Offishial news, 1/25/23: Bruce Sherman won’t sell; Gary Sheffield falls short again

Marlins Podcast Episodes

• In response to a Los Angeles Times report that mentioned the Marlins “could go up for sale soon,” Bruce Sherman said he intends to run the team for the rest of his life. Although I respect the LA Times and don’t take Sherman’s statement at face value, it’s difficult to believe that he would be motivated to cash out at this particular time.
• Congrats to Scott Rolen on his election into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Former Marlins great Gary Sheffield received 55% of the vote, which sets a new personal best for him, but still leaves him as a longshot to clear the 75% threshold in 2024, his final year of HOF eligibility remaining.
• The Marlins signed free agent left-hander Devin Smeltzer to a split contract that will pay him a $1 million salary if he makes the big league team (think of it as a high-end minor league deal). Smeltzer is a soft-tosser with durability concerns, but he has posted a solid 105 ERA+ in 140 MLB innings pitched over the last four seasons.
• Veteran reliever Matt Barnes was designated for assignment by the Red Sox. Whether it’s a trade that involves Boston eating some of the $9.75 million still owed to him or a free agent signing, I could see him possibly winding up with the Marlins as a high-leverage arm.
• As usual, we’ve got plenty to cover on tonight’s Fish Stripes LIVE, streaming on YouTube/Twitter/Twitch from 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET.

• Ginny Searle of Baseball Prospectus summarizes the Marlins’ approach to 2023: “After a season that was almost-invariably bad, the Marlins bet against consistency in hopes that they end up on the right side of variability.”
• Stoffer Cochran of Prospects 1500 ranks his Top 50 Marlins prospects.
• Daniel Castano remains in DFA limbo. By Thursday, we’ll find out whether he was claimed by another team or outrighted to the minors (I expect the latter).
• My friends at Pitcher List are hosting their annual PitchCon virtual baseball conference this week! Beginning today, the event features 40 hours of free presentations/panels and aims to raise $10,000 toward finding a cure for ALS. Enjoy the content and consider donating if you’re able to.