Fish Bites Episode 80: The best (and worst) of Michael Hill

Unable to agree on a new contract, Michael Hill and the Marlins have officially parted ways. Ely Sussman and Alex Krutchik review his mixed track record from seven-plus years serving as president of baseball operations. Hill was involved in many of the most important transactions in franchise history, from record-setting contracts and desperate trades to the polarizing blockbusters that replenished the farm system and helped pave the way for what should be a very competitive decade of Marlins baseball.

Enjoy Episode 80!

Hill was elevated to president of baseball ops in September 2013. On the plus side, he acquired Dee Gordon and Miguel Rojas from the Dodgers and sold high on Marcell Ozuna and J.T. Realmuto, receiving a combined haul of Sandy Alcantara, Sixto Sánchez, Zac Gallen, Jorge Alfaro, Magneuris Sierra, Daniel Castano and Will Stewart in return. However, he cannot be excused for the Giancarlo Stanton contract, free agent signings of Wei-Yin Chen and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (among others), shipping away Chris Paddack and Luis Castillo from an already-depleted farm system, and allowing the Christian Yelich relationship to erode right before he realized his full potential.

Overall, the Marlins posted a .442 winning percentage over the last seven seasons, which ranks third-lowest in the majors.

Possible external candidates to fill Hill’s shoes include Billy Eppler, Tim Naehring and Jim Hendry.

The Fish Stripes podcast is home to Miami Marlins shows Fish Bites, Marlins Barbecue 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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