Three reasons why Miami Marlins should go after Eddie Rosario

Late Tuesday night, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal broke the news that the Minnesota Twins would put their longtime outfielder Eddie Rosario on outright waivers. By putting him on waivers, this gives teams the opportunity to claim Rosario as a straightforward salary dump. The Marlins should at least kick the tires on him.

He’s going to an expensive piece—projected for somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 million during his final season of arbitration eligibility, or if Rosario goes unclaimed, he could command a two-year deal in free agency at a lower average annual value.

Rosario has been a really good player for the Minnesota Twins throughout the past few seasons. He possesses the talent to help the Marlins who are trying to make it back to the postseason. He also has a relationship with one of the coaches on Miami’s staff.

Here are three reasons why the Marlins should attempt to acquire Eddie Rosario.

1. He’s a power bat in the lineup

The Miami Marlins relied a lot on their starting pitching last season to get to the postseason while the offense was subpar. There were some quality bats, but not enough to compete for a third World Series title. Every lineup spot aside from fourth, fifth and ninth produced significantly below the MLB average.

Eddie Rosario is a bat that makes the Marlins more dangerous as he’s a solid contact hitter who combines that with 25-35 home run power potential. Marlins Park is more hitter friendly for left-handed hitter which is exactly what Rosario is.

With the Braves signing Charlie Morton and the Mets signing Trevor May, the Marlins need to add more offensive in order to keep up with the rest of their division. Rosario definitely helps them out for at least a season while top outfield prospect JJ Bleday continues to develop in the minor leagues.

2. Relationship with James Rowson

Before becoming the Marlins bench coach, James Rowson was the hitting coach for the Minnesota Twins. From 2017-2019, Rowson was in the dugout for Rosario’s best individual seasons.

• 2017—.290/.328/.507, 27 HR, 78 RBI, .836 OPS
• 2018—.288/.323/.479, 24 HR, 77 RBI, .803 OPS
• 2019—.276/.300/.500, 32 HR, 109 RBI, .800 OPS

Coincidence?

Eddie Rosario has clearly been successful with James Rowson as his coach. Rowson doubles as the Marlins’ offensive coordinator, so Rosario will be working with him a lot if he makes his way to Miami. Though Rowson doesn’t have directly involvement in any personnel moves, he might put in a good word to Derek Jeter and Kim Ng on behalf of the 29-year old Puerto Rican outfielder.

3. Nice fit for the Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins have been building a new culture since Bruce Sherman and Jeter bought the team. Miguel Rojas preaches that in the clubhouse along with veterans like Corey Dickerson, Starling Marte and Jesús Aguilar. Rosario has the major league track record, temperament and playoff experience to immediately step into a leadership role, too.

David Santiago/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Rosario should feel very comfortable in Miami. The city is a melting pot of different ethnicities, and the Latin community is especially robust. Rosario will feel like he’s truly at home.

The financial element is doable for the club as well. Wei-Yin Chen’s ill-fated $80 million contract is finally off the books, as are Brandon Kintzler (2021 option declined) and José Ureña (designated for assignment). Even on the heels of an unprofitable shortened season, the Marlins have the flexibility to invest in him as a short-term fix for what has been a revolving door in right field.

With all due respect to Adam Cimber, claiming/signing Eddie Rosario could be the first big move for Kim Ng as Marlins general manager. It has the upside to bring a lot of positives. Also, Rosario would get even more people talking about the Marlins as a franchise on the rise.