Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins are reportedly staying in Philadelphia for an extra day following Sunday's 11-6 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies because of concerns about COVID-19 within the team. 

According to Steven Wine of the Associated Press, Miami plans on traveling home Monday and arriving shortly before it hosts the Baltimore Orioles in the home opener. Wine noted the team did not provide a reason for scratching right-hander Jose Urena from Sunday's game, instead giving the ball to Robert Dugger.

"The guys that tested positive are quarantined here in Philly," manager Don Mattingly said of the possibility multiple Marlins will remain in Philadelphia.

Wine provided more details, explaining catcher Jorge Alfaro was placed on the injured list Friday.

"We were more comfortable flying as a group later," Mattingly said. "We're talking about these guys traveling back home to their families and their kids, and it's the reason we want to be safe."

Miami has been one of the hotspots in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Marlins have yet to play a home game this season. Their first series was in Philadelphia, where they won two out of three, and they also played the Atlanta Braves in road exhibitions Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Braves have been without catchers Tyler Flowers and Travis d'Arnaud after they both showed symptoms of COVID-19.

Miami is scheduled to face the Orioles in Miami on Monday and Tuesday and then again in Baltimore on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Miami Marlins confirmed four players from their 60-player pool have tested positive for COVID-19.

"This is ongoing," Marlins president of baseball operations, Michael Hill, told reporters Saturday. "We've very pleased that a majority of our players made it through intake without it, but this is a daily battle, the disease is still out there. The pandemic is still out there. Florida's recording record highs and daily reports of the virus. We have to continue to be mindful. We have to continue to be smart. We have to continue to be disciplined as players, as staff, as an organization, because you know this is a daily and ongoing battle."

Hill said three of the players were already in quarantine after testing positive within the last two weeks. Another tested positive at Wednesday's mandatory screening.

None of the players who tested positive gave permission for their condition to be disclosed publicly. The players will not be able to participate in team activities until they are symptom free for at least 72 hours and have two negative tests at least 24 hours apart, per MLB's COVID policy.

MLB did not implement a so-called "bubble" like the NHL or NBA for its 2020 season, instead having players report to their respective markets. Teams will play a regional schedule to limit travel but will nonetheless still be staying in hotels and flying to opponent cities. 

MLB is planning regular screenings at the ballpark, and players must take temperature tests and answer questions about potential exposure daily.

Thirty-one players tested positive for COVID-19 during MLB's first round of tests. 

Derek Jeter has now seen both sides of negotiations between players and owners, but he believes the latest conflict was embarrassing.

The Miami Marlins part owner discussed the situation on Line Drive:

"It was disappointing, it was embarrassing at times; the back and forth," Jeter said of the failed negotiations (h/t Mark Townsend of Yahoo Sports). "There is no trust (between the owners and players) is the best way to put it."

The start of the 2020 season was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, but a potential return was consistently pushed back as the league and players association traded proposals without an agreement.

Commissioner Rob Manfred went from saying on the day of the MLB draft there was "100 percent" chance the season would happen to saying he was "not confident" just a few days later, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.

At one point, the players walked away from the table with the message that they just want to play, "tell us when and where."

Several notable players repeated the line on social media, including Mike Trout and Max Scherzer. 

Jeter, who spent 20 seasons in the majors with the New York Yankees, didn't appreciate the players drawing the debate out in public. 

"I get it, I was a player," the Hall of Famer said. "I feel as though players should fight for everything that they feel as though they should have. And I'll always support them in that sense. But, in this particular case, I think some things should have been done behind the scenes."

Manfred eventually implemented a 60-game season that will begin on July 23.    

The Miami Marlins selected Minnesota pitcher Max Meyer with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft on Wednesday.

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Meyer and the Marlins have already struck a deal:

Meyer, 21, went 3-1 with a 1.95 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 46 strikeouts in 27.2 innings during the truncated college baseball season.

He is the highest-drafted pitcher in Minnesota history and joins Paul Molitor (No. 3 pick in 1977) as the Gophers' highest-drafted players regardless of position. No Minnesota player had been taken in the top 10 since Dan Wilson in 1990.

Glen Perkins, who was taken No. 22 overall in 2004, was previously the highest-drafted pitcher in Minnesota history.

"I like to tell them that they're getting a winner," Meyer said of what he told teams coming into the draft, per Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press. "I feel like I'm competitive and confident enough to succeed at the next level. I just trust my abilities. I'm going to be the same pitcher in pro ball that I am in college and I was in high school."

Meyer was MLB.com's ninth-rated prospect in the 2020 draft class. His fastball and slider were given 70 grades, but he was given only a 55 overall—thanks in large part to questions over his lean frame (6'0", 185 pounds).

Despite questions about his size, Meyer has a fastball that is regularly in the mid-to-high 90s and by far the best slider in this class. 

Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter released a statement Monday on the team's official Twitter account regarding the ongoing protests against racial injustice and police violence around the country:

There have been protests in dozens of U.S. cities over the past several days after George Floyd, an unarmed African American man, died while in police custody after a Minneapolis police officer restrained him by kneeling on his neck. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. 

Though some demonstrations have turned violent, Jeter said it was "encouraging" to see people around the world "speaking out and protesting."

"Please do not allow anyone to demonize those who are standing up against these acts," the Baseball Hall of Famer said. 

Jeter defended the right to protest in the past when asked about athletes kneeling during the national anthem in 2017.

"They're focused so much on the fact that they are kneeling as opposed to what they're kneeling for," he said at the time, per Christian Red of the New York Daily News. "Peaceful protests are fine. You have your right to voice your opinion. As long as it's a peaceful protest, everyone should be fine with that."

The former New York Yankees star now becomes one of the more prominent voices in baseball to speak on the current social climate.

The recent trend of people spending tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars on a wide range of sports-memorabilia items continued Saturday when Darren Rovell of The Action Network reported a bidder paid $36,000 for a baseball signed by an eight-year-old Derek Jeter, who would grow up and become the New York Yankees shortstop for 20 years.

The baseball is also signed by some of Jeter's former Little League teammates.

As Rovell noted, a recent "memorabilia bump" has taken place. That bump is perhaps best characterized by someone paying $922,500 for a rookie card of Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, per Daniel Roberts of Yahoo Finance.

Goldin Auctions CEO Ken Goldin provided a theory as to why the card and memorabilia markets have "increased exponentially since the lockdown," in his words to Roberts.

"Because a lot of wealthy people don't have anything to spend their money on. A lot of them pulled their money out of the stock market and they want hard assets... It's been on an upward trajectory for the past several years—the modern card market started taking off with six-figure numbers in 2015—but the past six months have been unbelievable. And the past three months have just been shocking."

The memorabilia boom extends past cards and typical items: Per Rovell, someone just paid $19,500 for a $15,000 wire slip that Michael Jordan signed in 1998, made out to Trump Indiana, Inc. to acquire some money to gamble at Donald Trump's old casino in Gary, Indiana.

As for Jeter, the shortstop won five World Series and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer as part of the class of 2019. He is the Miami Marlins' CEO these days, in addition to being a part-owner of the franchise.

The ex-Bronx Bomber played Little League ball in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he grew up and graduated high school. The Yankees took him with the sixth overall pick in the 1992 MLB draft. He had a cup of coffee in the big leagues in 1995 before becoming the Yanks' full-time starting shortstop in 1996.

The 14-time All-Star finished his career with 3,465 hits, which ranks sixth all-time.

The Miami Marlins plan to furlough about 40 percent of their baseball operations department amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

The furloughs will likely total between 90 and 100 employees and begin June 1. Rosenthal added that more MLB teams are expected to furlough employees.

Rosenthal first reported April 19 that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred was suspending Uniform Employee Contracts starting May 1 with the 2020 season on hold. That allowed teams to cut employee pay or initiate any furloughs.

The decision is at the discretion of individual franchises, so teams have taken a variety of steps in response to the pandemic.

The Athletic's Dennis Lin reported the San Diego Padres were cutting the pay for their baseball operations department to proactively avoid any furloughs or layoffs. Corey Brock of The Athletic reported the Seattle Mariners made a similar move.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers have signaled to their employees as well they weren't expecting to make any reductions to their staff.

MLB has yet to finalize a date by which it will start the regular season.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported team owners approved a plan and forwarded it to the MLB Players Association. Under the proposal, players would begin training in early June ahead of a possible July 1 Opening Day.

However, the owners are seeking a 50-50 revenue split with players rather than paying them prorated salaries, which is shaping up to be a difficult hurdle to overcome.

Before he was reportedly interested in the process of buying the New York Mets, former Major League Baseball player Alex Rodriguez apparently attempted to buy the Miami Marlins. 

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Rodriguez "made a mostly under the radar try to buy his hometown Marlins" around the same time an ownership group that included his former teammate Derek Jeter landed the team.

Rodriguez partnered with New York businessman Wayne Rothbaum of Quogue Capital at the time, and Heyman said it is unknown if Rothbaum is interested in the Mets.

Heyman also noted Miami businessman Jorge Mas declined an offer from Rodriguez to partner in an effort to land the Mets.

This comes after Scott Soshnick of Variety reported Rodriguez and fiancee Jennifer Lopez "retained JPMorgan Chase to raise capital for a possible bid" for the National League East team.

Soshnick explained the potential opportunity for Rodriguez and others arose after the Wilpon family's attempts to sell up to 80 percent of the team to Steve Cohen fell apart when the family wanted to maintain control of the Mets for five years.

In February, Thornton McEnery of the New York Post reported Rodriguez was "the newest name to emerge as a potential suitor to buy the Mets."

As for Jeter, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported in 2017 the New York Yankees legend contributed $25 million to the efforts of the ownership group led by New York businessman Bruce Sherman that bought the Marlins.

According to Spotrac, Rodriguez made an estimated earnings in salary of more than $424 million during his playing career on the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and Yankees.

The next ownership group will be tasked with turning around the franchise that has made the playoffs just five times since 1988.

Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter is forgoing his salary and continuing to pay his baseball operations staff their full salaries through May 31 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Craig Mish of SportsGrid and Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald.  

Per McPherson, "Jeter has been in constant communication with his executive team and all members of the Marlins organization since MLB put its season on an indefinite hold. 'This is unprecedented times,' Jeter said on the Marlins' Beyond the Bases podcast on April 8. 'It's better to overcommunicate.'"

As for other measures the Marlins are taking in the community, they also set aside $1 million for various employees at Marlins Park who would have been working in March and April. 

And they started the Home Plate Relief Fund to aid in food distribution throughout Liberty City and Little Havana and donated over a thousand articles of clothing to World Red Eye, which is using the materials to produce masks during the coronavirus pandemic.

Jeter released a statement regarding those initiatives:

"This is the community's team. In times of need, we want to be there for our community. We're trying to do that to the best of our abilities and we'll continue to try to do that. We want to be there for our community. We need to abide by the guidelines. No group gatherings. Stay inside. Wash your hands. We'll continue to do our part, and we look forward to seeing everyone at the park sooner rather than later."

Jeter is also a minority owner of the organization. Alongside his $5 million salary as the CEO, Jeter has an incentive in his contract that kicks in every year he makes the Marlins profitable. 

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported in 2018 the bonus would pay Jeter "$2 million in 2018, $1.7 million in 2019, $1.1 million in 2020, $2 million in 2021 and $2 million in 2022."

The Miami Marlins have added pressure to entertain their fans at Marlins Park now that the stadium's left-field Clevelander nightclub, complete with a swimming pool, DJs and dancers, has closed. 

"We are excited about the future use and potential of the field-level space as a fan destination within Marlins Park for a wide variety of audiences," Adam Jones, Miami's chief revenue officer, said about the decision in a statement released Thursday.

This is the newest change for Marlins Park since Derek Jeter took over as the franchise's chief executive officer. In October 2018, it was announced that the seven-story "Homer" sculpture would be relocated from center field to outside of the ballpark. 

"Public art is protected in the county, and the Marlins argued that the sculpture can be enjoyed more in a public place, rather than only by ticket-buying fans," MLB.com's Chad Thornburg explained at the time.

The Marlins should be more concerned about how many fans come out to Marlins Park for home games rather than what amenities they have to choose from. Miami ranked last in attendance last season at 10,016 fans per game.

The Marlins' 2020 regular-season campaign will open March 26 when the Philadelphia Phillies visit Marlins Park.