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Offishial news, 2/10/22: Rob Manfred speaks

The latest Miami Marlins coverage to get you through the lockout blues.

By Ely Sussman
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Shawn Palmer (@PalmerGuyBoston/Twitter)

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  • Holding his first press conference since the lockout began, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred did not officially push back spring training or anything else on the 2022 schedule, expressing optimism that Opening Day will still take place on March 31. He said both sides are in agreement about adopting the universal designated hitter and removing the connection between top free agents and draft-pick compensation. Also, there will be a lottery used to determine which teams receive the top overall draft picks (instead of defaulting to the reverse standings). But we’re still awaiting full details about MLB’s latest proposal to the players’ union—it better be much-improved from their previous one, or else there is a serious threat of a season delay.
  • The Marlins added 18-year-old Mexican catcher Víctor Ortega to their international signing class. According to his Mexican team, Sultanes de Monterrey, Ortega batted .340 during their minor league winter ball season.
  • Baseball Prospectus places the Marlins sixth in their organizational prospect rankings. You may recall that Baseball America buried them at 20th recently in their own rankings. It’s unusual to see such a large disparity between those outlets.
  • Isaac Azout extended his winning streak to three on Wednesday’s Marlins Jeopardy edition of Fish Stripes LIVE. We’ve now had 20 different contestants this offseason, with three more pencilled in for next week. Fish Stripes LIVE is presented by Loupe: a card show in your pocket.

  • Jim Bowden of The Athletic has a pretty unique take on the Marlins’ outfield situation, recommending that they attempt to trade for Andrew Benintendi and play him in center field. The Marlins reportedly came close to acquiring Benintendi from the Red Sox last winter. With the Royals in 2021, he slashed .276/.324/.442 with a 106 wRC+ and 2.1 fWAR (similar to his career averages). Inside the same piece, Bowden advocates—from the Diamondbacks’ perspective—for a blockbuster sending Ketel Marte to Miami for JJ Bleday and Braxton Garrett.
  • No MLB team spent less money on player payroll from 2000-2021 than the Marlins did, according to this data visualization by Greg Harvey.
  • Christina De Nicola of MLB.com dives into the origins of the Folklore installation at LoanDepot Park.
  • MiLB.com’s Benjamin Hill created a visitor’s guide for those attending Triple-A Jacksonville home games at 121 Financial Ballpark. Lockout or not, the Jumbo Shrimp open their 2022 campaign in Jax on April 5.
  • On this weekend’s episode of Fish Stripes Unfiltered, we will be joined by Marlins multimedia host/reporter/analyst Kelly Saco! Got any specific questions or topics that you’d like for us to discuss with her?

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