2019 Pre-Season Profile: Miami Marlins

#28

The Miami Marlins have been working to completely remake their franchise ever since Derek Jeter and his ownership group took over the franchise before last offseason.  Now in year two after the complete teardown of their roster, will the Marlins start to show some results from trading away every recognizable face they had?

2018 Predictions

5th in NL East

Half of the Marlins' Opening Day starting lineup will not be on the roster by season's end.

2018 Results

63-98, 5th in NL East

The Marlins went from an interesting team on the verge of doing something great in 2017 to tearing it all down to nothing for 2018.  The new ownership group saw a lineup that wasn't sustainable financially.  What was left for the 2018 season was a Marlins team that resembled some of their early years.  A cheap, young roster with promise and the ability to compete maybe in a few years, but not at all competitive now.  There were a few veterans left on the roster, and I thought they would be gone before the season ended.  However, Justin Bour seemed to be the only to get out mid-season.  They seemed to keep the rest of the lineup in tact the rest of the season.

Additions / Subtractions

The main subtraction seemed to be final piece that needed to be moved from the epic teardown the year before.  J.T. Realmuto's trade to the Phillies brought back their new catcher, Jorge Alfaro, and some top prospects.  Outside of that, the only other moves made were signing some veterans to lead the kids, fill out the roster, and be trade bait come July.  This veteran crew includes Neil Walker, Curtis Granderson, and Sergio Romo.  The most notable change this year will have nothing to do with the roster.  New logo, new jerseys, and no more gigantic statue in centerfield of Marlins Park.

Most Important Hitter

Lewis Brinson

Of all the prospects brought back in the deals from last offseason, Lewis Brinson (acquired in the Christian Yelich deal with Milwaukee) was the biggest name and the most ready to make a major league impact.  He was their Opening Day centerfielder and stayed there most of the season.  However, he had far from a successful season.  Only tallying a .199 batting average and a 62 OPS+ (league average is 100), he was quite a disappointment for such a highly touted prospect.  Brinson has to make huge strides forward this season if he plans to stay a centerpiece of the Marlins' plans going forward.

Most Important Pitcher

Dan Straily

Dan Straily has been quite a journeyman considering he hasn't even reached 30 yet.  He has had one great year in 2016, his only year with the Reds.  The last couple seasons with the Marlins have been good but not great, posting an ERA+ just slightly below average.  If Straily comes out with a strong 2019, then he can help give the Marlins a much more successful season, and possibly be a trade piece at the deadline.  He needs to be above average to have a successful season though.

Prospect to Watch

Sixto Sanchez

The centerpiece of the J.T. Realmuto deal with the Phillies, Sixto Sanchez is thought to be one of the best pitching prospects in the league.  The 20 year old has been often compared to Pedro Martinez thanks to his slight stature and power arm.  After only throwing 46 innings in 2018 in the minors, and knowing how teams are trying to manipulate service time to delay free agency as much as possible, chances are the Marlins will be moving Sanchez along slowly throughout the 2019 season.  However, if the season goes really south for the Marlins and they need something to get the fans excited, they might not be able to help themselves and give Sixto a shot in the big leagues this year.

2019 Prediction

5th in NL East

The Marlins are still rebuilding and have a chance to be better than they were last season, but there is no way they finish anywhere other than the cellar of the NL East.  This has more to do with the strength of the rest of the division than the mediocrity of the Marlins.  All four of the other teams in this division will be competing for a playoff spot.  The Marlins are not there.  They will play better than last year, but might still finish with a worse record simply because of the competition in the division.

Fearless Prediction

The Marlins' starting rotation will all be under 30 years old by the end of the season.

There are only two starters right now that the Marlins have that are 30 years old or over (Dan Straily, Wei-Yin Chen).  With the pitchers the Marlins have that are getting ready to break into the big leagues, these two pitchers might be gone by the end of the season.  Straily will probably be traded, and Chen might just be released with how poorly he has pitched since he has come over from Baltimore.  In their place, look for guys like Sandy Alcantara, Nick Neidert, Jorge Guzman, and (like I said earlier) maybe even Sixto Sanchez to get to starts in their place.

2018 Pre-Season Profile: Miami Marlins

#30

It is a magical time of year.  Pitchers and catchers have reported to Spring Training, and the rest of the players are not far behind.  We are less than a week away from the first Spring Training game, and before we know it, we will be in the middle of another outstanding baseball season.  This offseason has been unlike any other, with many of the top free agents still looking for jobs as camps open.  Players are looking to cash in with big contracts while clubs are scared of signing the latest free agent bust.  The trade market has been rich, with many teams searching for alternate solutions to upgrade their roster.  As I start my pre-season profiles for each club, there are still many unanswered questions for many players and many teams.

As we go from last to first, we start with one of the most active teams of the offseason as they seemed determined to go from average and emerging to terrible and rebuilding.

My 2017 Predictions

4th in NL East

The Marlins will trade for Jose Quintana mid-season.

2017 Results
77-85, 2nd in NL East

The Marlins finished with almost the exact same record as they did in 2016, however the weak NL East had them finish in second.  After tragically losing one of the faces of the franchise in Jose Fernandez at the end of the 2016 season, their other face, Giancarlo Stanton, had a career year that ended in him winning the NL MVP award.  I thought the Marlins might make some moves to really try and compete, with the starting rotation being the biggest hole in their roster.  Instead of making a splash for a guy like Quintana, the splash came in the new ownership group that was in place by the time the season ended.

Additions / Subtractions

With Derek Jeter & Co. now owning the Marlins, the philosophy of the franchise took a complete 180.  Instead of trying to find new ways to complement their strong lineup, the new ownership group decided the status quo was not sustainable financially.  If they needed to shed payroll, they needed to just blow up the current core and start over.  That is exactly what they did.  Gone are All Star caliber players like Dee Gordon, Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, and reigning MVP Stanton along with the hundreds of millions of dollars committed to them.  Prospects were brought back, but some of the trades were simply salary dumps when you see the level of prospects they got in return.  The franchise had a complete reset, with second baseman Starlin Castro being the only established major leaguer brought back in any transaction.

Most Important Hitter

J.T. Realmuto

Along with Justin Bour, Realmuto is one of only two remaining members of the former Marlins core still on the roster, and he is not happy about it.  He has been very vocal this offseason about the fact that he wants to be traded as well so he has a chance to compete.  This makes him valuable to the Marlins because if they do decide to move him (which might be necessary if he becomes a cancer in the locker room) he should bring back a decent haul.  Yelich brought back the best haul of the offseason trades.  A similar haul might be in the cards for Realmuto, a 27 year old catcher with pop getting ready to enter his prime.

Most Important Pitcher

Jose Urena

In a year where the pitching staff was the downfall of the Marlins, Urena was a bright spot in 2017, going well over 100 innings for the first time in his career.  He was effective in those innings, earning 14 wins, a 3.82 ERA, and a 106 ERA+.  This makes him the only Marlins pitcher with more than 10 starts that was above league average (ERA+ 100).  All of this is promising, considering he is only entering his age 26 season.  This may be the future ace of the staff if he isn't already.  He may be one of the few things Marlins fans have to look forward to.

Prospect to Watch

Lewis Brinson

By far, the best prospect the Marlins got in their wheeling and dealing this offseason was Lewis Brinson from the Brewers in the Yelich deal.  He has been one of the top prospects for the last few years in all of baseball, and he is slated to be the Marlins Opening Day centerfielder.  He has a real chance of becoming a star and a new face of the new Marlins for the foreseeable future.

2018 Prediction

5th in NL East

Almost by design, the Marlins have the worst roster in the league by a decent amount.  They seem to be trying to employ the Astros blueprint of success.  Tear down to nothing and rebuild around some top draft picks.  The problem with this method is it takes several years to see any results.  Expect at least two or three 100 loss seasons before the Marlins improve.

Fearless Prediction

Half of the Marlins Opening Day starting lineup will not be on the roster by season's end.

The Marlins can't be done unloading pieces.  They should probably pick up a couple veteran players that are still in free agency to fill out their roster so they can at least look respectable on Opening Day.  However, look for players like Martin Prado, Starlin Castro, J.T. Realmuto, Justin Bour, Dan Straily, Wei-Yin Chen, and whatever veterans they might pick up along the way to either be traded or dropped by season's end.

2017 Pre-Season Profile: Milwaukee Brewers

#27

The Milwaukee Brewers have been irrelevant in the national baseball scene since winning the division in 2011.  How long will it be before they return to a position of significance?

My 2016 Predictions

5th in NL Central

Jonathan Lucroy will be traded to the Texas Rangers for Jurickson Profar.

2016 Results

73-89, 4th in NL Central

Last year, the Brewers finished a little higher than I had anticipated, but this was more because the Reds were a lot worse than I thought.  The Brewers I had about right.  There was nothing that made them stand out in any way.  They are a franchise stuck in mediocrity.  Outside of a resurgence in Ryan Braun and a surprise amount of production out of journeyman Chris Carter, there really wasn't much notable that took place in Milwaukee last season.  However, my fearless prediction last season is one I am most proud of out of all my pre-season picks of 2016.  I may have gotten the details of the trade wrong, but I was right that he was heading to the Texas Rangers.  I think my trade proposal would have gone well too.

Additions / Subtractions

The Brewers' offseason was confusing.  Chris Carter led the league in home runs, so they let him walk and sign elsewhere.  Instead, they replaced him with Eric Thames, a 30 year old player that has spent his last 4 seasons in Japan resurrecting his career.  That is about as unknown a commodity as you get.  Many also thought, just like they did about Lucroy last year, that they needed to trade Ryan Braun, as his stock will never be this high again after his strong 2016.  However, they kept their aging superstar even though they are in an obvious rebuild scenario.  Instead, the Brewers were frustratingly quiet.

Most Important Hitter

Jonathan Villar

One of the bright spots for the Brewers last year was the emergence of Jonathan Villar.  In his first year with the club after being traded from the Astros, Villar showed what kind of player he can be.  Another strong season in 2017 can make the Brewers better and also solidify his position as a potential cornerstone of the Brew Crew moving forward.

Most Important Pitcher

Junior Guerra

The biggest surprise of the 2016 Milwaukee Brewers was Junior Guerra, a 31 year old pitcher just finally getting a shot to prove himself in the big leagues.  He pitched so well, he is being counted on as a potential ace of the staff in 2017.  For the Brewers to move in the right direction, Guerra needs to show that 2016 was a sign of things to come and not a fluke.

Player to Watch

Lewis Brinson

Last year, I said a potential Jonathan Lucroy trade would help set the Brewers up for the future.  The acquisition of top prospect Lewis Brinson was proof that I was right.  Brinson is a highly-touted outfield prospect that seems to have all the tools.  If the Brewers season goes the way it is supposed to, look for Brinson to get his shot in the big leagues sooner rather than later.

2017 Prediction

4th in NL Central

The Brewers are not a bad team.  They are also not good team.  They also show very few signs of changing any of these facts this season.  They might be the most boring team in all of baseball to try and follow.  Their lineup has some flash, but their pitching is mediocre.  They are on a rebuilding track, but that track is looking like it will take longer than most fans want it to.  Look for this season to look a lot like last season: bright spots, but mostly disappointing.

Fearless Prediction

Ryan Braun will be traded by the end of the season.

I don't have as strong of a prediction on this one as I did with the Lucroy trade last year (my best guess is he will go to the Dodgers), but the reasoning is almost identical.  It is time to fully commit to the rebuild, and that means it is time for a guy like Ryan Braun to bring back some prospects.  Also, this trade would clear a spot in the outfield for Lewis Brinson to come in.  Look for this blockbuster trade to happen.