Offishial news, 3/24/23: Battle for final roster spot; Hoskins tears ACL

Mar 24, 2023 - 1:00 PM

Marlins Podcast Episodes

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• According to Craig Mish and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Marlins are “leaning toward” an Opening Day roster construction that includes both Bryan De La Cruz and Jesús Sánchez and only one of Yuli Gurriel and José Iglesias. The veteran non-roster invitees can opt out of their minor league contracts on Saturday and become free agents if they’re not selected. Their report adds that Johnny Cueto (arm soreness) completed a bullpen session on Wednesday. The plan is for him to pitch today (presumably on the backfields). Lastly, Sandy Alcantara and Juan Soto both requested to wear uniform No. 22 for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Soto got his wish thanks to D.R. general manager Nelson Cruz, who’ll be teammates with him on the Padres this season.
• Isaac Azout, Kevin Barral and I discussed the Gurriel vs. Iglesias battle in more detail on the new Fish Stripes Unfiltered episode.
• The Herald’s Jordan McPherson details how Sánchez is handling the uncertainty about his future with the team.
• A final reminder: Unfiltered and the rest of our Fish Stripes podcast shows are now part of the Fans First Sports Network! We have rebranded the podcast channel accordingly to Fish on First. If you were already subscribed, you should be getting new episodes as you normally would. Just look out for the new logo. Ratings, reviews and feedback are immensely appreciated.

• Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins suffered a torn left ACL on Thursday, ending his 2023 season before it even began. It’s particularly brutal timing for the 30-year-old considering that he is a pending free agent. Hoskins has clobbered Marlins pitching through the years (21 HR and .957 OPS in 86 G).
• The Marlins continue their final week of Grapefruit League competition by giving Sandy Alcantara the start against the Astros (6:40 p.m. first pitch). Huascar Brazoban, Andrew Nardi and Tanner Scott are expected to pitch in relief. Nick Fortes (right knee tendinitis) may be in the lineup for the first time in a week. Watch on Bally Sports Florida.
• The Marlins’ franchise value is up to $1 billion, Forbes estimates. That’s still the lowest value in Major League Baseball.
• MLB Pipeline placed the Marlins 18th in their updated farm system rankings. For perspective, they ranked 20th and 21st on previously released lists by Baseball America and The Athletic, respectively.
• Louis Addeo-Weiss, Alex Carver and Sean Millerick joined Cards Conclave for the 2023 Marlins edition of “Playing Pepper.”
• Viva El Birdos proposed that the Cardinals should attempt to trade for Jesús Luzardo, even if it costs them Dylan Carlson.
• Beginning Monday, former Marlins president David Samson is moving his sports business podcast, Nothing Personal, to Meadowlark Media. Samson has hosted the show since 2019.
• Congrats to Maddie and Tanner Scott, who announced that they are expecting their first child in September.