins are not financially able to have sunk costs like that. I think every fan that complains about that needs to get over it. Marlins signing Marte to 4 years would have been a dumb move because of our team’s financial capabilities in our market and it’s need to build it’s support first like the Miami Heat and Dolphins have locally. We’re in no position to add needless, sunk-cost years to an aging veteran at this point in our team’s history within the market.
one you act like marlins did not get nothing for Starling Marte. marlins where pushing time at trade deadline. it Starling fault he did not stay. marlins where not getting in beating war over him during offseason. A’s lose that trade. god had nothing to do with it.
if anyone blame is jeter he wanted that money for the offseason. he had total control . at the time.
The Marlins are in a permanent rebuild. When the trade deadline comes, they will sell everybody as usual
Anthony Bass (1.74 ERA in 31 innings) and lefty Steven Okert (2.28 ERA in 23 plus innings),
no way i see both leaving miami same time. jeter not their .knowing how important bullpen is. unless the deal right no minor league
same can be said about Trevor Rogers becoming inning eater /Elieser Hernández one leave not bot .. Trevor Rogers should stay longer
Can’t believe some really thought Garcia and Soler were good signings. Mediocre players their entire careers going to a place where careers die
In fairness, the Marlins aren’t far off. One more big bat, plus a consistent on base threat at the top of the order would change the complexion of this line up substantially. Garcia would probably be ok in a lineup with more protection. It was reasonable to believe that Castellanos could be that bat in the offseason. As it turned out, they probably dodged a bullet, but didn’t end up helping themselves with the players they did sign. The curious thing is their inability to find a glove first RH CF to platoon. Usually those guys aren’t that hard to find.