Fresh Fish News, 7/28/19: Marlins trade Sergio Romo, more candidates on the market, local TV ratings

The Miami Marlins may not be in contention, but they have pieces that other teams want and need. With the trade deadline right around the corner, is it possible that the Marlins make a big splash to further improve their offense long term? We here at Fish Stripes are waiting to see, providing this week’s news, highlights and analysis as the situation develops.

Marlins Game Recaps

The Marlins finished their series with the Los Angeles Dodgers with a loss and on the wrong end of a sweep. They went on to rebound by winning two out of three from the Chicago White Sox and splitting the first two games of a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. This week, they are 3-3, and 39-63 overall for the season.

July 21—Dodgers 9, Marlins 0; Jordan Yamamoto got the start in the series finale and went four innings allowing five runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts. The Marlins offense only managed six hits with Jorge Alfaro the only person with more than 1one hit.

July 22—White Sox 9, Marlins 1; Trevor Richards took the mound and had familiar struggles, going five innings allowing seven runs on seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts. The lone run for the Marlins came off a Jorge Alfaro solo HR.

July 23—Marlins 5, White Sox 1; Caleb Smith got the ball against the White Sox and cruised through seven innings allowing one run on two hits and two walks with nine strikeouts. The Marlins scored six runs with big homers from Harold Ramirez and Curtis Granderson.

July 24—Marlins 2, White Sox 0; Zac Gallen dominated the White Sox going seven innings allowing no runs on two hits and one walk with a career-high nine strikeouts. The Marlins scored their two runs on a big two-run HR by Cesar Puello late in the game.

July 26—Marlins 3, Diamondbacks 2; Sandy Alcantara took the ball against the Diamondbacks going six innings allowing two runs on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts. The Marlins rallied late to tie and win the game on back-to-back sacrifice flies by Alfaro and Ramirez.

July 27—Diamondbacks 9, Marlins 2; Jordan Yamamoto was hoping to rebound from his last start but did not go deep into the ballgame only going four innings allowing six runs on two hits and three walks with three strikeouts.

The Marlins outhit the Diamondbacks 9-7, but only scored two runs on a Miguel Rojas solo HR and a Martin Prado RBI Double.

Marlins Trade Sergio Romo

The first domino has fallen in the Marlins’ attempt to deal their expiring, veteran contracts with closer Sergio Romo being traded to the Minnesota Twins along with Chris Vallimont and a player to be named later for 1B prospect Lewin Diaz.

The 22-year-old Diaz immediately becomes one of the top power hitters in the organization with a projected MLB debut by the end of the 2020 season.

Trevor Richards Moved to the Bullpen

Richards has been a mainstay in the Marlins rotation since he debuted in 2018, but his inability to be consistent has forced a change. Elieser Hernandez will start in his place for the foreseeable future, while the 26-year-old right-hander goes to the ‘pen, helping to fill the void left by Romo’s departure. There is also the possibility that Richards gets traded in the coming days, though that would mean selling low on a controllable arm who’s already experienced some MLB success.

Hector Noesi: Trade Candidate?

There are many teams looking for rotation help, hoping that the Marlins budge on letting go one of their many major league starting pitchers. But maybe they will wind up shopping for a bargain in Triple-A instead? Fish Stripes’ own Ely Sussman highlight Hector Noesi and wrote on how he could be an innings-eater for another team. The full article can be read here.

Breakdown of Local TV Ratings

It is no secret the Miami Marlins have had trouble getting people to the ballpark, but according to the latest statistics, they are also struggling with viewership on Fox Sports Florida. Their TV ratings are down 13%, but streaming is up 37%. Wells Dusenbury of the Sun Sentinel has more on this in an article that can be read here.

(You can listen to an exclusive interview with Wells about this story and more on the latest episode of the Fish Stripes podcast being released on Sunday night.)

The Rise of Garrett Cooper

Garrett Cooper has established himself as one of the better hitters in the Marlins lineup this year. However, you may be surprised to learn that there was a possibility that he could have left for Japan two years ago. Baseball America goes into detail on how Cooper was a career minor leaguer with nothing left to prove, and how if not for a 2017 call-up, he might have taken his career overseas (subscription required).

Minor League Spotlight

Andre Fernandez of The Athletic checked in on some of the Marlins top prospects (subscription required). This past week saw the debuts of two future outfield centerpieces, two minor league pitchers dominating and the showcasing of the defensive skills of one of their top draft picks.

Expect more changes to the Marlins major league roster between now and the trade deadline on the 31st. Keep with Fish Stripes for the latest trades, news and highlights regarding your Miami Marlins!