Updates on Cueto, Marlins outfield situation, a previous trade target and Chisholm plan
Though Marlins pitcher Johnny Cueto was placed on the 15-day injured list last week, we hear that he is going to be sidelined well beyond that, potentially for several weeks.
Cueto, who left his first start of the season with a biceps injury after yielding four runs in an inning-plus, has been rehabbing in Jupiter.
He said he had been feeling biceps soreness since the beginning of spring training, but nevertheless chose to pitch in the WBC and then told the Marlins he was fine to open the season in the rotation.
Cueto, 37, has long been known to communicate very little with teams about his offseason throwing program. He did not appear ready when camp opened in Jupiter in February.
Manager Skip Schumaker said last week that Cueto would need to be built up properly before returning. He allowed 11 runs and 11 hits in 3 2/23 innings in the spring, then was hit hard in the WBC and during his Marlins regular-season debut against Minnesota.
Because of Cueto’s track record of success (including a 143-108 career record and 3.35 ERA in 24 starts for the White Sox last season), the Marlins believed that Cueto’s early struggles this spring weren’t a cause for concern, and nothing more than a seasoned veteran preparing for a season. But there seemingly was a disconnect in communication, or Cueto would not have taken his first turn in the rotation.
Cueto is making $6 million this season and has a $10.5 million team option for 2024. If the Marlins don’t exercise that option - and that would seem unlikely - they must pay him a $2.5 million buyout this winter.
TRADE OPTION
As The Athletic reported, a source said the Marlins spoke with the Cardinals about outfielder Tyler O’Neill during the offseason.
Pablo López likely would have gone to St. Louis if the trade had materialized; Trevor Rogers came up in discussions as well.
Once López was dealt to Minnesota for Luis Arraez, Miami ended all trade discussions involving their starting pitchers.
Miami also had interest in outfielder Lars Nootbar but the Cardinals had no interest in moving him this offseason.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol publicly called out O’Neill for a lack of hustle on a play at the plate in an April 4 game against the Braves, and O’Neill said he wishes Marmol would have made his comments privately.
If the Cardinals decide to trade him after that incident - and there’s no indication that they plan to - O’Neill still could be of interest to Miami. By all accounts, Schumaker and O’Neill got along well when Schumaker was the Cardinals’ bench coach last season.
But O’Neill appears more of a corner infielder than a center fielder. O’Neill won the National League Gold Glove as a left fielder in 2020 and 2021 and will be a free agent after the 2025 season.
O’Neill was very good in 2021, slashing .286/.352/.560 with 34 home runs, 80 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. He missed time with shoulder and hamstring injuries last season and hit .228 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs.
In the outfield, the Marlins remain bullish on Bryan De La Cruz, who has been decent to start the season (.231, one homer, five RBI).
Avisail García, who is now sidelined with a hamstring injury, had a dismal spring and poor start to the season (3 for 29, one homer, one RBI). It is unclear how long Miami will give García to turn it around, but we hear a bench role cannot be ruled out at some point if his struggles continue.
Jesus Sanchez (2 for his first 15 with eight strikeouts) hasn’t been impressive, either. He is out of minor league options, and the Marlins are hoping he can recapture what he showed as a rookie in 2021.
Jorge Soler appears to be trending back to his career norms, with six extra base hits in 12 games. Soler can opt out of his contract after this season; if he doesn’t, he would be owed $9 million in 2024, the final season of his deal.
THIS AND THAT
▪ The Marlins want to be patient with top pitching prospect Eury Perez, who allowed three runs (one earned) and a home run and walked three in four innings in his first 2023 start for Double A Pensacola. They feel no urgency to promote him quickly this season.
Perez, 20, “has all the talent and makeup to succeed,” said Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings, who caught him in the spring. “Easy delivery, great stuff. There’s still so much room for growth, which is the crazy part.”
Where specifically is there room for growth? “Overall command, trusting his stuff, holding runners,” Stallings said. “I’m excited when the future holds.”
Stallings said Perez’s best pitch is his fastball “and the changeup is the secondary pitch he has the best feel for.”
▪ Right-hander Edward Cabrera’s control problems early on -- he had a league-leading 13 walks in 6 2/3 innings over two starts -- is somewhat surprising because he walked just 33 in 77 2/3 innings last season.
Schumaker asked Cabrera to sit next to Sandy Alcantara during spring training.
“There’s a reason behind that,” Schumaker said. “To watch him prepare, [see] how he reacts the next four days [after a start], see what kind of teammate he is.”
Cabrera has allowed only two hits in two starts, but the control problems have foiled both outings.
Schumaker said the control problems - he’s just the third Marlins pitcher to walk at least 13 in consecutive outings - are “a confidence thing. I don’t think it’s mechanical....
“His stuff is real. But there’s a lot of guys that have real stuff that don’t make it in this league. The separator is the work, the preparation, the mentality behind it. It’s not just stuff in this league. Very rarely can you just out-stuff people. There are really talented hitters in this league. There’s a preparation and mindset behind it. He’s really, really talented. I’m glad he’s next to Sandy learning the game.”
Cabrera has taken seriously concerns about his durability and has taken steps to lessen chances of soft tissue injuries. “Weight room, gym, running, healthy diet add up,” he said.
But the control problems must be corrected. Per Fangraphs, he actually has thrown his fastball a lot more than last year (36.5 percent of his pitches, compared with 20.5 percent), but his slider less. His fastball velocity is up slightly (96.0 to 96.5).
▪ Jazz Chisholm, making the transition to center field, met with Ken Griffey Jr. this spring and the 10-time Gold Glove winner gave him this advice: “Slow down and try to remember I’m the aggressive one out there and don’t try to speed the game up. Try not to be too fast because the infield is super fast. You have a lot more time being in the outfield.”
He has one error this season and his inexperience at the position was evident on a few plays. But he also made a great diving catch against the Mets.
Regarding his willingness to move from the infield to center field, we asked Chisholm, half in jest, a couple weeks ago if he has ever gotten out of bed and asked himself ‘Why have I gotten myself into this?’
“Yeah,” he said, smiling, “Yeah, because everything has its up and downs. But at the same time, I’m here for my team.”
Does he look at himself as a center fielder permanently moving forward or does he want to see how the season goes?
“One hundred percent just seeing how it goes,” he said.
Herald senior baseball correspondent Craig Mish hosts Newswire from 11 a.m. to noon weekdays on Sportsgrid. Follow him on Twitter at @CraigMish. Follow Barry Jackson at @flasportsbuzz
This story was originally published April 11, 2023 at 2:56 PM.
