A team that sought Luzardo, Marlins shortstop search, and why Gordon deal pleased Chisholm
The Marlins have been willing to listen to proposals for pitcher Jesus Luzardo all offseason, and sources say the Baltimore Orioles displayed the most interest.
The Orioles ultimately were unwilling to meet the Marlins asking price. While Miami’s exact demands were not known, the Orioles have two prospects that potentially could have solved the Marlins’ greatest positional needs (catcher and shortstop).
Miami had some interest in catcher Sam Basallo, but Baltimore wasn’t willing to include him in any deal. Basallo, a skilled hitter, hit .313 with 20 homers and 86 RBI in two levels of Single A and briefly in Double A last season.
The Orioles also had a shortstop who could have possibly helped the Marlins in Joey Ortiz (a .286 career hitter in the minors), but Baltimore ultimately decided to send Ortiz and pitcher D.J. Hall to Milwaukee for three-time All-Star pitcher Corbin Burnes.
The Marlins wanted a bigger package than Milwaukee received because Luzardo is under team control for three more seasons, compared with just one for Burnes.
According to a source, it would take an exceptional package to snag Luzardo from the Marlins. But Miami is willing to listen to virtually anything.
INFIELD HELP SEARCH
Among the free agent shortstops, the two that have drawn the most interest from the Marlins are Amed Rosasio (who would play shortstop) and Gio Urshela (who wouldn’t play there primarily). Nothing was imminent as of Wednesday afternoon. It’s unclear if Miami would consider signing both, as opposed to one of the two.
Rosario hit .256 (just .301 on base) with three homers and 18 RBI in 48 games for the Dodgers last season. Los Angeles acquired him in late July from Cleveland, where he hit .265 (.306 on base) with three homers and 40 RBI in 94 games last season.
Rosario, 28, batted .283 with 71 RBI in 153 games for Cleveland in 2022. Spotrac.com puts his market value at $6.4 million, but he’ll likely need to settle for less.
Urshela hit .299 (.329 on base) with two homers and 24 RBI in 62 games for the Angels. His season ended in June with a pelvis fracture.
He hit .285 with 13 homers and 64 RBI in 144 games for the Twins in 2022.
If the Marlins sign him, Urshela would fit a third base/corner infielder role, which would give third baseman Jake Burger and first baseman Josh Bell time at designated hitter.
If the Marlins don’t add a veteran shortstop, Jon Berti — who hit .286 last season — would need to compete for the job, with Xavier Edwards, Vidal Brujan and perhaps newcomer Nick Gordon.
GORDON UPDATE
Jazz Chisholm Jr. was delighted when the Marlins acquired Gordon from Minnesota for reliever Steven Okert this week.
Chisholm told the Miami Herald “I got my best friend in the league on my team. I’m so excited!”
Gordon can play shortstop — he may get a look there this spring — but profiles more as an outfielder.
“My dad [former big-leaguer Tom Gordon] always told me, ‘Shortstop is the toughest position on the field. If you can play there, you can play anywhere,’” Gordon told Minnesota writers.
Injuries and gastrointestinal issues plagued the former first-round pick in the past but those appear to be behind him. A shin injury limited him to 34 games last season, and the Marlins aren’t concerned about his struggles in a limited sample size last year (.176, 91 at-bats).
It is likely Gordon will make the Marlins 26 man roster provided he impresses the staff in spring training.
The Twins preferred to use him at multiple positions instead of every day at one. He had 66 starts in center field, 58 in left field, 50 at second base and 15 at shortstop.
“He has enough athleticism, baseball sense, desire to move around the field and work,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said during his time there. “He is a good worker in many, many different ways. You combine all these things and you go, ‘Well, he can play second base. He’s got good instincts out on the field. He can run. Let’s see what the outfield looks like.’ It’s not just that simple, but then he goes out there every day and puts in many, many hours of work.”
Twins officials were encouraged by his offensive growth in 2022 (.272, 9 homers, 28 doubles, 50 RBI in 405 at bats); he even batted him cleanup during a playoff race. “He stepped up big for us constantly,” Baldelli said.
FANTASY TRADE
Before the end of last season, the Marlins and Royals briefly discussed a trade concept that would have sent rookie pitcher Eury Perez to the Royals for Bobby Witt, Jr.
Witt recently agreed to an 11-year, $288 million deal with the Royals. He hit .276 with 30 homers, 96 RBI and an AL-leading 11 triples last year. No deal was ever close or even proposed but the idea was at least discussed at some point before the end of the 2023 season.
According to a source, new Marlins management views Perez as untouchable.
LAST WORD ON SOLER
The Marlins had conversations with Jorge Soler and his representation in recent weeks but never got close to a deal before Soler this week agreed to a three-year, $42 million deal with the Giants.
The Marlins always left the door open for Soler if he was agreeable to a modestly-priced short-term deal. Miami had no interest in going to three years with Soler, certainly not at that dollar amount. Soler, who opted out of a $13 million deal with the Marlins for this season, hit 36 home runs and drove in 75 runs for Miami last year.
THE WORD ON BRIDE
The Marlins took a flier on Jonah Bride — who is a .192 hitter over 198 big league games - because, “he can hit a fastball,” as Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said — and has walked 10.2 percent of his plate appearances, accounting for the big disparity between the batting average and his career on base percentage (.296). He also has versatility; he played first, second and third for Oakland.
But Bride has struggled with breaking balls and he’s 3 for 49 in his career when he hits a ball in the air, with one just of those three hits leaving the ballpark.
It’s a low-risk move for the Marlins, who did not believe that prospect Jordan Groshans projected as a big league regular. The Marlins sent cash to Oakland for Bride but designated Groshans for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. The Yankees subsequently claimed Groshans.
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
