Here’s one of the Miami Marlins’ difficult remaining roster choices and where things stand
A six-pack of Miami Marlins notes on a Wednesday:
▪ Aside from tough calls about what outfielders to keep, the Marlins’ most difficult decision this spring will be filling eight bullpen jobs. Two relievers are injured, three pitchers not on the 40-man roster have impressed and the presumed closely (Brandon Kintzler) has received limited work so far this spring.
“It’s a pretty wide open area for us,” manager Don Mattingly said Wednesday. “There are a few guys there that we feel pretty comfortable with, but there’s another whole group there that I think there are some spots there.”
Two pitchers who had been very likely parts of this pen are now injured: Jeff Brigham, whose biceps injury makes him very unlikely to be on the opening day roster; and Ryne Stanek, whose status is very much in doubt for opening day because of a back injury.
The Marlins hope Stanek’s injury isn’t long term, but Brigham could be out awhile.
“Stanek, he’s getting better,” Mattingly said. “He’s in the mode of we’ve got to get him stronger and get back on the mound. Of course, we’ve got to get him good. That lower back is something obviously for a pitcher or anyone.
“I’ve got pretty decent knowledge of it. It’s hard to do anything for anyone who has a bad back. We’ve got to get him feeling good again and then we have to get him back in the progression. We’ll see how long that takes and what direction we have to go.”
Stanek’s injury is particularly worrisome, because amid Drew Steckenrider’s struggles this spring, Stanek looked like the best eighth inning option if the Marlins are tied or ahead.
Free agent pickup Yimi Garcia could now get that role and has been great this spring — no runs and just one hit allowed in seven innings, with eight strikeouts. Last season with the Dodgers, he posted a 3.61 ERA and batters hit just .178 off him.
Kintzler (two runs allowed in three innings entering Wednesday’s game against the Yankees) and Garcia are locks, and Sterling Sharp (the Rule 5 pickup) and Adam Conley should be on the team as well.
Steckenrider is a conundrum as far as opening day. Though he’s in the Marlins’ plans, his struggles this spring (five runs, three hits, three walks in 2 and 2/3 innings) hardly give reason for confidence after he missed most of last season with a right flexor strain. Starting the season on the injured list is a possibility.
Sharp has been excellent this spring, allowing one run in nine innings with 11 strikeouts.
Former Yankee Stephen Tarpley (four hits, two walks, five runs in 5 2/3 innings) hasn’t been very good this spring, but the Marlins like him. He was acquired from the Yankees in January for third base prospect James Nelson.
Three of the best bullpen performers this spring are three players who aren’t on the 40-man roster: Brad Boxberger, Aaron Northcraft and Josh Smith.
Boxberger saved 41 games for Tampa in 2015 and 32 for Arizona in 2018. He’s allowed just one run and one hit — with five strikeouts — in 51/3 innings this spring, and Mattingly has been very complimentary.
A former 10th round pick of the Braves in 2019, Northcraft has toiled for 11 teams over a long minor league career and wasn’t even on anybody’s roster in 2017 and 2018.
He signed with the Mariners before last season and in 31 relief appearances between three levels of Seattle’s system, mostly with Triple-A Tacoma, he produced a 2.03 ERA and struck out 39 in 40 innings, with just 24 hits allowed.
Despite pedestrian career minor league numbers (52-54, 3.87 ERA), Northcraft has been very good this spring, allowing two hits, two walks, no runs and five strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
Smith also has impressed, allowing no runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Alex Vesia, who has a 40.2 inning scoreless streak going back to last year, is expected to start the year in the minors.
With Jordan Yamamoto considered the front-runner for the fifth rotation spot, the Marlins could keep Elieser Hernandez or Robert Dugger in the bullpen, though Hernandez has been better as a starter and still has a chance to beat out Yamamoto.
“We’ve got eight starters fighting for five spots,” Mattingly said, with Sandy Alcantara and Caleb Smith clearly locks for the rotation and Pablo Lopez and Jose Urena widely considered front-runners for the third and fourth spots.
“There’s a few of those that are locked down, but we feel there are a few of those that are open also. And then our discussions will be does one of those guys fit in our bullpen? Are they that kind of guy?
“Or as we all know you end up using it seems like 10 or 12 starters every year, so do you deplete your depth with starters if you put them in the bullpen and they’re not being used enough? It depends on how comfortable you are with your depth with your starting pitching.”
▪ The Marlins love first baseman Lewin Diaz and this spring only deepened their faith in him as a prospect. He went 7 for 23 with two doubles and a homer and Mattingly raised a comparison to Carlos Delgado.
The Marlins believe he can be a Gold Glove defender with 20 homer and 80-plus RBI potential. He’s the likely first baseman in 2021 if this season goes well in the minors.
▪ The Marlins believe ace shortstop prospect Jazz Chisholm already plays big-league caliber defense — comparisons have been raised to Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorius — but want to see continued offensive growth.
This spring was encouraging; he went 4 for 13 with a double, homer, five walks and two steals after hitting .284, with three homers and 10 RBI in 23 games for Double A Jacksonville last summer after being acquired from Arizona in the Zac Gallen trade.
▪ Lopez’s velocity is back to where it needs to be, but location still needs work. Everyone hopes he gets back to his pre-injury form of last season. The spring has been uneven; he has allowed five earned runs, eight hits and five walks and 7 2/3 innings… Caleb Smith, who relinquished 18 homers in 81 innings after the All Star break, has allowed two in his first nine innings this spring. That’s something to monitor.
▪ How do the Marlins create room on the 40-man roster if they want to keep Boxberger (likely) and Northcraft and Matt Kemp (both quite possible) or even Smith?
Trading or designating outfielder Magneuris Sierra would be a natural move; he’s out of minor league options. A surprise trade to clear space on the 40 is certainly a possibility. And No. 3 catcher Chad Wallach could be traded or designated, though the Marlins would need to factor in the health of starter Jorge Alfaro, who’s working his way back from left oblique tightness. Keep in mind Wallach is 6 for 16 with 10 RBI this spring. But Francisco Cervelli is expected to be Alfaro’s backup.
▪ The MLB players union— which previously filed a grievance against the Marlins, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh, claiming they did not spend enough of their revenue sharing money on big-league player payroll before the 2018 season - recently amended the grievance to accuse those teams of doing the same thing before the 2019 season. The Marlins declined to comment.
In the Marlins’ defense, they were in the early stages of a rebuild those two years. And they spent $25 million on outside free agents this past offseason. The matter eventually could go to arbitration or could be raised in negotiations on a new labor agreement.
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 2:56 PM.
