Offishial news, 1/5/23: Segura officially in, Leblanc out; “vying” for Johnny Cueto

Marlins Podcast Episodes

• Wednesday’s winter ball updates: Anthony Maldonado (Criollos de Caguas) pitched a perfect ninth inning to record a save; Jan Mercado (RA12) went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts; Norel González (Cangrejeros de Santurce) went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.
• To make room on the 40-man roster for Jean Segura, the Marlins designated Charles Leblanc for assignment. Leblanc was great during his lone season in the organization (split time between Triple-A and MLB), but this decision speaks to the front office’s faith in fellow controllable infielders Jordan Groshans and Xavier Edwards. Still, it would be deflating if they lost a productive hitter without getting any compensation in return. The Marlins have a week to arrange a trade.
• Segura will wear uniform No. 9 for the Marlins, the number he had previously during his years with the Brewers.
• The Marlins and Padres are top suitors for Johnny Cueto, according to Ken Rosenthal, with the Reds expressing interest as well. Such a report indicates that one of Miami’s current major league-ready starting rotation options is probably getting traded.
• We had real-time reaction to the Leblanc DFA and comments about Segura, Cueto and more on Wednesday’s episode of Fish Stripes LIVE. The panel made 2023 bold predictions during the final segment.

• In an Instagram post, Segura said Philadelphia “will always have a place in my heart” and he thanked the Marlins for his next opportunity.
• Kevin Barral discusses Triston Casas as a Marlins trade target.
• Michael Baumann of FanGraphs is a fan of the Segura signing: “Miami has a reliable, high-quality starting third baseman on the cheap.”
• Jesús Sánchez had massive splits last season depending on whether opposing infields shifted against him, according to Mike Petriello of MLB.com, and should gain more hits from Major League Baseball’s 2023 defensive positioning rule change.
• MLB.com’s Will Leitch predicts Sandy Alcantara to repeat as the Marlins team leader in Baseball-Reference WAR.
• “The Tigers stand out as a particularly strong fit” for old friend Brian Anderson, writes Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors.