Marlins News:
According to the New York Times, Joshua Kushner is the man at the head of the group attempting to complete a purchase that would bring the Miami Marlins under their control. Joshua is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, who is the son in-law and close advisor of President Trump. There is no indication at this time that Mr. Kushner’s father (real-estate mogul Charles Kushner), his brother Jared, or the President have any involvement with the investment group (because if they did, ethical questions would undoubtedly be raised).
USA Today released predictions earlier in the week for all 30 MLB teams, and also had a separate piece ranking all 30 team’s starting rotations. Hazard a guess at where the Marlins ended up, and you probably wont be disappointed.
Somewhat lost in the shuffle yesterday was the news that David Phelps had won his arbitration hearing, garnering a slight raise in the process.
Never one to mince words, Yahoo Sport’s Jeff Passan penned a piece upon hearing news of the sale absolutely torching current Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, mainly due to being so brazenly cheap running the team while positioning himself for a record financial windfall should a deal go through.
Around Baseball:
It was discovered yesterday that former Rangers and Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson had quietly retired and is now running an automobile dealership in Fresno. Wilson enjoyed a ten year career where he compiled a 94-70 W/L record, 52 saves and put up a 3.74 ERA/3.82 FIP over the course of his baseball existence.
Oft-troubled Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang has had his court date set for February 22nd regarding a DUI charge he received in his home country of South Korea in December of last year. This being Kang’s third DUI since 2009, there is some thought that the commissioner’s office might dole out some additional punishment.
Speaking of commissioner Manfred, since taking over in January of 2015 he has constantly been seeking out ways to tweak baseball, in many cases to make it a speedier game. His latest idea involves placing a runner on second base at the onset of extra innings, and it will be tested in the low minors starting this season. Predictably, this hasn’t gone over well in some corners of the baseball world. Here is SB Nation’s Grant Brisbee on the subject.
Former All-Star closer Brian Wilson is attempting to make a comeback...as a knuckle-ball pitcher.