Miami Marlins

A member of Alex Rodriguez's inner circle is denying reports that the former Major League Baseball superstar is interested in purchasing the Miami Marlins. 

Ron Berkowitz, Rodriguez's publicist, tweeted any rumors of his client wanting to buy the Marlins or any other MLB franchise are "entirely false."

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Thursday that Rodriguez would be interested in purchasing the Marlins if the franchise was put up for sale. 

Heyman did note that no one around Marlins majority owner Bruce Sherman thinks he's considering selling the franchise, but "steep losses have many calling to inquire."

Sherman led a group that purchased the Marlins from Jeffrey Loria for $1.2 billion in August 2017. Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan were among the group of investors along with Sherman. 

Jeter announced in February he was selling his stake in the organization and stepping down as CEO. 

Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, a key factor in Jeter's decision to leave the Marlins was because he believed going into the lockout the team would increase roster spending by $10-15 million this season, but "that strategy evaporated during the lockout."

The Marlins currently have the fifth-lowest payroll in MLB with $81.015 million spent. They haven't ranked higher than 26th in payroll spending since 2018. 

Rodriguez has built an impressive business portfolio since his MLB career ended after the 2016 season. He led a group that attempted to purchase the New York Mets in 2020 before Steve Cohen eventually bought the franchise. 

A-Rod and Marc Lore bought the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA's Minnesota Lynx from Glen Taylor for $1.5 billion in May 2021. 

Forbes estimates the Marlins are valued at $990 million.     

Jorge Soler helped lead the Atlanta Braves to a championship as the World Series MVP, but his time with the team is reportedly coming to an end.

The Miami Marlins agreed to sign the slugger to a three-year, $36 million deal Saturday, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com and ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Atlanta acquired Soler via trade from the Kansas City Royals in July in a move that rejuvenated his season. He slashed .192/.288/.370 with 13 home runs and 37 RBI in 94 games with the Royals in 2021 but hit an impressive .269/.358/.524 with 14 home runs and 33 RBI in 55 games with Atlanta.

The Braves also went from three games under .500 on Aug. 1 to a National League East crown.

While Soler missed time in the playoffs after he was placed on the reserve list after testing positive for COVID-19, he returned and played the role of hero in the Fall Classic victory over the Houston Astros by slashing .300/.391/.800 with three home runs and six RBI in six games.

That his performance came right before his contract was set to expire made it all the better for Soler.

He spent his first three seasons with the Chicago Cubs from 2014 through 2016 and helped them break their championship drought that dated back to 1908. He was also with the Royals from 2017 until they traded him to Atlanta.

It wasn't a massive surprise Soler was so productive down the stretch of the 2021 campaign with Atlanta considering he wasn't far removed from when he led the entire league with 48 home runs to go with 117 RBI in 2019.

Soler also hit .265 that season, so he wasn't entirely home run dependent.

The 2016 and 2021 World Series champion will be 30 years old during the 2022 season for Miami, a team who needed to address the offense this offseason but abstained from splashing out major cash to chase some of the more prominent free agents available.

While 2019 remains something of an outlier compared to the rest of his career, Soler impressed for the Braves, has postseason experience and has always been known for his power. That, along with the fact that he should still theoretically be in his prime, should help him remain productive on this new deal.

Nick Castellanos may have been a key figure in the divorce between the Miami Marlins and former CEO Derek Jeter.

CC Sabathia said on his podcast R2C2 with CC Sabathia and Ryan Ruocco that his former New York Yankees teammate wanted to sign the veteran slugger and indicated that Miami ownership's reluctance to spend the necessary money played a part in Jeter's decision to step down (h/t Logan Mullen of Audacy):

[Castellanos is] a beast. I know Jeter wanted him bad.

The Marlins are the Marlins. No matter what you try to do to make them better, at the end of the day there's just always been bad ownership. Jeter did everything he could, he lined everything up for him and this is the year you sign Castellanos. They've got a bunch of pitching, Jazz Chisholm is a star, you've got Miguel Rojas playing short. Seems good, like really good, he built a really good team. The minor league organization is great, but it's just time to spend money.

I just feel bad for him because I know how much time he put into that and how serious he took that job and I know he's pissed. Yeah, it sucks, but the Marlins are the Marlins.

Jeter, 47, bought a 4 percent share in the Marlins in 2017 as a part of an investment group and was named the CEO. Bruce Sherman bought a 46 percent stake and is the chairman and principal owner of the organization.

But in February, Jeter stepped down and gave up his ownership stake. He said in a statement:

We had a vision five years ago to turn the Marlins franchise around, and as CEO, I have been proud to put my name and reputation on the line to make our plan a reality. Through hard work, trust and accountability, we transformed every aspect of the franchise, reshaping the workforce, and developing a long-term strategic plan for success.

That said, the vision for the future of the franchise is different than the one I signed up to lead. Now is the right time for me to step aside as a new season begins.

He was entering the final year of a five-year contract as CEO. 

In Jeter's four years as CEO, the team went 218-327, reaching the playoffs once in 2020's pandemic-shortened season. Optimism around the team's young talent followed that campaign, but the Marlins went 67-95 last year. 

During Jeter's tenure, Miami traded stars like Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna and J.T. Realmuto to help restock a thin farm system. Prospects who have come up through that system, like Sandy Alcantara and Chisholm, have formed the foundation of an intriguing young core.

But Sabathia believes Jeter was ready to add to that core with veteran talent like Castellanos, who had a career year in 2021 with the Cincinnati Reds, hitting .309 with 34 homers, 100 RBI and 95 runs. He won't come cheap, however, and it's possible the Marlins—famous for being adverse to spending—balked at the cost. 

Per Spotrac, the team's 2022 payroll sits at $55.7 million, 27th in Major League Baseball. Last year, it ended at $58.2 million. To put that in perspective, Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout has a $37.1 million salary this season.

Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter already shared an MLB clubhouse, and now they might soon be cashing paychecks from the same media company.

Front Office Sports' Michael McCarthy reported Monday that ESPN "would love to get into business" with Jeter.

A door into broadcasting opened after Jeter announced he's severing ties with the Miami Marlins:

It's unclear what kind of role Jeter would occupy within ESPN.

The Worldwide Leader in Sports already announced its new Sunday Night Baseball crew. Karl Ravech will handle play-by-play duties alongside David Cone and Eduardo Perez. Alex Rodriguez and Michael Kay will also work eight games on alternate feeds similar to the "ManningCast" for Monday Night Football.

Perhaps Jeter could team up with Rodriguez as Eli and Peyton Manning did to great success, or the Hall of Famer could helm his own standalone broadcast.

Despite his impressive resume as a player, Jeter's fit on television might be a bit questionable, though.

Whether it was by choice—he played in a media market where his every utterance would be highly scrutinized—or emblematic of his overall personality, the 47-year-old wasn't especially charismatic or insightful across his baseball career.

A different side of Jeter might emerge if he were to be paid to talk for a living, and at least early on, he'd likely draw in a lot of viewers by virtue of name recognition alone.

For now, Jeter's relationship with ESPN is limited to his forthcoming documentary series, The Captain, which is slated to air this year.

Derek Jeter is stepping down as CEO of the Miami Marlins, he announced Monday:

"The vision for the future of the franchise is different than the one I signed up to lead," Jeter said.

The Hall of Fame shortstop is a part-owner of the Marlins and became the team's chief executive officer in 2017.

The decision comes amid an ongoing dispute between Major League Baseball and the players association over the new collective bargaining agreement. Monday is considered a deadline for the two sides before at least some regular-season games will be canceled. 

ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported that "the sides still remain far apart" heading into the final day of negotiations before the deadline. 

Jeter provided a unique perspective on the executive side after spending 20 years in the majors as a player. The former New York Yankees star won five World Series titles and earned 14 All-Star selections before retiring after the 2014 season.

The success hasn't followed him to Miami, which finished last season with the sixth-worst record in the majors at 67-95. The squad made the expanded playoffs in 2020 after finishing 31-29, tied for just the sixth-best mark in the National League.

It was the only postseason appearance for the Marlins since 2003, and the run ended with a 3-0 series sweep by the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.    

Free-agent first baseman Kyle Schwarber is reportedly generating interest from National League East teams.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported that the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins are among the teams pursuing the veteran slugger. Schwarber ended this past season with the Boston Red Sox after he was acquired from the Washington Nationals prior to the trade deadline.

Heyman pointed out that Schwarber would be a good fit for either Philadelphia or Miami considering his success in NL East ballparks. He has 32 homers in 91 games, which Heyman says would translate to 57 homers per 162 games.

Between Washington and Boston, Schwarber put up some of the best numbers of his career in 2021. The seven-year veteran slashed .266/.374/.554 and totaled 32 home runs. He played the season on a one-year, $10 million deal and declined his half of a mutual option in 2022 to test the open market.

Schwarber developed a strong connection with Red Sox fans during his short time in Boston. His signature moment with the team came at Fenway with a solo home run early in the team's AL Wild Card win over longtime rival New York Yankees. Schwarber said in October that he would be open to returning to Boston.

"This is definitely a clubhouse that I could see myself wanting to stay in. These guys are amazing," he told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. "This is a World Series clubhouse, and I would love to hopefully see if that opportunity comes back."

Schwarber's power bat would be a good fit on many teams hoping to contend next season. The expected implementation of the universal DH for 2022 opens up his options in free agency.

Free-agent outfielder Nick Castellanos is reportedly looking for a long-term contract this offseason as multiple teams pursue him following an All-Star campaign.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com called him "a great fit" for the Miami Marlins but suggested the National League East team could fall out of the running because he is looking for a seven- or eight-year deal.

Elsewhere, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported the Philadelphia Phillies reached out to Castellanos' camp, which is all the more notable because president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was with the Detroit Tigers when they selected the then-third baseman in the first round of the 2010 draft.

While there has been a run of contract agreements prior to a potential work stoppage Wednesday, Castellanos remains one of the best available players who could drastically improve whichever lineup he joins.

Giving him such a long-term deal could be something of a risk considering he turns 30 in March, but he has played the best baseball of his career of late.

He was a first-time All-Star and Silver Slugger winner this past season for the Cincinnati Reds while slashing .309/.362/.576 with 34 home runs and 100 RBI. Every number in the slash line and the home run total represented career bests, and he fell a single RBI short of the career-high 101 from the 2017 season.

Castellanos hit 23 or more long balls in three straight years from 2017 through 2019 and had an impressive 14 in 60 games during the shortened 2020 campaign.

Philadelphia was a middling 15th in the league in home runs in 2021 with 198, while Miami was near the bottom at 28th with 158. Adding Castellanos, who has also played for the Chicago Cubs, would surely drive those totals up as either team looks to compete with the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves in the National League East.

Miami already added some offensive pop when Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported it agreed to a four-year, $53 million deal with former Milwaukee Brewers slugger Avisail Garcia, and the 29-homer outfielder would be quite the one-two punch with Castellanos.

Still, the reported length of the latter's desired contract could be an issue for teams looking to make a smaller commitment, even if he is a game-changing presence in the middle of a lineup.          

The Miami Marlins and starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara agreed to a five-year, $56 million extension, according to Jordan McPherson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald.

McPherson and Mish noted the contract will be the biggest ever for a pitcher who was still on his rookie deal with three years of arbitration left.

At an annual charity event on Nov. 19, Marlins general manager Kim Ng spoke about Alcantara's value to the team.

"I think he's real important," she said, per MLB.com's Christina De Nicola. "Sandy showed that he's got great stuff—he's always shown that—but I think in particular this year, we saw him get better. We saw him mature even more and know that he's at the front of our staff and holding the fort down for us."

News of Alcantara's extension comes shortly after ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Miami struck a four-year, $53 million deal with Avisail Garcia.

Marlins fans have probably seen enough false dawns to assume this means the money faucet is beginning to open in South Beach.

The franchise committed $194 million in new contracts during the 2012 offseason, only to turn around and trade away its three biggest acquisitions (Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell) the next offseason.

Giancarlo Stanton signed a record-setting 13-year, $325 million extension in November 2014 and was sent to the New York Yankees in December 2017 as part of the cost-cutting by a new ownership group led by Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman.

Having said all of that, signing Alcantara well before he hits free agency certainly sends a solid message.

The 26-year-old went 9-15 with a 3.19 ERA and a 3.42 FIP in 33 starts, per Baseball Reference. He averaged 8.8 strikeouts and 2.2 walks per nine innings. He also logged 205.2 innings after going 197.1 innings in his 2019 All-Star season.

Alcantara is the kind of pitcher who can help anchor a rotation for years, and now he's poised to do just that in Miami for the foreseeable future.

The Miami Marlins reportedly added some power to their lineup Sunday.

According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, the Marlins and outfielder Avisail Garcia agreed to a four-year, $53 million deal.

Garcia has played for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers throughout his career since entering the league in the 2012 season.

The 30-year-old was an All-Star during the 2017 season for the White Sox when he slashed .330/.380/.506 with 18 home runs and 80 RBI. He also hit double-digit long balls during the 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021 campaigns.

He was with the Brewers the past two years and helped lead them to the National League playoffs both times.

Garcia drilled a career-best 29 homers in 2021 while slashing .262/.330/.490 with 86 RBI.

Those numbers stand out from Miami's perspective considering it finished an ugly 28th in the entire league with 158 home runs. Only the Arizona Diamondbacks and Pittsburgh Pirates had lower totals, which is a major reason the Marlins finished in fourth place in the National League East at 67-95.

Marlins CEO Derek Jeter previously told reporters the team would "be active" this offseason.

"We can't go out and spend foolishly, I guess is the best way to put it," he said. "We expect to have these conversations. Where these conversations lead, I have no idea. There's two sides, but we expect to be active."

Agreeing to a deal with Garcia certainly fits the bill as active, and he gives the team some offensive firepower it was largely missing last year as it looks to compete with the defending champion Atlanta Braves and others in the NL East.             

The Miami Marlins are reportedly "closing in" on a five-year contract extension for pitcher Sandy Alcantara, according to Craig Mish of MLB Network.

The new deal could be worth more than $55 million.

Alcantara was set to enter arbitration for the first time this offseason and would have been under team control through the 2024 season. The 26-year-old was projected to earn an estimated $4.5 million in 2022 through arbitration, per Spotrac. 

The reported deal would give the pitcher a hefty raise with guaranteed money while keeping him under team control for two extra seasons.

Alcantara finished last season with a 3.19 ERA, 1.075 WHIP and 201 strikeouts in 205.2 innings. Though the Marlins' struggles led to a 9-15 record for the right-hander, he excelled individually and finished with 4.1 wins above replacement on the mound, per Baseball Reference.

The 26-year-old came to Miami in 2019 as part of the trade that sent Marcell Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Dominican Republic native made a quick impact in his new location, earning an All-Star selection that year when he posted a 3.88 ERA in 32 starts, including a National League-leading two complete-game shutouts.

The Marlins remain a work in progress overall, finishing 67-95 in 2021. The team's 31-29 record in the shortened 2020 season was enough to earn a spot in the expanded playoff, but that was the franchise's only postseason appearance since 2003, when it won the World Series.

Locking down Alcantara is at least a step in the right direction while developing an exciting young pitching staff that also features Trevor Rogers, Pablo Lopez and Zach Thompson.