2024 Game Thread

[lou]

Just shift to not caring at all. It’ll make life easier.

It’s crazy the complete 180 from last year when it was exciting they were doing well. This org should be ashamed of itself, but it’s just par for the course…

On a big picture level, I kind of feel that is happening? Maybe a little. Every time I see Bendix, or Skip, or some other FO type on a quick video or quote, you can see the underlying disappointment, embarrassment, and/or frustration. That's new. For me, I think the fan reaction of this season is far and away the worst it has ever been and I think the organization is a bit taken aback by it. Some of the media types (Barry Jackson, Frisario) are really starting to lay into them highlighting the despair too. I think they may have assumed being a whatever 75 win team again in a rebuild off an epic 1 run luck year would be "par for the course" and they wouldn't really be punished for it, but I am sensing they are having a major wake-up call this month that people do still pay attention to them, and their lack of off-season moves has really really dropped the ball coming off a playoff year. I think the typical Marlins fan has lower expectations and is used to some/major BS, but this time it feels different with all the true believers unified in checking out within the first 3 weeks of the season and absolutely not caring. And I mean that in a not just about this year thing, about the organization/ownership in general. As why devote the time to this organization if they give such a little shit about it, when across town the Panthers front office is just amazing because they give a shit, even if they flounder by the end of the year, the Dolphins and Canes do stuff and there is hope and excitement with the football teams for sure, the Heat are always good and have a decade long benefit of a doubt track record at this point, and even the soccer team made one of the biggest splashes in American soccer history with Messi so that's fun. What can any of us say about the Marlins besides, if the SP does eventually get healthy, maybe they'd be good if they hit on 3+ major trades this season, and then 3-5 FA moves all at the same time?

It seems to me this was a final straw with the abysmal slow start (+ Eury) after the abysmal offseason, and absent them treating this year as a fundamental reset and really doing some major things differently next year, this is kind of it for them until Bruce sells. I don't know how they can recover unless they quickly decide to spend and yes I know the answer there. And yea he says he won't sell, but MLB can't like this. The league is going through an embarrassment in Oakland right now. They can't have franchises operating like this 5 years into a new ownership group, and Miami should be a marquee baseball market for sure. It's a MLB brand issue. The City of Miami can't like this. It reflects on their stadium deal and isn't driving local revenue which was the whole idea. Bruce can't like this. He's old and rich AF and everyone hates him. I wouldn't want to be in that position if I were him. My hope is, it gets so bad - and I mean laughably bad, losing 110 games - 76 year old Bruce Sherman decides he doesn't need this embarrassment in his life and he becomes a hero admitting he is not up to this challenge and sells to someone who will care. That's the best thing he can do for the organization. Like Mark Richt retiring and voiding his own contract admitting he wasn't up for the Canes job anymore.

We'll see, but not much else to say here besides I still will check some box scores and hope they develop some of these bats for next year/show some vision in extending some guys like Jazz/Cabrera, as ultimately, things can change fast with the arms if they can get them healthy April 2025 with Eury not tracking far behind them. That's about it though. Winning cures all, but they are going to need a whole lot to make that happen in 2025.

[Todd]

It is dreadful. I looked at my phone and saw them up 7-0 and laughed out loud when I saw Nationals clawed back.

Maybe Brujan is starting to adjust to MLB pitching though if we're looking for a bright spot for the weekend of awfulness. Best 3 games in a row he's ever had.

I got nothing. Josh Bell might be worse than Segura.

Josh Bell really is a microcosm of how Kim Ng wasnt vert good at her job.

A mediocre 1B/DH in the midst of a second down year brought in to dump a bad contract given to Segura that they also had to throw in the first draft pick she ever made, who was a headcase that wasn't very good.

[rmc523]

On a big picture level, I kind of feel that is happening? Maybe a little. Every time I see Bendix, or Skip, or some other FO type on a quick video or quote, you can see the underlying disappointment, embarrassment, and/or frustration. That's new. For me, I think the fan reaction of this season is far and away the worst it has ever been and I think the organization is a bit taken aback by it. Some of the media types (Barry Jackson, Frisario) are really starting to lay into them highlighting the despair too. I think they may have assumed being a whatever 75 win team again in a rebuild off an epic 1 run luck year would be "par for the course" and they wouldn't really be punished for it, but I am sensing they are having a major wake-up call this month that people do still pay attention to them, and their lack of off-season moves has really really dropped the ball coming off a playoff year. I think the typical Marlins fan has lower expectations and is used to some/major BS, but this time it feels different with all the true believers unified in checking out within the first 3 weeks of the season and absolutely not caring. And I mean that in a not just about this year thing, about the organization/ownership in general. As why devote the time to this organization if they give such a little shit about it, when across town the Panthers front office is just amazing because they give a shit, even if they flounder by the end of the year, the Dolphins and Canes do stuff and there is hope and excitement with the football teams for sure, the Heat are always good and have a decade long benefit of a doubt track record at this point, and even the soccer team made one of the biggest splashes in American soccer history with Messi so that's fun. What can any of us say about the Marlins besides, if the SP does eventually get healthy, maybe they'd be good if they hit on 3+ major trades this season, and then 3-5 FA moves all at the same time?

It seems to me this was a final straw with the abysmal slow start (+ Eury) after the abysmal offseason, and absent them treating this year as a fundamental reset and really doing some major things differently next year, this is kind of it for them until Bruce sells. I don't know how they can recover unless they quickly decide to spend and yes I know the answer there. And yea he says he won't sell, but MLB can't like this. The league is going through an embarrassment in Oakland right now. They can't have franchises operating like this 5 years into a new ownership group, and Miami should be a marquee baseball market for sure. It's a MLB brand issue. The City of Miami can't like this. It reflects on their stadium deal and isn't driving local revenue which was the whole idea. Bruce can't like this. He's old and rich AF and everyone hates him. I wouldn't want to be in that position if I were him. My hope is, it gets so bad - and I mean laughably bad, losing 110 games - 76 year old Bruce Sherman decides he doesn't need this embarrassment in his life and he becomes a hero admitting he is not up to this challenge and sells to someone who will care. That's the best thing he can do for the organization. Like Mark Richt retiring and voiding his own contract admitting he wasn't up for the Canes job anymore.

We'll see, but not much else to say here besides I still will check some box scores and hope they develop some of these bats for next year/show some vision in extending some guys like Jazz/Cabrera, as ultimately, things can change fast with the arms if they can get them healthy April 2025 with Eury not tracking far behind them. That's about it though. Winning cures all, but they are going to need a whole lot to make that happen in 2025.

I’ve never understood the mindset they’ve had of waiting until “x” year circled on the calendar to actually make moves, instead of building and adding pieces every year and THEN you’ll be ready in that “X” year….instead, we ignore glaring holes for literally 3+ years and then are shocked when things don’t go according to plan A, except there’s no plan B through Z either. It’s just been a “we’ll fix that eventually” mentality.

[Namaste]

Josh Bell really is a microcosm of how Kim Ng wasnt vert good at her job.

A mediocre 1B/DH in the midst of a second down year brought in to dump a bad contract given to Segura that they also had to throw in the first draft pick she ever made, who was a headcase that wasn't very good.

It's really convenient to say this when Bell has a 62 wRC through 123 PA's

I didn't hear much talk about this when Bell and Burger pushed us into the playoffs last year.

and I don't even think Ng was good at her job

[lou]

I’ve never understood the mindset they’ve had of waiting until “x” year circled on the calendar to actually make moves, instead of building and adding pieces every year and THEN you’ll be ready in that “X” year….instead, we ignore glaring holes for literally 3+ years and then are shocked when things don’t go according to plan A, except there’s no plan B through Z either. It’s just been a “we’ll fix that eventually” mentality.

Yes.

It's the Royals - they added some solid guys (Lugo, Wacha) this offseason in anticipation of their players growing into who they will be, and it changes the whole dynamic of the team building a better culture. Players will develop better if they are having fun and not getting their ass kicked constantly. Of course, the Marlins will say we did that with Garcia, Soler, Segura, Cueto, and Anderson, and then trading for Burger, Robertson, and Bell, but it goes back to half those guys are already gone, one was a terrible idea (Anderson), one is in year 3 and sucks (Garcia), and payroll is still 28th this year. Another $20m - which is effectively the payroll gap between the Royals - is really glaring when you could have crammed in 3-5 legit veterans to help here ala the Royals (who have missed on some - Renfroe, Frazier, etc.). The Rangers did this too but the expensive way (Seager, Semien), and it's fair to say probably not the best idea to do that, but if you can't match what the Royals are doing, you should sell the team because you're a loser. Miami is such a better marketplace for baseball than Kansas City. It's pathetic.

No need to bitch about this, but currently

29th in hitting (White Sox are .1 WAR worse)
25th in pitching
29th in fielding (Pitt is worse somehow worse. Arraez is the worst fielder in baseball on fangraphs. Dead last)

[Namaste]

the latest Steamer update at FanGraphs:

Sixto Sanchez is worth 0.3 WAR
Declan Cronin is -0.3
Burch Smith -0.1
Calvin Faucher is 0.1

#random

[Namaste]

MLB.com did a piece on the 2014 draft.
I looked up the career WAR's of everyone the Marlins could have drafted instead of Tyler Kolek

Aaron Nola: 34.2 career WAR
Matt Chapman 26.1
Michael Conforto: 19
Carlos Rodon: 18.5
Brandon Woodruff: 16.1
Logan Webb: 15.2
Jordan Montgomery: 14.5
Dylan Cease: 14
Kyle Schwarber: 13.4
Rhys Hoskins: 11.3
Alex Verdugo: 9

[lou]

It's really convenient to say this when Bell has a 62 wRC through 123 PA's

I didn't hear much talk about this when Bell and Burger pushed us into the playoffs last year.

and I don't even think Ng was good at her job

Bell trade was fine (Watson looks like he stinks). But they aren't getting anything for Bell at the deadline unless he goes on fire which is all I care about at this point. Pray this Luzardo injury is minor so Luzardo, Arraez, Rogers, and Scott turn into many many (cheap) guys. Maybe they get lucky and Bell, Chargois, and whatever else turns into something even if just system depth.

This is all we have to root for IMO - this is gonna be $56m + whatever you get in the incoming trades which should be at least 5 blank lines along with the maybes.

C _____, _____ (maybe Fortes/Banfield)
1B Burger
2B Edwards, ______ (maybe Brujan/Bride/Lopez)
SS _____
3B _____, ______ (maybe Brujan/Bride/Rivera)
LF ______, DLC
CF Jazz
RF ______, Sanchez/Gordon/Brujan/Dane/Garcia/Mesa Jr. (pick the best one)

SP Sandy, Garrett, Cabrera, Max, Weathers (IL - Eury)
RHP _____, _____, Bender, Faucher, Hoeing (AAA - Maldonado, Soriano)
LHP Nardi, Puk, ______ (maybe Simpson)

If we use 2023 payroll as a barometer (lolz), that's over $50m on roughly 6 free agents.

[lou]

MLB.com did a piece on the 2014 draft.
I looked up the career WAR's of everyone the Marlins could have drafted instead of Tyler Kolek

Aaron Nola: 34.2 career WAR
Matt Chapman 26.1
Michael Conforto: 19
Carlos Rodon: 18.5
Brandon Woodruff: 16.1
Logan Webb: 15.2
Jordan Montgomery: 14.5
Dylan Cease: 14
Kyle Schwarber: 13.4
Rhys Hoskins: 11.3
Alex Verdugo: 9

Only one name here matters. There is -0- reason for them to not have take Rodon. "Cheap."

I think this one annoys me the most of all of them. Not taking Greene/Abrams over Bleday was a mistake, but you can buy that one. Berry over Brooks Lee was completely insane in 22. We're having a revisionist history about McLain over Watson as we all thought Watson was a good drop for them. They should have taken Beckham or Smoak over Skipwroth in 2008 for sure, but I'm really getting deep now.

But I think Kolek or Rodon is the worst mistake of all of this crap. I'd say Skipworth and Berry are tied for 2nd here of WTF were they thinking. Thankfully Beckham (5.5 WAR)/Smoak (6 WAR, but 196 career HR and all of that production came in two later years) didn't really pan out so no harm no foul kind of with Skipworth. We'll see if Brooks Lee punishes them longterm.

Berry currently .184/.253/.289 in AA, with a .231 BABIP and a declining BB/K from last year at the same level he is now older at in an early sample size. What a fucking mistake.

[rmc523]

Bell trade was fine (Watson looks like he stinks). But they aren't getting anything for Bell at the deadline unless he goes on fire which is all I care about at this point. Pray this Luzardo injury is minor so Luzardo, Arraez, Rogers, and Scott turn into many many (cheap) guys. Maybe they get lucky and Bell, Chargois, and whatever else turns into something even if just system depth.

This is all we have to root for IMO - this is gonna be $56m + whatever you get in the incoming trades which should be at least 5 blank lines along with the maybes.

C _____, _____ (maybe Fortes/Banfield)
1B Burger
2B Edwards, ______ (maybe Brujan/Bride/Lopez)
SS _____
3B _____, ______ (maybe Brujan/Bride/Rivera)
LF ______, DLC
CF Jazz
RF ______, Sanchez/Gordon/Brujan/Dane/Garcia/Mesa Jr. (pick the best one)

SP Sandy, Garrett, Cabrera, Max, Weathers (IL - Eury)
RHP _____, _____, Bender, Faucher, Hoeing (AAA - Maldonado, Soriano)
LHP Nardi, Puk, ______ (maybe Simpson)

If we use 2023 payroll as a barometer (lolz), that's over $50m on roughly 6 free agents.

Or $50 M extra in Bruce’s pocket lol

[Namaste]

Luzardo had a catch yesterday with no pain

[Nick]

Every day I tune in or look at the score and think it’s a fucking prank.

[Todd]

It's not even the velocity. His pitches have no life whatsoever. Just flat turds with no movement despite decent velocity.

When he came up it wasn't just the speed but damn his stuff had some dance to it.

[fish16]

It's not even the velocity. His pitches have no life whatsoever. Just flat turds with no movement despite decent velocity.

When he came up it wasn't just the speed but damn his stuff had some dance to it.

He’s just unlucky. It’s the defense. Blame Arraez. Don’t you remember his spring???

[Nick]

To be fair he should be in AA or AAA trying to work things out but that’s not an option.