Offishial news, 12/9/22: Latest trade rumors; record spending by Mets

Dec 9, 2022 - 12:30 PM

Miami Marlins throws a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on October 02, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ri_hzx0FquWqzh9HnSsmeZsPR8Y=/0x200:3000x1888/1920x1080/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71729810/1430059436.0.jpg" />

Marlins Podcast Episodes

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• Thursday’s winter ball updates: Javier Sanoja (Cardenales de Lara) went 1-for-4; Jan Mercado (RA12) went 2-for-3 with a walk and a RBI. My winter ball tracker has been expanded to include Marlins players competing in six different leagues.
• The Marlins’ NL East rivals continue to splurge in free agency. Brandon Nimmo re-upped with the Mets on an eight-year, $162 million deal while David Robertson inked his own one-year deal with a $10 million guarantee to join him. The projected luxury tax that the Mets will pay in 2023 is almost as high as the entire Marlins payroll.
• Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic identifies the Marlins as being among the many teams that have spoken to the Diamondbacks about potentially trading for one of their young outfielders. From the Dbacks’ perspective, “they are not looking to take back prospects,” Piecoro writes, “but rather to acquire either an established big leaguer or a major league-ready player who will serve as an upgrade or plug a hole.”
• Ted Schwerzler of Twins Daily tweets that Minnesota and Miami are engaged in Pablo López discussions. I would not categorize Schwerzler as an objective, fully trustworthy reporter, but Darren Wolfson of KSTP is and he confirms that the two teams have previously had dialogue. Safe to assume the Marlins would be seeking controllable hitters with everyday starter upside in return.
• The Marlins announced new additions to their executive leadership team. Anthony Favata (VP, Operations and Events) will oversee gameday and event operational management and event booking at loanDepot park, as well as guest services, parking and transportation, concessions, and collaboration with third-party operational partners; Christian Lowe (VP, Analytics and Strategy) will continue brainstorming advancements in fan programs, digital marketing and business analytics; and Mike Mullane (VP, Finance and Accounting) will oversee day-to-day financial operations, including financial reporting and analysis, budgeting, and capital planning and asset management.
• Very detailed feature by Scott Kornberg of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on Eli Villalobos’ unique career path. He is a converted catcher who credits his new splitter for boosting his prospect stock this past season. Villalobos is likely to contribute to the Marlins major league bullpen at some point in 2023.
• Not shy about advocating for players to receive their fair share of the MLB revenue pie, Jazz Chisholm Jr. retweeted—seemingly to endorse—Ben Verlander’s tweet about owners being profitable enough to justify massive free agent contracts.
• Kevin Barral dives into the pros and cons of the Marlins pursuing Athletics catcher Sean Murphy.
• Sean Millerick of Call to the Pen makes a cross-sport comparison between how the Miami Dolphins approached their 2022 offseason and how the Marlins are approaching theirs.
• Trevor Hooth of Prospects Live composed a video thread about one of Pat Monteverde’s Double-A Pensacola starts.