Miami Marlins

Miami Marlins left-handed starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo is the MLB player "most likely" to be traded, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports and The Athletic.

Rosenthal reported that news on Foul Territory on Thursday (3:10 mark).

"Luzardo to me is the single-most likely player to be traded," Rosenthal told ex-MLB catcher and Foul Territory host A.J. Pierzynski.

"The Marlins are going to keep going. They traded [Luis Arráez], they are going to trade Luzardo as long as he stays healthy. He had that little flare-up physically earlier, but he's gone."

Luzardo, 26, is 2-4 with a 4.18 ERA over nine starts this season. He's struck out 50 batters over 51.2 innings.

Luzardo had a 6.58 ERA after five starts before he missed three weeks due to injury. Since he's return, he's rebounded over four appearances with a 1.75 ERA. Opposing batters have hit just .204 off him during that span.

It's easy to see why Luzardo is highly coveted. First, he's a 26-year-old left-hander under team control through 2026. Second, he's been impressive over the past three years, posting a 3.59 ERA over 59 starts. Luzardo has also posted a 10.3 K/9 rate and 1.15 WHIP.

It's also easy to see why the Marlins would trade him. Miami is languishing in last place at 20-37. The Marlins have all but acknowledged that their season is effectively over after trading their best hitter in Arráez, and the team is clearly looking to do the same with the top starting pitcher on the staff right now.

Ultimately, all signs point to Luzardo leaving town. The questions that remain are to whom and for what and when at this point.

One MLB executive believes nobody is off limits for trades for the Miami Marlins after the team traded Luis Arráez to the San Diego Padres, per the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

"The entire team is up for grabs," the executive said.

The Marlins traded Arráez to the Padres last week in return for first baseman Nathan Martorella, outfielders Dillon Head and Jakob Marsee, and right-hander Woo-Suk Go. According to one executive, that could be the start of an overhaul for Miami.

The Marlins have had a disastrous start to the season, sitting at the bottom of the NL East at 10-29.

Heyman noted that starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo and closer Tanner Scott could be among the players up for grabs on Miami's roster. In five starts this season, Luzardo has a 6.58 ERA while Scott has a 2.57 ERA and four saves in 15 appearances.

Heyman also pointed to Josh Bell and Jake Burger as possible trade pieces. Bell has notched a .201 batting average with four home runs and 13 RBI while Burger has three homers and 15 RBI with a .203 batting average.

Miami got a decent return for Arráez in the form of some solid prospects. Head and Marsee were the Padres' No. 6 and No. 7 prospects in Bleacher Report's farm system rankings while Martorella was the team's No. 9 prospect.

Trading their current veterans for talented prospects could be the direction the Marlins continue to go as they build for the future.

Miami has seen little success since its World Series victory in 2003. The Marlins have reached the postseason just twice since then with their deepest run being to the divisional series. Last year, Miami was bounced in its wild card series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

After their rough start to the season, a postseason run might not be in the Marlins' sights this year, so capitalizing in the trade market might be the right move.

The Miami Marlins are off to a disastrous 1-10 start to the 2024 season, and there are already rumblings that manager Skip Schumaker is likely to be gone soon.

According to Jordan McPherson, Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald, Marlins owner Bruce Sherman agreed to void the 2025 team option on Schumaker's contract "as a show of good faith," allowing him to seek another this winter. Schumaker is now "expected to explore other options after the season."

The report clarified that the decision to void the 2025 option on Schumaker's contract was not due to the organization's dissatisfaction with his performance. Sources revealed that the agreement was made "during contract talks this past winter."

The report added that Schumaker was not happy with the departure of general manager Kim Ng, who parted ways with the Marlins in October after Sherman informed her that a new president of baseball operations would be hired above her. Schumaker reportedly "had a good relationship with Ng" and "expressed his concerns in a conversation with Sherman" before the hiring of Peter Bendix as Miami's head of baseball operations.

Schumaker is the reigning National League Manager of the Year after leading the Marlins to an 84-78 record and a playoff berth. Miami was eliminated by the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card Round.

It was noted that Schumaker is highly regarded in league circles and would likely receive consideration for manager positions regardless of whether the Marlins can turn their season around.

While a source said Miami "would have interest" in retaining Schumaker for next season, a return in 2025 reportedly "is not considered likely in the wake of the change in the front office hierarchy, coupled with the organization's decision not to improve the roster this past offseason."

The Miami Marlins have traded infielder Jacob Amaya to the Houston Astros for cash considerations and minor-league pitcher Valente Bellozo, per the Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara.

The Astros placed pitcher Bennett Sousa on the 60-day IL to make room for Amaya on the 40-man roster and optioned Amaya to Triple-A.

Amaya has appeared in just four MLB games, notching two hits and two RBI in nine at-bats. He was the Marlins' No. 9 prospect before the trade.

Amaya, 25, was an 11th-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 and appeared in his first MLB game last season. In the minors in 2023, he had 122 hits, 15 home runs and 65 RBI, notching a .252 batting average.

Amaya's time in The Show was shortlived last June as the Marlins called him up after the team's infielders struggled with injury. He spent a week in Miami but ultimately was sent back down to Triple-A when he was no longer needed.

Now, Amaya will join the Sugar Land Space Cowboys—Houston's Triple-A affiliate—as he waits to be called back up to the majors. The Astros have a solid option currently at shortstop in Jeremy Pena, who has 11 hits, a pair of homers, six RBI and a .393 average to start the season.

Though if Pena has any injury troubles this season, Amaya could fill the role well.

Eury Pérez's 2024 campaign has reportedly ended before could make a single regular-season appearance for the Miami Marlins.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Thursday the right-hander will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire campaign. The 20-year-old made 19 starts for Miami in 2023 but will not get a chance to build on that in what would have been his second major league season.

Pérez was one of the top prospects in baseball prior to making his debut with Miami.

MLB.com ranked him as the No. 13 overall prospect in the league and best prospect in the Marlins' system ahead of the 2023 campaign.

"Pérez's combination of size, stuff and polish is tough to top, starting with a fastball that parks at 94-97 mph and peaks at 100 and plays even better than its velocity thanks to its shape, running action and induced vertical break," the outlet's scouting report said.

"His deceptive upper-80s changeup is just as nasty, generating an outstanding 61 percent swing-and-miss rate in 2022 thanks to its fade and tumble. After featuring an upper-70s curveball in the past, he added a tighter mid-80s slider last season that grades as plus more consistently than his bender."

He made his highly anticipated debut last season and posted a 3.15 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 108 strikeouts in 91.1 innings. The strikeout total in that sample size of innings stood out and suggested he would only become better with more experience.

That's what makes this setback so concerning for the Marlins, as they surely envisioned him becoming one of the rotation's anchors in the near future. Instead, he will be sidelined for a significant stretch and have to ramp back up to his previous form when he does return.

It is yet another blow for a Miami team that looks nothing like a contender in the early portion of the 2024 campaign.

Miami is 0-7 after series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Angels and will look to turn things around starting Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Miami Marlins aren't giving their fans much to be happy about as the only winless team in MLB entering Wednesday, but at least one patron found a way to make his experience at LoanDepot Park into an eventful night.

Joel Franco documented his experience with the Marlins' $52 all-you-can-eat seats during Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. His night began with a hamburger and chili dog during the first inning.

Trying @Marlins $52 all you can eat seats. I’m gonna make them regret this pic.twitter.com/glC2ynGamt

— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) April 2, 2024

As the game went on, Franco sampled everything from nachos, cookies, peanuts and popcorn until he got through all of the items on the menu.

Round 4 & 5 pic.twitter.com/EyYnqV0B09

— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) April 2, 2024

Not surprisingly, Franco did have to make a stop in the bathroom before the end of his evening.

Round 8 pic.twitter.com/5idScy7Vbq

— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) April 3, 2024

Franco explained the all-you-can-eat tickets allow fans to grab-and-go with their items, so he was able to avoid any lines.

One potential issue that could have been a problem if you pace things poorly is when the Marlins cut off their all-you-can-eat food service after the seventh inning. There are eight food items, plus soda and water to drink.

Menu. I ate everything. Video coming soon pic.twitter.com/IIwN0Rsvw6

— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) April 3, 2024

You could plan to eat one item per inning, but that would require getting at least one item before service ends. It wouldn't be a problem if you saved the snacks (popcorn, peanuts, cookies) for later, but the hot food wouldn't do well if you let that cool down for an inning or two.

Franco's food adventure is one of the most exciting things that has happened during a Marlins game so far this season. The only other thing that even comes close was Mike Trout hitting two homers on Monday, including one that might still be in orbit.

473 FEET! pic.twitter.com/0kfFqwbQrA

— MLB (@MLB) April 2, 2024

The Marlins' 0-6 record entering Wednesday is the franchise's longest losing streak to start a season.

Making the losing streak even worse is it has come against two teams that entered the season with fairly low expectations. They were swept in a four-game series by the Pittsburgh Pirates before dropping their first two games to the Angels.

If the Marlins continue to struggle, there might be more fans who follow Franco's lead by consuming unhealthy amounts of ballpark food in an attempt to entertain themselves.

Marlins management won't mind why you're there since you've already paid for the ticket.

The Miami Marlins are 0-4 after their first series of the season against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and centerfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. believes the Marlins' open roof contributed to the early struggles.

Per ESPN, Chisholm said the Marlins struggled against the Pirates' relief pitchers because they weren't used to playing under the open roof at LoanDepot Park.

"That we couldn't see," Chisholm said. "That's all. I feel like the shadows were really — we're not used to playing in shadows. We normally play inside every day.

"So, when we get a shadow for three of the four games at home for the first time of the season, it's kind of hard to adjust to. You know, we're used to the roof being closed and being able to see every at-bat. It's kind of tough to see when it's black out there and you're facing a guy throwing 101 [mph], you know?"

The Pirates outscored Miami 31-17 in the series and Chisholm had just two hits in 14 at-bats, though he did have a grand slam and the Marlins' first home run of the season.

ESPN noted that the Marlins open the roof far less than most MLB teams due to Miami's unpredictable weather throughout the season. In 2021 and 2022, the Marlins played under an open roof just five times.

Miami will need to adjust to playing outside soon, and it will have the chance to get acclimated this week as the Marlins take on the Los Angeles Angels in a three-game home series.

Miami Marlins outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. opened up about a toxic clubhouse culture within the organization in the early days of his career.

Appearing on The Pivot Podcast (h/t Ely Sussman of Fish on First), Chisholm said the "worst three years of probably my life" were his first three seasons in the big leagues.

"Outside of baseball was great, but playing baseball, which that was the thing that really I loved doing more than anything else, was the worst. I got to where I wanted to get to at that point—not to the level of it yet, but I got to the big leagues—and I hate it," he explained.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. didn't hold back when talking about a former Marlins teammate 😳

(via @FishOnFirst)pic.twitter.com/wJTymcbPxz

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) March 20, 2024

Even though Chisholm didn't specifically name then-Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas, he did call out the "team captain" for trying to create division within the clubhouse at a time when Rojas was considered the leader of the team:

"Our team captain tried to get me out of here. My team captain would come and tell me, 'Bro you're the best on the team, bro. Keep on going, bro. You're gonna be great. You're gonna lead us one day.' But then the next two seconds, he's in (manager Don Mattingly's) office telling the manager something, and then the manager coming and telling me, 'Bro, this is what your team captain said.'

"Our manager doesn't play that. He didn't play that B.S. garbage. The last year that I got through all that stuff, we had a team meeting and he shut it all down."

Chisholm was acquired by the Marlins from the Arizona Diamondbacks when he was a prospect in July 2019. He made his MLB debut on Sept. 1, 2020.

The meeting referenced by Chisholm occurred in June 2022 after the Marlins went 7-19 in 26 games the previous month.

Per Barry Jackson, Jordan McPherson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald, then-manager Don Mattingly called for the meeting because he "had grown weary" of players privately complaining about their teammates and "wanted to try to resolve the issues" behind closed doors.

"One issue causing conflict among players: Some of the team's veteran players do not believe that some of the younger players are behaving professionally and following some of the team's rules," Jackson, McPherson and Mish wrote.

There were conflicting reports about the effectiveness of the meeting. One person described it as "totally chaotic," while another called it "productive."

Rojas said in the report about the meeting he didn't have any personal issue with anyone on the team, but club rules need to be followed and addressed when the team isn't playing well.

On the podcast, Chisholm described the meeting as "nothing to do with baseball at all" and others "wanted to put me in the box."

Another issue Chisholm talked about was hazing that went on, not necessarily involving Rojas, and one veteran player damaged his personally designed cleats, poured milk in them and threw them in the trash.

Rojas spent eight seasons with the Marlins from 2015 to '22. The 35-year-old was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the club he started his MLB career with in 2014, in January 2023.

The Marlins overhauled a lot of their roster after the 2022 season. Rojas, Jesús Aguilar and Brian Anderson were all starters for the club that year who were off the roster before the start of the 2023 campaign.

Mattingly parted ways with the Marlins at the end of the 2022 season. Skip Schumaker was hired as his replacement after spending the previous four years as a coach for the San Diego Padres (2018 to '21) and St. Louis Cardinals (2022).

Miami was a pleasant surprise last season with an 84-78 record. The team made the playoffs for the first time in a 162-game season since winning the 2003 World Series.

Chisholm struggled with injuries for the second straight year. He finished 2023 with a .250/.304/.457 slash line, 19 homers and 22 stolen bases in 97 games.

The Miami Marlins are bringing their home atmosphere to another level in the 2024 season.

According to Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640, the Marlins will be letting fans bring flags, drums, and all musical instruments into home games at LoanDepot Park. However, pots and pans are not allowed.

NEW: The Miami Marlins are allowing flags, drums, and all musical instruments into games this season.

Pots and pans are not permitted though. pic.twitter.com/1kqHJqfHef

— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) March 7, 2024

The inspiration for the updated policy seems to stem from the 2024 Caribbean Series, which took place at LoanDepot Park. Fans were allowed to bring instruments including bongos, maracas, and cowbells which created an energetic environment for the fans as well as the players.

"We know how special baseball is for our community, many with roots in the Caribbean, and we are going to bring that passion and energy back in a special way," said Marlins President of Business Operations Caroline O'Connor in a press release. "We want fans dancing, playing their drums, waving their flags, and chanting along to every pitch!"

Miami previously permitted instruments and flags ahead of the 2019 season, although fans who planned on bringing them were only permitted to sit in an outfield section named "Comunidad 305."

Now, fans in any seat will be allowed to bring flags, drums, and instruments to the game. This could help the Marlins fill up seats after the team ranked No. 29 among all MLB teams in average home attendance during the 2023 season.

With pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training this week, the Miami Marlins are reportedly showing interest in one of the top remaining free agents available.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Marlins have made a contract offer to free-agent shortstop Tim Anderson.

Anderson, 30, has spent his entire eight-year MLB career with the Chicago White Sox, but he may have to continue his playing career elsewhere, as there has been no indication that the Sox want to bring him back.

On the heels of several highly productive seasons in a row, Anderson took a significant step back last year, hitting just .245 with a career-low one home run, plus 25 RBI, 52 runs scored and 13 stolen bases.

Anderson was a useful player right out of the gates as a rookie in 2016, and after hitting a career-high 20 homers in 2018, his true breakout campaign came in 2019.

In addition to hitting 18 home runs with 56 RBI, 81 runs and 17 steals, Anderson won his first and only American League batting title to date by hitting .335.

That marked the start of a four-year run in which Anderson hit .300 or better each season. He was also a two-time All-Star and one-time Silver Slugger Award winner during that timeframe, plus he finished seventh in AL MVP voting in the COVID-shortened 2020 season when he hit .322 with 10 home runs and 21 RBI in 49 games.

Anderson was an All-Star in 2022, but injuries limited him to just 79 games, and he hit .301 with six homers, 25 RBI, 50 runs and 13 steals.

Injuries were an issue again last season, as a knee injury landed him on the injured list and contributed to him appearing in only 123 games.

As nightmarish as the 2023 season was for Anderson, who showed glimpses of his usual self during the World Baseball Classic before the season when he hit .333 with five RBI and three runs scored in six games for Team USA.

Anderson also showcased some versatility, as he played second base despite having been exclusively a shortstop during his MLB career previously.

Due to the presence of second baseman Luis Arráez, the Marlins would likely ask Anderson to play shortstop far more than second base, but the ability to play both middle infield positions does add to his value.

As of now, utility player Jon Berti is penciled in as the Marlins' starting shortstop for 2023, however, he would likely be far more valuable as a plug-and-play guy at multiple positions.

Rosenthal noted that the Marlins are indeed looking for an everyday shortstop, and there is little doubt that Anderson can fill that role when healthy.

The Marlins are the only team to have not signed a Major League free agent this offseason, but Rosenthal reported that the Marlins are speaking with third baseman Gio Urshela in addition to Anderson, so Miami could be busy soon.

Miami surprised many last season by reaching the playoffs with an 84-78 record, and while signing Anderson wouldn't necessarily elevate the Marlins to championship contender status, it would fill a hole and help keep them in playoff contention at the very least.