2023-2024 Offseason Thread

[Nick]

Mel Stottlemyre was asked about Sixto today, and he basically said he doesn't have it any more. Don't think I've ever seen such a negatively candid response about a player.

[fish16]

Mel Stottlemyre was asked about Sixto today, and he basically said he doesn't have it any more. Don't think I've ever seen such a negatively candid response about a player.

that's been pretty obvious. he has no ability to throw hard whatsoever anymore.

[Namaste]

Mel Stottlemyre was asked about Sixto today, and he basically said he doesn't have it any more. Don't think I've ever seen such a negatively candid response about a player.

Yeah I just came in here to post this. Sixto is cooked. I was wrong. Such a bummer

[Nick]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vk6RAu5blQ&t=59s

Great video by Ely Sussman exploring the Marlins failure to spend money this off-season.

[rmc523]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vk6RAu5blQ&t=59s

Great video by Ely Sussman exploring the Marlins failure to spend money this off-season.

Yeah, there’s absolutely zero reason for us to not have spent this offseason, and certainly no reason for us to have a lower payroll than last year.
it’s frankly inexcusable and shows us how they really feel about the team and its fans - it’s about money and have to preserve that profit for ownership.

[fauowls44]

It's absolutely ridiculous that they haven't spent a single dollar on a MLB free agent. The only reason I cut them the very slightest amount of slack for it is that there are still something like 110 players still on the market that played in MLB games last year. There are at least a dozen bats still available that would be immediate upgrades on the roster. If they go into the season having signed none of them, it is a real problem. This team still has a chance to make the playoffs if the front office would make at least a little effort. They still have some time to do it, but it's running out.

[lou]

It's absolutely ridiculous that they haven't spent a single dollar on a MLB free agent. The only reason I cut them the very slightest amount of slack for it is that there are still something like 110 players still on the market that played in MLB games last year. There are at least a dozen bats still available that would be immediate upgrades on the roster. If they go into the season having signed none of them, it is a real problem. This team still has a chance to make the playoffs if the front office would make at least a little effort. They still have some time to do it, but it's running out.

I don't know if you can cut them slack here. The guys left, absent four (Snell, Montgomery, Chapman, Bellinger) aren't needle movers. That is, unless they sign 4-5 of them like an Anderson, Urshela/Rosario/Duvall/M. Taylor, Lorenzen, someone like Clevinger and turn him into a RP/bulk reliever, and Mondesi on a MILB deal, or even more of them if the upgrade comes via moving Luzardo/Berti and others for 2+ immediate play now club controlled pieces. It's a mess. But I'm sure the 37th new FO position will uncover the next Miguel Cabrera in 4 years.

I'm amazed they keep not hitting the low bar. It's truly spectacular to do nothing after the playoffs, when across town the Panthers are like the best team in hockey with making player investments. But I guess they can sign Bellinger, T. Anderson, Lorenzen, Urshela, and Mondesi to a MILB deal today and all is forgiven quickly. Which effectively, is just signing Bellinger as everyone else is a 1 year deal there and gets shed quickly.

[fish16]

bruce sherman is a complete fucking out of touch clown. his press conference today is an embarrassment. i wish someone would ask a tough question or call him out on his bullshit. why not just ask "youve been in the bottom 5 in payroll every year of your tenure. your payroll as of now is less than it was opening day last year. you have not signed a single major league free agent this offseason after making the playoffs for the first time in 20 years and losing Soler and Sandy for this year. why should any marlins fan continue to support this team with the kind of resources that you are continuing to fail to put into the team every single year."

[lou]

bruce sherman is a complete fucking out of touch clown. his press conference today is an embarrassment. i wish someone would ask a tough question or call him out on his bullshit. why not just ask "youve been in the bottom 5 in payroll every year of your tenure. your payroll as of now is less than it was opening day last year. you have not signed a single major league free agent this offseason after making the playoffs for the first time in 20 years and losing Soler and Sandy for this year. why should any marlins fan continue to support this team with the kind of resources that you are continuing to fail to put into the team every single year."

I saw a clip or two, and Bruce and Bendix looked like fucking idiots. Not a single note with your comment as to what they should be asked first at every press conference. I don't blame Bendix, he can't say his owner sucks, but he needs to up the confidence and bullshitting ability versus trying to sell me Bell and Burger for 100 more collective games resolves all the team's issues. Not gonna happen. Stop trying to make fetch happen Peter.

But can I add this jab - the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO just signed Ryu to a 4/$12.4m contract (3.46 ERA last year, .4 WAR in 52 IP, close to a 2 WAR projection over 25 starts on FG), so not only is every MLB franchise out spending Bruce, Korean ones are outspending the Marlins for MLB talent. I refuse to deep dive as to what guys have moved over to Japan, but I bet a few teams got larger hauls than Bethancourt, Gordon, and Brujan at the end of the day, let alone those guys weren't FA.

Continued comment, I can't believe they are doing this after making the playoffs even if that playoffs was smoke and mirrors of 1 run luck. You can still build off of that and their payroll is currently going to fall 23rd-28th overall once the rest of the guys sign with only Pittsburgh and Oakland definitely behind them. If they add a low $30m to payroll (which is signing outright Anderson, Urshela/Rosario/Duvall/Pham/Taylor, Lorenzen, and likely a 4th mid-tier middle reliever, i.e. 1 year deal guys to ballon payroll to a robust low $120m range), they'd fall about 19th in payroll right now sandwiched between Seattle and Minnesota which sounds about right for this year. And that's signing whatever guys for 1 year in an effective good faith effort of trying a little, and if you're bad, you're offloading tens of millions of payroll in August/September moving those guys for prospects anyways as these are all good cheap backend guys for contenders and the return doesn't matter much just shed the money. Just crazy.

[Nick]

I lol'd when he said we signed some minor league free agents and major league free agents. We're just flat out lying now, huh? And agreed, what do we have to do to get somebody to ask these fuckers a tough question in a press conference setting like this?

[lou]

I lol'd when he said we signed some minor league free agents and major league free agents. We're just flat out lying now, huh? And agreed, what do we have to do to get somebody to ask these fuckers a tough question in a press conference setting like this?

I imagine it is an access issue and these guys don't want to bomb FO types they can get a scoop from, but someone has to call these guys out. Le Batard needs to get some intern a credential and they can craft the fish16 statement and see what happens as a bit, etc. Or the current OG (Barry Jackson) who has gotta be getting close to retirement can drop bombs and you can't argue with him after his lengthy career and people aren't going to not talk to him at this stage. We need this kind of hero. Also, maybe Jazz or Skip just needs to say this out loud in a "major league" kind of way. What do they care. Skip was manager of the year and will get a job and Jazz lost his arb hearing and will become the villain/hero we all love so much they can't move him.


Or maybe just ask them what they are targeting for Luzardo and Arraez in trades as I kid you not, this costs roughly $60m in 2025 (including Garcia) and on top of the huge returns for Luzardo and Arraez, they have Scott, Bell, Berti, one of Gordon/DLC, Bethancourt, and others to trade this deadline and that should fill many of those blank lines with having the ability to really make an impact in FA if Bruce says $120m is approved. So the question is to be honest, and is the plan to half ass to contention in 2024 with a team that could contend with the 1 run magic again, or, is 2025 the real target with Sandy + reorganization + turning contracts into club control to then spend what they can in FA. Because this makes sense, but I'd appreciate the honesty and I'd have more faith in them if they are real and just say it as it is.

C ____, Fortes
1B _____, Burger(DH)
2B Edwards, ____/Brujan
SS _____, ____/Amaya
3B _____
LF _____, DLC/Gordon
CF Jazz
RF Sanchez
(AAA - Banfield, Dane, Mesa Jr., Cappe, Berry)

SP Sandy, Eury, Garrett, Cabrera, Rogers
SP/RP Max, Puk
RP ____, Nardi, _____, Bender, Weathers, Soriano
(AAA - Fulton, Monteverde, Maldonado and RHP pen types)

And we'll ignore 2 more guys will get hurt here which will kick the goalposts back to 2026 anyways.

[Namaste]

Rosario to the Rays for 1 year for (gulp) $1.5 million

[lou]

Rosario to the Rays for 1 year for (gulp) $1.5 million

I absolutely cannot believe how the Marlins couldn't have matched that with a clearer path to 500 PA for him at 2B/SS/LF. This is regardless of Anderson as they could do this quickly and while I don't think any of us would love nickel and diming this with Bethancourt, Rosario, Anderson, Brujan, and Gordon as the new bats (hypothetically anyways), we'd also get that is all Bendix can do with Bruce's lack of money.

Bethancourt, Fortes
Arraez, Bell(DH)
Rosario
Anderson, Berti
Burger, Brujan
Gordon, DLC/Edwards (other in AAA, or both kept and Brujan DFA'd if he sucks this spring)
Jazz
Sanchez


Rotoworld's analysis is perfect - It’s really kind of stupid that no team was willing to bring in Rosario as at least a starting second baseman after a down 2023


This is stupid. Bendix is stupid for not landing him at 5x the price. The only bats with higher season projections are Arraez, Jazz, and Burger (although I would bet on Sanchez's and Bell's bats and Berti's defense over him but that's probably it).

Jesus

[sports24/7]

Hopefully this means the Marlins will have more urgency to sign Anderson. I’m guessing it won’t as they seem to not really give much of a shit what this year’s roster looks like and will roll Berti out there if they have to. But it would be nice to get an actual ML SS on the roster.

[fish16]

im fine with no rosario because he has been a below average hitter by WRC+ and OPS+ for his career, and he is not a good defensive SS. if they let anderson sign elsewhere, that is absurd.