The Offishial Show Episode 115: Stop the Jon Berti Slander

Ely Sussman reacts to Starling Marte’s reported interest in a contract extension, the Marlins’ decision to stick with Jon Berti rather than sell high on him, the ongoing struggles of the back end of the starting rotation, and Garrett Cooper’s back injury.

Enjoy Episode 115!

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Craig Mish’s report that Marte “wants to stay with the Marlins and end his career here” is obviously exciting. However, be wary of any negotiations that happen through the media. Marte’s 2021 performance—.337/.439/.547, 172 wRC+ in 26 G—is not representative of his full major league career. As sensible as this fit may be moving forward, the Fish won’t (and shouldn’t) let themselves be pressured into meeting an inflated asking price for a soon-to-be 33-year-old.

There will be plenty of discourse this summer regarding Marte. Ultimately, I expect him to test free agency.

The key for Berti to reclaim his 2019-2020 level of production at the plate is to lower his groundball rate. That alone should give his balls in play a better chance of finding holes in the defense.

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Fish Stripes is ranked by Feedspot as the world’s No. 2 Miami Marlins podcast (trailing only the pod that’s produced by the franchise itself). Our programs include The Offishial Show, Marlins Barbecue, Earning Their Stripes and Big Hall Talk. 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.