Miami Marlins

As the New York Yankees continue to pursue starting pitchers, their talks with the Miami Marlins about pitchers Jesús Luzardo and Edward Cabrera had no traction, per the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

According to Heyman, while the Yankees sought after a potential deal involving the Marlins' starting pitchers, those trade talks were never able to gain any ground.

"There was said to be 'no traction' in talks with the Marlins, who are discussing Luzardo, Edward Cabrera and other starters," Heyman wrote.

Luzardo, who started 32 games for Miami last season, had a 10-10 record, recording a 3.63 ERA and 208 strikeouts in 178.2 innings pitched. Cabrera, who started 20 games for the Marlins, recorded a 7-7 record, notching a 4.24 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 99.2 innings pitched.

The news comes as the Yankees made an opening offer to free-agent starter Blake Snell, Heyman reported. Snell started 32 games for the San Diego Padres last season, recording a 14-9 record with a career-best 2.25 ERA and 234 strikeouts in 180 innings pitched.

According to Heyman, the Yankees have yet to make any progress in landing Snell, still far apart from Snell's asking price. Heyman also noted that the Yankees have made little progress in landing free agent Jordan Montgomery or trade target Dylan Cease.

With those three options still seemingly out of reach, Heyman said the Yankees could be pursuing other options, like Marcus Stroman, Corbin Burnes or Shane Bieber, though there is no evidence of progress with any of those options.

With spring training just around the corner, the Yankees are nearing desperation mode when it comes to finding starting arms.

The Miami Marlins have hired Rachel Balkovec as their director of player development, according to MLB.com's Christina De Nicola.

Balkovec replaces former director of player development Geoff DeGroot, who was let go in September 2022.

She is the latest front-office hiring made by president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, joining assistant general manager Gabe Kapler and director of baseball operations Vinesh Kanthan.

Balkovec is also the latest woman executive to join the Marlins after Kim Ng, Major League Baseball's first and only female general manager, resigned in October.

The 36-year-old is also MLB's second woman farm director, joining Houston Astros director of player development Sara Goodrum, who was hired by the club in February 2022 before being let go in October 2023.

Balkovec is a trailblazer for women in baseball, getting her start in the sport in 2012.

She served as a strength and conditioning coach for the Johnson City Cardinals—a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals—in 2012 and was promoted to the club's strength and conditioning coordinator in 2014, becoming the first woman in baseball to hold the role.

The Houston Astros hired Balkovec in 2016 as their Latin American strength and conditioning coordinator and in 2018 she was promoted to strength and conditioning coach of the Corpus Christi Hooks, the club's Double-A affiliate.

In 2019, Balkovec was hired by the New York Yankees as a minor league hitting coach, becoming the first woman to serve as a full-time hitting coach in an MLB organization.

In 2022, the Yankees made Balkovec the first woman to be a full-time manager for an MLB affiliate when they announced that she would manage the Low-A Tampa Tarpons. She remained in the role through 2023.

During her tenure in Tampa, Balkovec worked with some of the Yankees' top prospects, including slugger Jasson Dominguez. The Tarpons went 61-67 in 2022 and 61-69 in 2023.

Additionally, Balkovec has coached in the Netherlands, the Australian Baseball League and has also "spent time researching eye tracking for hitters and hip movement for pitchers at data-driven performance center Driveline Baseball," according to De Nicola.

The pitching success that earned the Miami Marlins a shot at a wild-card bid to the 2023 postseason could continue paying off this offseason.

Left-handed pitcher Jesús Luzardo and right-hander Edward Cabrera "continue to draw interest" in the trade market, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Luzardo is under arbitration through 2026, while Cabrera's arbitration eligibility extends through 2028.

Peter Bendix, who was hired as the Marlins' president of baseball operations in November, "is said to be perhaps more open to moving a starter than his predecessor, Kim Ng," according to Rosenthal.

The Marlins will already be without starting pitcher Sandy Alcántara, who underwent 2024 season-ending Tommy John surgery in October.

The Marlins are also without starter Pablo Lopez, who was dealt in January as part of the trade for Luis Arraez, and former top-100 pitching prospect Jake Elder, who was traded in August for Jake Burger.

Despite that relative thinning of Miami's pitching depth, the New York Post's Jon Heyman said on December 6 that the Marlins are "at least listening to trade talk" regarding the team's young starting pitchers.

Both pitchers raised their trade value with successful campaigns in 2023. In his second full season with the Marlins, Luzardo led all Miami pitchers with a career-high 32 starts. He recorded a 10-10 record, 3.58 ERA and 1.215 WHIP through 178.2 innings pitched.

The 26-year-old finished up his breakout season as a finalist for the Gold Glove award.

Cabrera put up a 7-7 record through 20 starts (22 games) and finished the season with a 4.24 ERA and 1.445 WHIP through 99.2 innings. The 25-year-old missed significant parts of the season due to a right shoulder issue and a stint with Triple A.

Rosenthal previously named Texas Rangers infielder Ezequiel Duran as "the kind of player the Marlins likely would want for Cabrera," although Rangers general manager Chris Young has said the club has "a super high bar" as to what Duran would cost in a trade.

Because these pitchers are under club control for the near future, the Marlins have the advantage of time. Miami can wait for a favorable offer before making a move on players currently set to be a core part of the starting rotation in 2024.

The Miami Marlins are reportedly have found their next front-office leader.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Tampa Bay Rays general manager Peter Bendix has informed the team that he is leaving to become the Marlins' next head of baseball operations. Rosenthal added that former Boston Red Sox lead executive Chaim Bloom was an early target for the position, but he declined to make himself a candidate.

Bendix is a front-office lifer who began as an intern with the Rays in 2009. He was promoted to vice president in 2019 before being named GM in December 2021.

The Marlins' search for a new president of baseball operations led to the departure of GM Kim Ng last month. Ng, who was the first female GM of a team in any of the four major North American sports leagues, declined the mutual option on her contract for the 2024 season.

"Last week [Marlins owner Bruce Sherman] and I discussed his plan to reshape the Baseball Operations department. In our discussions, it became apparent that we were not completely aligned on what that should look like and I felt it best to step away," Ng said at the time of her departure.

The Marlins went 84-78 this season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Miami lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Wild Card Series, but the team is believed to have a bright future.

After the Boston Red Sox hired Craig Breslow as their new head of baseball operations last month, the Marlins were the only team with a remaining opening at the position. It sounds like that is no longer the case and Bendix is ready to take over.

The Miami Marlins will be in search of a new general manager this offseason after Kim Ng's departure from the franchise.

Team owner Bruce Sherman announced on Monday that Ng's club option was exercised for the 2024 season, but she declined her side of the option. The first woman ever to earn a general manager role for a team in one of the Big Four leagues in North America, Ng had been Miami's GM since 2021.

"We thank Kim for her contributions during her time with our organization and wish her and her family well," Sherman's statement said. "We will immediately begin a thorough and extensive search for new leadership as we plan to continue to invest in the Marlins organization both on and off the field."

While speaking to The Athletic's Tyler Kepner, Ng addressed her departure on Monday:

"Last week, Bruce [Sherman] and I discussed his plan to reshape the Baseball Operations department. In our discussions, it became apparent that we were not completely aligned on what that should look like and I felt it best to step away. I wish to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Marlins family and its fans for my time in South Florida. This year was a great step forward for the organization, and I will miss working with Skip [Schumaker] and his coaches as well as all of the dedicated staff in baseball operations and throughout the front office. They are a very talented group and I wish them great success in the future."

Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic reported Ng declined her option after she "felt like she was being stripped of her power and underappreciated." A major issue was the lack of an extension after the team's success in 2023, per Ghiroli.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Marlins wanted to hire a president of baseball operations:

Though the Marlins had made the playoffs thanks to an expanded format during the 2020 season that was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the franchise had been mired by misfortune prior to Ng's arrival. Miami had finished last in the NL East in both 2018 and 2019.

After winning 67 games in 2021 and 69 games in 2022, the Marlins broke through this season and finished with an 84-78 record for just their second winning season since 2009. It was the franchise's first time qualifying for the playoffs in a full 162-game season since its World Series title win in 2003, though Miami lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Wild Card Series.

Stepping away from the Marlins doesn't necessarily mean the end of the line for Ng in her MLB front-office career. According to ESPN, she "is expected to be linked to the front-office opening with the Boston Red Sox" following the firing of chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom last month.

Miami Marlins ace pitcher Sandy Alcantara announced Friday that he underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2024 season.

"I am most saddened for the great Marlins fans, who were so supportive of me and the team this year," Alcantara said in part. "The drive to the playoffs was thrilling to all of us.

"I give this game my all, I give this city my all, and so I promise I will not take a day off as I push to be back better than ever."

Alcantara also thanked Dr. Keith Meister and his team, who performed the surgery.

At his best, Alcantara has proved to be one of the best pitchers in baseball. He won the National League Cy Young Award in 2022 after posting a 14-9 record alongside a 2.28 ERA and 207 strikeouts. His six complete games also led MLB.

Alcantara did not fare as well in 2023, going 7-12 with a 4.14 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 184.2 frames over 28 starts.

On September 24, Alcantara revealed that a UCL sprain in his right elbow would cost him the rest of the season.

"It's very frustrating for me, a guy like me who always likes to go out and compete," Alcantara told reporters (h/t Jordan McPherson and Andre C. Fernandez of the Miami Herald).

"I feel sorry about the fans, my family, my son, my friends, the city because I want to be out there this year. Hopefully, I've got to be ready for next year. I don't know. I've just got to keep positive."

Alcantara had been dealing with the injury for about three weeks. Per the Miami Herald, he felt arm discomfort after a Sept. 3 start against the Washington Nationals. Alcantara added that he felt pain after tossing a curveball to end the eighth frame.

The 28-year-old later made a successful rehab start for Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday, Sept. 21, but felt forearm tightness afterward.

Losing Alcantara for an entire season is a massive blow for a Marlins team on the rise after making the playoffs. Over his seven seasons in Miami, Alcantara has made two All-Star teams and posted a 3.32 ERA and 1.16 WHIP.

Hopefully the staff ace will be able to return healthy in time for the 2025 season as the Marlins continue their quest to become perennial playoff contenders.

The Philadelphia Phillies are set for a tricky path to the 2023 divisional round.

It came down to either the Arizona Diamondbacks or the Miami Marlins as a NL Wild Card opponent— and the Phillies drew the Marlins with a Diamondbacks loss Sunday, setting Philadelphia up for a battle against one of the best pitching squads in baseball.

This is the first time in MLB history the Marlins and Phillies are facing one another in a postseason series, and fans are excited to see the high-scoring Phillies match up against a team with the third-lowest ERA in the league.

That matchup might necessitate some lineup changes, especially given that the Marlins' rotation favors southpaws. Some fans speculated that Brandon Marsh's three-run home run Sunday against left-handed New York Mets pitcher Matt Strahm might have earned the outfielder a spot in the Game 1 lineup.

The Marlins won the regular-season series against the Phillies, 7-6. Miami also boasted a perfect 4-0 record in games started by lefties Jesus Luzardo and Braxton Garrett, the starters slated for Games 1 and 2, per NBC Sports Philadelphia's Corey Seidman.

The Phillies and Marlins begin Game 1 of a best-of-three series Tuesday. Game time is yet to be announced.