The Miami Marlins were sold to a Derek Jeter-led group was made official late last year. He took over as CEO of the team and is in control of the baseball decisions. I’m sure it wasn’t totally his call, but he spent the entire offseason getting rid of payroll.
The Marlins are expected to call-up a lot of young talent to fill the large void the former plays left. Unfortunately, the farm system isn’t stocked with enough young blue chip talents to adequately step into those roles.
There are still a few Marlins players on the roster that could fetch a decent return. Will Jeter pull the trigger on deals to send JT Realmuto and others elsewhere?
Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Miami Marlins.
2017 Win/Loss Record: 77-85
Key Additions: 2B Starlin Castro, OF Cameron Maybin, RP Caleb Smith, RP Jumbo Diaz, C Chad Wallach, SP Tyler Cloud, 2B Johnny Giavotella, C Bryan Holaday, OF J.B. Shuck, OF Scott Van Slyke & RP Drew Rucinski
Key Losses: OF Giancarlo Stanton, 2B Dee Gordon, OF Christian Yelich, OF Marcell Osuna, RP A.J. Ramos, SP Edinson Volquez, SP Wei-Yin Chen, RP Dustin McGowan, RP David Phelps, RP Vance Worley, OF Ichiro Suzuki, 1B Tyler Moore, C A.J. Ellis & 2B Mike Aviles
Interleague Schedule: AL East
Projected Starters: J.T. Realmuto, Justin Bour, Starlin Castro, Martin Prado, SS JT Riddle, OF Derek Dietrich, OF Lewis Brinson & OF Cameron Maybin
Projected Starting Rotation: Dan Straily, Jose Urena, Adam Conley, Odrisamer Despaigne & Dillon Peters
Closer: Brad Ziegler
Fantasy Sleeper: OF Lewis Brinson – Brinson has been a guy we’ve all been watching the last few years, but he has yet to find a solid home and at-bats. He had been included in deals the last few seasons. He has the tools to be a 25/25 guy, but his batting average could be an issue. He will probably hit .225 to .240, but the power/speed combo potential is worth a late-round pick.
Prospect To Keep Your Eye On: SP Sandy Alcantara – The Marlins will continue to trade away Major League talent throughout the season. There will be spot that opens up down the road and Alcantara could sneak into the rotation this season. He was acquired in the Ozuna trade from the Cardinals. He has great speed on his fastball, but needs to improve on his swing-and-miss pitches and cut down on the walks.
Team Analysis: Derek Jeter took over the reigns this offseason and cleaned house to such an extent that the MLBPA filed a grievance against the Marlins. He it cutting payroll and honestly, not getting a ton of can’t-miss prospects in return. Hell, they even took on a bad Starlin Castro contract in the trade that sent Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees.
The Marlins couldn’t care less about their win-loss record this season. Jeter’s only watching the bottom-line decrease and the profits go up. They are just marking time until they can draft and stock the farm system. They could look to move catcher JT Realmuto, a few bullpen guys like Kyle Barraclough and Brad Ziegler, and possibly even a young starter like Jose Urena. It would be a rough decision to move Urena, but he’s not a Jeter guy and they could probably get the most out of him, since he’s talented and under team control.
The NL East is top-heavy and loaded with teams in various stages of rebuilding. The Marlins are the worst and will be in the basement all season long.
2018 Wins Over/Under Betting Line: 64.5 (Prediction: UNDER)
2018 Projected Win/Loss Record: 60-102 (5th in NL East)
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.