Marlins News

When it comes to the sale of the Miami Marlins, the game of musical chairs regarding who is considered the favorite continues. Before there was any talk of multiple parties, the Kushner group had an agreement in place. Then, when that deal fell apart, the dynamic duo of Derek Jeter and Jeb Bush emerged. No sooner did we hear about them, Tagg Romney and Tom Glavine showed up, along with Wayne Rothbaum (who would later join up with the Romney/Glavine group...and Dave Stewart).

Jeb Bush bailed on Jeter and joined the RomGlavRothStew group while Jeter gathered up new backers. Finally, Miami businessman Jorge Mas joined the fray, which brings us up to the present. The latest news courtesy of the NY Post was a double-whammy: Reportedly, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has rejected the Romney-Rothbaum bid (said to be around $1.1 billion), and that they are out. Furthermore, the article states that Derek Jeter’s group had recently lost one member of their group but that another who was already involved had stepped up his share. The Jeter group’s share is said to be below or around $1 billion and they’ve have been in a constant scramble to get the money together.

It should be noted that there are conflicting reports on whether or not the Romney/Rothstein group is actually finished, but if these two developments hold true, it would seem to put Jorge Mas in the driver’s seat. Jon Heyman notes in his latest Fan Rag article that Mas is the only contender who can front the money by himself (at an estimated worth of $2 billion), and is presently believed to have the largest bid at $1.2 billion.

Whatever the case may be, I hope it’s over soon, so the new ownership group can quickly move on to the business of building a consistent winner in Miami.

Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports that the Marlins have dispatched their scouts across baseball to take a close look at other team’s farm systems ahead of the July 31st trading deadline. Teams being particularly targeted include the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, and Colorado Rockies.

Edinson Volquez has a banged up knee but is not expected to miss any playing time. As things stand, Volquez would be in line to pitch the first game coming back from the All-Star break, against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Friday the 14th, so he’ll have plenty of time to heal up.

Justin Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Mike Moustakas of the Kansas City Royals were the two players selected by the fans to join the other All-Stars in Miami, courtesy of the “Final Vote” that ended Thursday evening. So, even though Justin Bour’s bid to play in the game fell short, we will still get to see him mash dingers alongside teammate Giancarlo Stanton in the Home Run Derby the day prior.

Ichiro Suzuki (obligatory data link capture), more appropriately referred to as Ichiro!, had two singles in yesterday’s 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The two hits propelled him past Rod Carew to give him 3,054 hits in his extraordinary career, 23rd all time in MLB history. The legend is now one hit shy of someone named Rickey Henderson.

Around the League

Long-time Detroit Tigers stalwart Justin Verlander is on the market, and the Chicago Cubs may be interested...

...or maybe not. Cubs president Theo Epstein expressed his opinion that the players they had were all they needed and that they simply need to “play better.”

Umpire Angel Hernandez, who is in the midst of a discrimination lawsuit against his employer, will work the first base side at Tuesday’s All-Star game. Hernandez was born in Cuba and both he and his father have a long history in Miami.

The fans in attendance for the Washington Nationals-Atlanta Braves were subjected to an odd experience yesterday. It’s since been dubbed the “No-Rain Delay.”