Offishial news, 1/25/23: Bruce Sherman won’t sell; Gary Sheffield falls short again

Jan 25, 2023 - 1:00 PM

In response to a Los Angeles Times report that mentioned the Marlins “could go up for sale soon,” Bruce Sherman said he intends to run the team for the rest of his life. Although I respect the LA Times and don’t take Sherman’s statement at face value, it’s difficult to believe that he would be motivated to cash out at this particular time.
Congrats to Scott Rolen on his election into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Former Marlins great Gary Sheffield received 55% of the vote, which sets a new personal best for him, but still leaves him as a longshot to clear the 75% threshold in 2024, his final year of HOF eligibility remaining.
The Marlins signed free agent left-hander Devin Smeltzer to a split contract that will pay him a $1 million salary if he makes the big league team (think of it as a high-end minor league deal). Smeltzer is a soft-tosser with durability concerns, but he has posted a solid 105 ERA+ in 140 MLB innings pitched over the last four seasons.
Veteran reliever Matt Barnes was designated for assignment by the Red Sox. Whether it’s a trade that involves Boston eating some of the $9.75 million still owed to him or a free agent signing, I could see him possibly winding up with the Marlins as a high-leverage arm.
As usual, we’ve got plenty to cover on tonight’s Fish Stripes LIVE, streaming on YouTube/Twitter/Twitch from 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET.

Ginny Searle of Baseball Prospectus summarizes the Marlins’ approach to 2023: “After a season that was almost-invariably bad, the Marlins bet against consistency in hopes that they end up on the right side of variability.”
Stoffer Cochran of Prospects 1500 ranks his Top 50 Marlins prospects.
Daniel Castano remains in DFA limbo. By Thursday, we’ll find out whether he was claimed by another team or outrighted to the minors (I expect the latter).
My friends at Pitcher List are hosting their annual PitchCon virtual baseball conference this week! Beginning today, the event features 40 hours of free presentations/panels and aims to raise $10,000 toward finding a cure for ALS. Enjoy the content and consider donating if you’re able to.

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