Marlins say they ‘want to be flexible’ as offseason continues to unfold. What it means
MLB’s Winter Meetings are in full swing, and the Miami Marlins contend that they are still committed to adding pieces to their roster that needs an offensive improvement.
Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill on Monday offered a glimpse into their philosophy Monday, saying in so many words they are keeping all their options open as they maneuver through potential free agent signings and trades.
“I mean, there’s still so much time left in the offseason, so things change,” Hill said. “That’s why you continue to stay in touch with representatives and players just so you can monitor where things are going because there may be players that you think may be out of your reach, but for whatever reason, their objectives change and they may come back into focus. From our standpoint, we always want to be open. We want to be flexible and stay connected to what the marketplace is doing so that when things do change, you have the ability to change and make decisions.”
In layman’s terms: They’ll look, but they’ll do their due diligence.
And barring a massive change in their philosophical offseason approach, don’t expect the big fish to come to the Marlins.
So, no, don’t expect the Marlins to be MLB Network Jon Heyman’s reported “mystery team” competing in the sweepstakes for former Houston Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole.
And a deal with former Chicago Cubs outfielder and Broward County native Nicholas Castellanos seems unlikely, too.
“Every club has different payroll thresholds,” Hill said. “we’re going to try to allocate our dollars in the best way to win as many games as possible.”
The Marlins’ payroll as currently constructed is only about $40 million assuming projected salaries for Miami’s four arbitration-eligible players hold — $10.4 million for Jonathan Villar, $4 million for Jose Urena, $2.5 million for Jesus Aguilar and $1.6 million for Adam Conley. That’s not including the $22 million they owe Wei-Yin Chen, who was released in late November.
But factor in that the Marlins are going with the logic that their future is at the top of their minor-league system and on the cusp of making their MLB debut, and the likelihood of a big-name signing becomes obsolete.
Miami acknowledged that it still has to improve even after the additions of Villar and Aguilar. Left-handed bat would be a plus but certainly not a requirement.
A mid-tier outfielder such as Avisail Garcia or Corey Dickerson makes the most sense.
Garcia, 28, is a career .273 hitter with 96 home runs over 763 MLB games. Garcia had a .282 batting average with a career-high 20 home runs to go along with 72 RBI and 61 runs scored in his lone year with the Tampa Bay Rays last season and has hit at least 18 home runs in each of his past three seasons.
Prior to his one-year stint with the Rays, during which he was paid $3.5 million, Garcia played for the Detroit Tigers (2012-2013) and the Chicago White Sox (2013-2018).
His best season at the MLB level came in 2017 when he posted a .330 batting average with 18 home runs, 80 RBI and 75 runs scored over 136 games. He was named an All-Star that year.
Dickerson, 29, has hit .286 with 115 home runs and 370 RBI over 776 career games. He split time last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies, hitting a collective .304 with 12 homers, 59 RBI and 33 runs scored in 78 games while earning $8.5 million. A right-shoulder strain and fractured left foot sidelined him for more than half of the season.
He was an All-Star in 2017 with the Rays and and a Gold Glove winner in 2018 with the Pirates.
Long odds for Marlins in NL East
The first sets of betting odds on the 2020 MLB season are trickling out. The Marlins are unsurprisingly at the bottom of the NL East.
PointsBet has the Marlins at 150-to-1 odds to win their division in 2020. The Atlanta Braves are the narrow favorites at +190, followed by the Washington Nationals (2-to-1), New York Mets (3-to-1) and Philadelphia Phillies (3 1/2-to-1).
PointsBet has Miami’s over/under for games won at 64.5, anticipating an eight-game improvement from last season’s 57-105 finish.
This story was originally published December 10, 2019 at 2:23 PM.
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