TheMarlinsProject

Leo doesn't have options so they can't send him down without risking losing him on waivers. Now I think we can all argue that we would be willing to risk that but for some reason the Marlins will not. I honestly think they think they can turn him into the next Otto Lopez. If they didn't have to risk a claim he would never have been on the big league club in the first place but that is why he is stuck in roster purgatory. Someone sees potential but it is not you or I or 99.9 percent of Marlin supporters. Vodnik is another guy they think they can "fix'. He's like the hot girl in school with issues. She gets passed around a while before everyone tells their psycho-ex stories after it Is over.

Nice night by Gusto. King a rare off night. Some hard hit balls, but from get-go too much first pitch swinging. Bats letting us down.

Marsee two hard hit balls, three outs.

LOL you mean when Kelly said back to you Kyle that was all part of our deep conspiratorial plot to infiltrate a 10 person message board seeking their approval as a President of Baseball Operations for a major league team. You guys are good. Autograph 8x10 request number two granted for the Wogster. UPS tracking number should be available soon. Check your inbox.

Older brother George Jr. debuting for the Yankees tonight as well in the Bronx.

Yes it's me. I'm posting here while simultaneously interviewing with Kelly on TV. You empty-headed numpty. lol. I'm all the way across the country but yes you got me. Send me your address and I'll autograph your Starter cap.

Number one pick Jacob Lombard making his pro debut for Jupiter tonight.

James Wood to the IL for the Nats effectively putting the death knell on their slim playoff chances. Hate to see that as he is fun to watch. It helps the Marlins as they play the Nats 7 more times until the end of the year so they will likely be in retooling mode instead of trying to stay competitive.

Agree we need that difference maker. Guys like Tatis and Caminero were traded in A/Rookie ball for paltry returns. We need a bit of luck but the more high ceiling/plus tool prospects we get the more likely one or two will breakout. It's a game of percentages. All of this needs to be done despite the financial handcuffs the owner has shackled the team with. I don't think anyone, including me, has anything positive to say about BS. Despite that, we are definitely going in the right direction. Complaining and bitching about a 58-55 team with the lowest payroll in the league is unique to Marlins fans mostly because of the broken promises of the past.

Gus back up. Ekness activated. Dax sent down, I think. Vodnik activated.

For the most part the media has an agenda and/or is overly positive while lacking the essential baseball knowledge and analytics to understand the differences and nuances of what constitutes good long-term decision making. The most egregious example is our Taiwanese friend who wants to lock up a 31-year old Sandy to like an 9 year extension without realizing that there is about a handful of 30+ guys who signed extensions and probably all but one are on absolutely horrific contracts that would be tantamount to financial suicide under the Sherman regime. (For reference the one good one is Zack Wheeler- of which they narrowly escaped a career-ending injury. The horrific ones are Jose Ramirez, Jose Altuve, Manny Machado, Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Yu Darvish, Miles Mikolas, and Reynaldo Lopez). Absolute albatross contracts comparable to Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera in their late-career Willie Mays on the Mets impressions. The fact almost no one in the media or on the message boards has mentioned Kisting, Beck, and Kim and focused on the other prospects we acquired shows a complete lack of baseball knowledge. Jace Beck is 6 foot 9 inches and is striking out batters at a rate of 16 batters per 9 innings. That is rarified air even if he is a bit older and has other flaws. Yet all I hear is the guy repeating AAA (Long, no disrespect as he could be useful) and playing cards with Kevin Alcantara on the buses for two years as if he is the real get. Same with Kisting, same with Kim. It's a complete lack of player evaluation. Does that mean they will turn out to be useful major leaguers? Absolutely not. But it's baseball and if they hit a .300 average on prospects like at bat they will contend for championships. Not just today, not just tomorrow, but for a long time in the future. It takes time. Trust the approach, trust the process. We have guys that actually know what they are doing. I wish I could say the same for some of the team's biggest cheerleaders.

It is really hard to overstate how horrific the infrastructure of the international scouting, drafting, and minor league development of the Marlins organization was 5-10 years ago. That's not even mentioning the analytics and other development areas that were light years behind other organizations. We like to mock all the first year off field moves in the back of the house but they were setting the foundation for sustainable long-term success in the vein of the Rays. It will take a good amount of time to see the fruits of that labor but when we do hit on a generational player like a Junior Caminero or Jackson Chourio then they will take the leap to year in and year out contenders despite the albatross around our neck (his initial are ironically BS). Take a look at some of the absolutely pathetic and atrocious international signings classes of the mid-10's. A guy on a card table outside a bodega in San Pedro de Macoris was the equivalent of our scouting efforts in that area for years. Rome wasn't built in a day and the goal is sustainable long-term success. This is achievable under Bendix and it's only going to get better. Unless of course, we screw it up in typical Marlin fashion.

Interesting day. A bit of a surprise one of the outfielders or outfield prospects wasn't moved and thought we might get a little more pitching depth. Some pretty intriguing under the radar players which seems to be Bendix's specialty. The trades: 1)Hicks for Brayden Taylor, Adrian Santana, and Jacob Kisting. Hicks was a rule 5 pick who started the year red hot and has been average of late. He's not great defensively catching or at first but had a nice eye at the plate. Traded him at his peak and wish him well in the playoffs for the Rays. Brayden Taylor-dropped off radar when he scuffled at AA last year. Currently sporting a .900 era at AA as a 24-year old. Mostly plays 3b, which is a black hole for Marlins, and he replaced Norby in the mix there. Adrian Santana- another first round pick by Rays. Has good glove and excellent batting eye. .300 plus hitter but with little power. Smallish frame and definitely glove first. Youngest player in trade playing slightly above his level for his age. Jacob Kisting- Older draft pick traded twice. Absolutely tearing it up in A+ with a 1.67 era over 18 starts and 86ip this year. Something clicked with him and exciting upside. Analysis: Great trade giving up a guy at his absolute peak for three high upside guys. Bendix master class. 2) Braxton Garrett for Jonathan Long and Jace Beck. Garrett had next to no value, can't hit higher than 91 on the gun and was on the outs. The fact we got more than a back of balls or cash considerations for him is pretty unbelievable. Will remember those few months he was lights out and hope he succeeds. Jonathan Long- repeating AAA with Cubs. Had no path to majors with them but had +.800 ops both years in AAA. More first base depth and is pretty much MLB ready. Jace Beck- former Mets farmhand. Older for prospect but WHOA the K/9 numbers pop off the page. He is 6 foot 9 and has massive swing and miss tools. Basically he is the lovechild of Mason Miller and Dax Fulton. Which parents traits he gets determines his future. The fact we got him AND Long for surplus is absolutely shocking. Then again it's the Cubs. Analysis: Gave up nothing, received plus tools. Potentially, one of the best trades in Marlins history. 3) Connor Norby and Aidan May for Victor Vodnik. Norby never could break through which for some reason was a them for that vaunted Oriole prospect class (Kjerstad, Mayo, Norby, Cowser, etc.). May has good stuff but has injury concerns is old for his level and lacks wing and miss. Can't see him making a dent for Rockies. Victor Vodnik- younger, toolsider Lake Bacher. Slides in bullpen. Has plus tools but has been inconsistent. Rolling the dice on getting away from Coors and our pitching lab helping him reach his potential. Analysis: Lost nothing very useful gained a fresher younger bullpen arm. Decent trade but nothing too exciting or making a difference unless they can somehow unlikely unlock Vodnik's potential. 4) Lake Bachar for Brandon Bidois, Brian Sanchez, and Hyun Seung Lee. Lake Bachar was another guy we got for next to nothing and flipped for prospect depth. Proud he was a Marlin and wish him the best but he's on the wrong side of 30 and seemed like he was hitting a wall. Chances are his performance going forward would slowly decline. Brandon Bidois- Older Aussie prospect who didn't pitch a lot until the last two years. His numbers this year are absolutely hideous, but his 2025 season (advanced four levels, was lights out) is absolutely stunning. If was can get 2025 Bidois we've stolen a gem but the window is short. Bryan Sanchez- has been passed around to multiple organizations. Has solid if unspectacular numbers. Looks more like minor league depth as nothing stands out. Is about 20th on the organizations outfield depth chart so expectations are low. Hyun Seung Lee- Asian prospects are more and more commonplace and the level of Korean players is improving every year. This is a complete lottery ticket but his numbers at rookie ball at age 18 are pretty eye-popping. Has a solid frame and should develop more power. Long way to go but definitely has plus tools that could turn out to be major league worthy. Analysis: Turning an older marginal asset into plus tool prospects is the Bendix way and this was vintage Peter. Overall: Not going to move the needle short-term but plays completely into Bendix's long-term strategy. With the depth we have now across the board hitting on 2 of 10 prospects will put us in the a position to contend and win for a long time (10-plus years). The names aren't flashy but in a few years we may be looking back and picking up our jaws at how badly we fleeced our trade partners today. Consistent with the long-term vision this is another step forward for the best general manager in the game.

It would take a king's ransom to trade Stowers but if the Astros were to give up their 1,2,3 prospects in K. Alvarez, Neyens, and Fermin I am doing that all day long. 1) Stowers will be 29 next year. 2) We have an absolute boatload of outfielders that can replace him adequately. Bendix would get excoriated for this and would need balls of steel to pull the trigger but that would be a franchise altering trade.

0 walks allowed, no errors. Mets- 5 walks allowed, HBP, 2 errors (could have been more). That's how you win games.

Cam Cannarella pulled from Jax lineup???

Phillips settled down nicely his last three innings. Solid start and job well done.

Ruiz- HBP, advances extra base on hit, sac fly. Beautiful way to manufacture a run.

Phillips looks a bit shaky today. This is going to be a dogfight.

Mets bullpen pretty rested. They aren't very good though.

Good plate approach today, forcing Thornton to throw strikes. Nice aggression on base paths as well. Mets seem to make errors when they are pressured.

Javy!

Petersen, Fulton, Bachar, King available int he bullpen today. Gibson, Fairbanks would be B2B. Zuber, Faucher likely not available.