Key decisions looming for Miami Marlins as offseason begins. Dates to know
.JPG "Jorge Soler tiene 13 jonrones y 34 impulsadas en 70 partidos esta temporada con los Marlins, pero su OBP de .299 lo ubica en el puesto 127 de los 157 clasificados.")
The Miami Marlins have been busy the past couple weeks with the hiring of new manager Skip Schumaker and the addition of assistant general manager Oz Ocampo to the front office.
The offseason is about to kick into high gear now that the World Series has ended, and there is still work to be done by the Marlins.
Here are the key dates and decisions to know.
Within first five days after World Series concludes (so by Thursday): Decisions need to be made regarding options in outfielder Jorge Soler’s and infielder Joey Wendle’s contracts. Soler has a $15 million player option and Wendle has a $6.3 million mutual option with $75,000 buyout. Both players were limited last season by injury, with Soler playing in just 72 games and Wendle 101.
Soler is all but a lock to pick up his option. Should Wendle’s option not be picked up (both sides have to agree to it), he is still arbitration-eligible for one more season and therefore still under team control. MLB Trade Rumors projected Wendle would make $5.4 million through the arbitration process this offsesaaon.
Thursday: Free agency begins.
Nov. 15: Deadline to add Rule 5 Draft-eligible player to the 40-man roster. Four of the Marlins’ top-30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline are Rule 5-eligible this winter: Triple-A Jacksonville first baseman Troy Johnston (No. 19), Double-A Pensacola outfielder Griffin Conine (No. 23), High-A Beloit right-handed pitcher M.D. Johnson (No. 25) and Triple A left-handed pitcher Josh Simpson (No. 28).
Nov. 18: MLB non-tender deadline. This is the date for teams to offer pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players contracts for the 2023 season. Salaries aren’t determined at this point, but a contract must be offered by this date. Players who don’t receive contracts, typically arbitration-eligible players who are fringe players on the roster or whose expected salaries are deemed higher than their expected contribution, are considered “non-tendered” and become free agents.
The following dozen Marlins players are arbitration-eligible this offseason, with their projected salaries in parenthesis: Wendle ($5.4 million, pending a decision on his mutual option), first baseman/designated hitter Garrett Cooper ($4.1 million), right-handed pitcher Dylan Floro ($4.2 million), third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson ($5.2 million), catcher Jacob Stallings ($3.3 million), right-handed pitcher Pablo Lopez ($5.6 million), left-handed pitcher Tanner Scott ($2.7 million), right-handed pitcher Elieser Hernandez ($1.8 million), utility player Jon Berti ($2.4 million), right-handed pitcher Cole Sulser ($1 million), right-handed pitcher Jeff Brigham ($800,000) and left-handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo ($2 million).
Dec. 5-7: MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego. This is typically when offseason moves tend to pick up steam as front office personnel from all teams and agents all convene in one spot. The Rule 5 Draft will also take place here on Dec. 7.
Jan. 13: Deadline for teams and arbitration-eligible players to submit salary figures for the 2023 season if a deal had not already been agreed upon.
Jan. 15: The international signing period begins.
Jan. 30-Feb. 17: Arbitration hearings.
Mid-February: Spring training begins.
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