Fish Bites Episode 56: Closing in on a closer

Trades! Not very impactful ones, though. Ely provides the Marlins’ perspective regarding last week’s Kyle Keller/José Estrada and Austin Brice/Angeudis Santos swaps (2:15), pays homage to recently DFA’d Austin Dean, who was drafted and developed by the organization (16:45), and insists that savings from the 2020 arbitration class should be applied to improving the bullpen (27:45). Brandon Kintzler, Jeremy Jeffress and Shawn Kelley are among the available relievers who make sense for the Fish. Finally, take a listen to Danny Martinez’s new YouTube show, “Marlins Unfiltered” (49:30).

Enjoy Episode 56!

One week after praising Michael Hill and the Marlins front office, Ely is critical of the club for trading Brice for a “lottery ticket” prospect in Santos, and for taking Jesús Aguilar to arbitration over a relatively inconsequential $250,000 difference in proposed salary. The projected 2020 payroll is now in the $70 million range, which is even lower than last year.

In addition to Kintzler, Jeffress and Kelley, right-handers Cody Allen, Luke Gregerson and Blake Parker each bring elements of experience and control that the current ‘pen candidates are lacking.

Danny Martinez is no longer affiliated with Fish Stripes, but I encourage you to subscribe to his new YouTube account for regular commentary on the team. (Fish Stripes is also on YouTube here.)

The Fish Stripes podcast is home to Miami Marlins shows Fish Bites and Earning Their Stripes. All new episodes are posted to FishStripes.com/podcasts. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean, Megaphone or wherever you normally get your pods from.

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