The Marlins’ plan for center field and insight on who they tried to acquire this offseason
After attempting to re-sign Starling Marte last November and exploring potential trades for a center fielder for months, the Marlins are now inclined to simply make it work without a natural center fielder in their lineup.
By doing so, they’re prioritizing offense over defense, knowing that improved run production is paramount for a team that averaged just 3.85 runs per game last season, second-lowest in baseball.
The plan, at least for now, is to use Jesus Sanchez primarily in center field - with Avisail Garcia playing there some, as well.
That will allow Sanchez, Garcia and Jorge Soler to start many games together in the outfield, with Bryan De La Cruz expected to be the fourth outfielder. Soler also could get work at designated hitter.
Sanchez played 91 games in center in five minor-league seasons (with 11 assists and two errors in those games), but none of his 72 big-league starts have come in center.
Garcia has started 91 games in center with three assists and two errors in those games. Sanchez and Garcia are getting work in center this spring, but Soler isn’t an option there.
The Marlins believe the benefit of having Soler’s power in the lineup (he has 94 homers in his past 365 games, including playoffs) outweighs any defensive shortcomings of playing Sanchez and Garcia in center.
That the Marlins haven’t acquired a natural center fielder isn’t for a lack of effort. Here’s what they pursued behind the scenes this past offseason:
▪ A proposed trade for Pittsburgh center fielder Bryan Reynolds, a 2021 All Star who hit .302 with 24 homers and 90 RBI in 159 games last season.
As we first reported here last July, the Marlins have been pursuing the 27-year-old outfielder for months.
The Pirates, in the early stages of a rebuild, are not shopping Reynolds but have been willing to listen to inquiries and offers.
The Marlins and Pirates discussed multiple permutations of a deal, but none of them were acceptable to both teams.
Reynolds is under team control for four more seasons, so the Pirates are in no rush to move him.
Shortly Kahlil Watson, the Marlins’ first-round pick in 2021, was one of the key pieces that Pittsburgh requested in any Reynolds deal, but the Pirates wanted more front-line talent beyond Watson.
The Marlins were disinclined to include both 2020 first-round pick Max Meyer and Watson in a trade for Reynolds.
MLB.com ranks Watson and Meyer the 25th and 35th best prospects in baseball, respectively.
After posting 2.27 ERA with 130 strikeouts in 111 innings in 2021 at Double A Pensacola and Triple A Jacksonville, Meyer struck out five and allowed no hits, no walks and no runs in four innings in his spring debut on Monday. He likely will start the season in the minors.
Watson impressed everyone around the Marlins last summer. The 16th overall pick out of a Wake Forest, North Carolina high school hit .394 with a .524 on-base average in 42 plate appearances for the Marlins’ rookie league team in Jupiter.
“Great talent, incredible talent,” Marlins director of minor league operations Geoff DeGroot said last October. “The tools speak for themselves. He’s probably more polished than we expected being a high school shortstop. He stands out every time he goes on the field.”
The Marlins and Pirates could resume talks on Reynolds at some point.
▪ A proposed trade for Oakland A’s outfielder Ramon Laureano.
Per sources, the Marlins and A’s had serious talks, more advanced than the Marlins’ discussions with Pittsburgh about Reynolds. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman also reported Marlins’ interest in Laureano.
The A’s had interest in Marlins outfielder JJ Bleday, their first round pick in 2019, and the teams discussed several permutations, with the Marlins getting back a relief pitcher in one of the final proposals.
But the sides ultimately couldn’t agree on a trade package.
Early last August, MLB suspended Laureano for 80 games for testing positive for the performance enhancing drug nandrolone. As a result, he will miss the first 27 games this season.
But the Marlins weren’t dissuaded by that; the team’s front office believes Laureano is not a PED abuser, and the positive test was an honest mistake.
Laureano, 27, hit .246, with 14 homers and 39 RBI in 89 games last season. He batted .288 with 24 homers and 67 RBI in 123 games in 2019.
▪ A trade pursuit of Toronto outfielder Teoscar Hernandez.
The Marlins and Blue Jays had serious discussions in November, and if this deal had happened, Miami likely wouldn’t have signed Soler.
Hernandez, 29, produced his best offensive season last year, hitting .296 with 32 homers and 116 RBI in 143 games. He posted a 3.9 wins over replacement.
Though he has played primarily in left and right field, Hernandez has played center field in 110 games, including extensive work there in 2019, and probably is better equipped defensively for center than any of the Marlins starting outfielders.
Toronto was seeking an upgrade at third base, and Brian Anderson likely would have been part of any deal. The Marlins also assuredly would have been required to send Toronto at least one starting pitcher.
The Blue Jays have been pursuing a left-handed bat all offseason, and had they signed Kyle Schwarber or Michael Conforto in free agency, they might have dealt Hernandez.
After the lockout, Toronto instead acquired Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman from the Athletics, and signed starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to a three-year deal.
The Marlins and Jays haven’t revived trade talks since the lockout ended.
So the Marlins will stick with what they have for now.
If an opportunity to trade for a top center fielder arises - or if outfield defensive shortcomings begin to cost them games in April and May - the Marlins could vigorously renew their search to replace Marte, who was dealt to Oakland last summer for Jesus Luzardo, then signed a four-year, $78 million deal with the Mets and is now sidelined with an oblique injury.
CLOSER UPDATE
The Marlins’ primary closer targets signed elsewhere, increasing the likelihood that the team’s closer is already on the roster.
Dylan Floro, who ended last season as the closer, is the front-runner to keep the job.
He saved 15 games but also blew six save chances last season, while posting a 2.81 earned run average and allowing just two homers in 64 innings.
Before last season, he never had a save in parts of five seasons while blowing three. So he’s 15 for 24 in career save opportunities.
Among veteran closers, Trevor Rosenthal (132 saves) and Richard Rodriguez (19 saves) remain available. But Rosenthal is coming off thoracic outlet surgery and didn’t pitch in all of 2021. Neither those two, nor former Marlins closer Brandon Kintzler, appear to be of interest to Miami.
Don Mattingly has never used a closer by committee approach. He changed closers last season because of Anthony Bass’ early-season struggles and Yimi Garcia’s trade to Houston. But he likely will go with one closer and make a change only if that relief pitcher struggles.
If Floro falters, another option would be Anthony Bender, who had three saves, 2.79 ERA, 71 strikeouts in 61 innings last season. Bender and Floro are the only players on the roster who saved a game for the Marlins last season.
Bass (3-9, 3.82 ERA) remains on the team, due to make $3 million. The Marlins must pay him $1 million next winter if they don’t exercise his $3 million option for 2023.
Please follow Craig Mish - The Miami Herald’s senior baseball correspondent - at @CraigMish and Barry Jackson at @flasportsbuzz
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 3:18 PM.
