The latest Marlins-Marte development. Plus draft, trade deadline, minor-league chatter
The Marlins’ outfield situation remains largely unclear heading into next season.
However, in an attempt to solidify center field, sources told the Miami Herald the Marlins have presented a multi-year contract extension offer to Starling Marte.
Financial terms of the offer are unclear, but the organization is hopeful to have one in place prior to the July 30 trade deadline. The other option would be to carry Marte beyond the deadline into the winter. Miami would receive a compensatory draft selection if Marte was to leave in free agency. This option is not the most likely of the two.
Marte, per sources, is seeking a three- or four-year deal in the $50 million range but has expressed his desire to stay in Miami beyond 2021.
Sources also indicate Marte will likely be traded on or before July 30th if there is no agreement on a new pact.
Marte, acquired by the Marlins at the trade deadline last season, is hitting a team-best .296 with six home runs, seven doubles, 38 runs scored and a team-leading 13 stolen bases in 46 games this season heading into Miami’s final week of games before the All-Star Break.
Draft talk
When the Marlins make their first two selections in the 2021 MLB Draft on Sunday night, look for the organization to select two position players.
While it is unclear which two they will be, we’re told the Marlins covet pitchers in the middle rounds and are heavily focused elsewhere in the early part of the draft.
Marlins director of amateur scouting DJ Svihlik discussed high school catcher Harry Ford on a recent media call. Ford remains a possibility at 16.
Ford, out of North Cobb (Georgia) High, is listed as MLB Pipeline’s No. 13 overall prospect in the draft and the highest-ranked high school player that didn’t play shortstop.
“The industry knows what he is,” Svihlik said. “You’re looking at a Russell Martin kind of guy. Super talented. Very, very athletic. Very rarely do you run into a catcher that can run, throw and has a really good track record of hitting. So, Harry Ford is a very, very interesting player that I think is going to be rewarded by the industry on Day 1 somewhere would be my guest.”
It’s also possible Miami pivots elsewhere at 16, and then focuses on catcher with their competitive balance selection after the first round, the No. 31 overall pick in the draft.
“I’d be willing to bet that if you ask any major-league executive or anybody running an organization, of the 30 organizations, maybe one or two would raise their hand and go, ‘Yeah, we’ve got a lot of catching,’” Svihlik said. “It’s just a position that’s exceedingly difficult.”
Day 2 of the draft, which consists of Rounds 2-10, starts at 1 p.m. Monday. Rounds 11-20 are on July 13 beginning at noon.
How players are handling trade rumors
Outside of Marte, the three position players the Marlins will most likely be asked about at the trade deadline are first baseman Jesus Aguilar, outfielder Adam Duvall and shortstop Miguel Rojas.
Duvall and Aguilar have been two of the Marlins’ top offensive playmakers, combining for 32 of the club’s 80 home runs. Duvall leads all National League players with 60 RBI. Aguilar is tied for sixth with 53 RBI. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is third on the Marlins’ roster with 29 RBI.
“I don’t have control of those things,” Aguilar said when asked about the trade deadline. “The only thing that I can control is come here and be ready to play the game. That’s not me, that’s on them. If that happens, it happens. If not, I’m going to be happy to stay here, too. I don’t try to think about those things.”
Duvall gave a similar response.
“I don’t read the news,” Duvall said. “I’m usually the last person to know about anything so I just try to put my head down, show up, go to work and do the best I can do.”
Rojas, meanwhile, is a Gold Glove-caliber player at shortstop who can produce on offense (.708 on-base-plus slugging with 22 RBI, four home runs and 35 runs scored this season) and is a valuable presence inside the clubhouse that could help a contender off the bench.
Rojas, via an episode of the Chris Rose Rotation podcast last week, said that while he would like to remain a member of the Marlins long-term, he would accept and understand being traded if it meant the Marlins were getting better as a result.
“I want the best for this organization, and I want this organization to be a championship one, “ Rojas said. “If they’re getting better just getting rid of me so they can get more guys or whatever it is, more prospects, and that’s going to put them in the best position to be a championship organization, I will do that. That’s why I back up all my words, I always try to back it up with actions. I will give everything that I have until the last day I play here in Miami, even when I want to be here and I want to be part of this championship run when it happens. I understand the business side of it. I’m not going to try and look so far ahead, and I’m just going to stay focused on helping the team win and turning this team around. We have one more month to do it.”
Jake Eder to the Futures Game
Marlins left-handed pitcher prospect Jake Eder, the club’s fourth-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft and the No. 23 prospect in the organization according to MLB Pipeline, has been added to the All-Star Futures Game roster. This gives the Marlins two pitching prospects in the showcase, as 2020 first-round pick Max Meyer (the No. 20 overall prospect in baseball) was already on the roster.
Eder, 22, has been one of the top pitchers in minor-league baseball during his first season of professional baseball with the Double A Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
His 1.03 ERA is the second best among all qualified minor-league pitchers. His 12.99 strikeouts per nine innings mark (76 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings) is the eighth best across all four minor-league levels and the third best when looking solely at pitchers in Double A.
Eder has tossed at least five innings in nine of his 10 starts for Pensacola, including three outings where he has thrown six innings.
Meyer, the third overall pick in the 2020 draft, has a 1.67 ERA and is averaging a strikeout per inning through 11 starts and 54 innings at Double A Pensacola.
More minor-league quick hits
▪ Outfielder Griffin Conine, son of former Marlin Jeff Conine, hit four more home runs last week for Class A Advanced Beloit. He has 17 home runs and 47 RBI through 54 games this season. His main goal offensively is to lower his strikeouts. He has 85 over 234 plate appearances this year — 36.3 percent of his plate appearances.
▪ Right-handed pitcher Edward Cabrera has a 1.17 ERA with 19 strikeouts against four walks in 15 1/3 innings through three starts with Double A Pensacola.
This story was originally published July 5, 2021 at 2:11 PM.
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