Fish Stripes - Miami Marlins trade Mat Latos, Michael Morse to Los Angeles DodgersCovering the Marlins every day in our own wayhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52814/Screen_Shot_2018-12-07_at_12.32.35_PM..png2015-07-30T18:54:27-04:00http://www.fishstripes.com/rss/stream/88323382015-07-30T18:54:27-04:002015-07-30T18:54:27-04:00Marlins finalize deal with Dodgers
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<p>Miami acquires three minor league players in the deal.</p> <p>MIAMI -- <span>Mat Latos</span> spent his Thursday afternoon in Miami's dugout and <span>Michael Morse</span> made a pinch hitting appearance in the ninth inning. Although nothing was made official prior to Miami's 1-0 loss to Washington, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a> confirmed the deal with Los Angeles after the game.</p>
<p>In exchange for Latos, Morse, and a competitive balance pick that was subsequently sent to Atlanta, the Marlins acquired minor league pitchers Kevin Guzman, Victor Araujo, and Jeff Brigham.</p>
<p>Brigham, 23, was a fourth round draft pick of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> in 2014. He has posted a 5.52 ERA over 75.0 innings and 14 starts between Low and High-A this season. Araujo, 22, has posted a 5.40 ERA over 50.0 innings in relief in High-A. Guzman has pitched to a 3.90 ERA over 83.0 innings in Single-A.</p>
<p>In the deal, the Dodgers are paying the remainder of both Morse and Latos' salaries. It first appeared the Marlins and Dodgers had made a two-team deal before the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> got involved.</p>
<p>Latos, 27, has posted a 4.48 ERA and 3.34 FIP over 88.1 innings and 16 starts. Since he is an impending free agent, the Marlins were expected to move Latos before the deadline. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported the <a href="http://2015/7/28/9061077/miami-marlins-trade-rumors-mat-latos-marcell-ozuna">market for Latos was "coming into focus" </a>on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Morse, 33, has struggled after signing a two-year deal with the Marlins last offseason. He has spent time on the disabled list and is batting .214/.277/.314 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. Justin Bour has had success at first base and as a result the Marlins likely felt comfortable moving Morse.</p>
<p><span>Donovan Solano</span> is expected to be activated from the paternity list prior to Friday night''s contest. Miami has not yet announced who will take Latos' spot in the rotation.</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2015/7/30/9076531/miami-marlins-trade-rumors-latos-morse-deal-with-dodgers-finalizedScott Gelman2015-07-29T23:16:42-04:002015-07-29T23:16:42-04:00Latos trade: Marlins receive three minor prospects
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<figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Miami Marlins are getting minor league pitchers Jeff Brigham, Victor Araujo, and Kevin Guzman in the deal. None of these players were rated as top-20 organizational prospects.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Miami Marlins</a> became a part of a larger three-team deal with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Los Angeles Dodgers</a> and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a>, but the principles for the Fish remain unimpressive. The Marlins sent off starter <span>Mat Latos</span> and the dead-weight contract of first baseman <span>Michael Morse</span> to the Dodgers, but their competitive balance draft pick eventually ended up in the hands of the Braves. In return, the Fish mostly received salary relief, in particular the right to not pay Morse his remaining $11 million or so due.</p>
<p>But the team did also receive three pitching prospects from the Dodgers organization. Given the players Miami sent away and the fact that the franchise refused to pay any of the remaining salary on those players' contracts, the <a href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2015/7/29/9068127/mat-latos-trade-marlins-do-not-pay-salaries-likely-to-get-lesser">expected return was small</a>. Joe Frisaro of MLB.com finally reported the names involved..</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The three pitching prospects the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Marlins?src=hash">#Marlins</a> would be receiving from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dodgers?src=hash">#Dodgers</a> are Jeff Brigham, Victor Araujo, Kevin Guzman.</p>
— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeFrisaro/status/626578818019540992">July 30, 2015</a>
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<p>None of those three pitching prospect names are located on the top 20 lists of Dodgers prospects before the 2015 season. Brigham was the closest, as he was listed as a name to watch by a few writers, including <a href="http://www.minorleagueball.com/2015/3/9/8176769/los-angeles-dodgers-top-20-prospects-for-2015">John Sickels Minor League Ball</a> and <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/evaluating-the-prospects-los-angeles-dodgers/">Kiley McDaniel of FanGraphs</a>. Brigham is a right-hander with a hard-throwing fastball and a developing slider who came out of college at the University of Washington. He was a fourth-round draft pick in 2014, mostly because he appeared closer to big-league ready. Brigham had previously had Tommy John surgery as an underclassman but seems to have recovered well, as he has mid- to high-90's heat touching 97 mph on starts. His slider is fringe average at this point, but in college and in the lower levels, he has been able to use the fastball primarily to get hitters out.</p>
<p>However, this season he has struggled working mostly in High-A. He is walking 11.3 percent of batters faced with just a 20 percent strikeout rate, and he is having issues with home runs in a very hitter-friendly California League. He is doing this while being 23 years old and having come out of college more polished than the average prospect. In addition, you can see where Brigham might run into problems as a starter, given that he is a righty with no way of facing left-handed hitters aside from burying his average-at-best slider in the dirt at their feet. It is much more likely that he becomes a typical sinker/slider right-handed reliever than anything else.</p>
<p>The other two names are relative unknowns. Araujo is a 22-year-old righty who used to be a starter but then was converted to relief last season, but he has been poor this season in High-A. Guzman is a 20-year-old righty who worked out of the Dodgers' Low-A affiliate this year. He has the best season numbers of the three, though he is working a far lower level. He is a starter as of right now, but he is so far down the list of both talented prospects and of minor league levels that essentially nothing is known of him.</p>
<p>The Marlins got what they paid (or, in this case, didn't pay) for in terms of the trade return. With the Fish using the value of their draft pick and Latos mostly to offload Morse's contract, the prospects they received turned out to be low-upside players with little chance of turning into regular contributors.</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2015/7/29/9071763/mat-latos-trade-miami-marlins-los-angeles-dodgers-pitching-prospects-minorMichael Jong2015-07-29T23:16:00-04:002015-07-29T23:16:00-04:00Latos, Morse trade 'could be falling apart'
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<figcaption>Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The deal is not yet complete.</p> <p><b>Update</b> -- Atlanta is the third team in the Marlins/Dodgers deal involving Michael Morse and Mat Latos, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Braves?src=hash">#Braves</a> are third team in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Marlins?src=hash">#Marlins</a>-<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dodgers?src=hash">#Dodgers</a> deal. Do not know further details.</p>
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/626545465413210112">July 30, 2015</a>
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<p><b>Update</b> -- The trade is yet to be official because of medicals, according to Gordon Wittenmyer.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Source: Marlins-Dodgers deal on hold over medicals.</p>
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) <a href="https://twitter.com/GDubCub/status/626503938360090624">July 29, 2015</a>
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<p><b>Update</b> -- The deal that was expected to send Mat Latos and Michael Morse to the Dodgers "could fall apart," according to Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Now hearing the trade is far from complete. Sources telling me it could be falling apart. Total confusion. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/marlins?src=hash">#marlins</a></p>
— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) <a href="https://twitter.com/clarkspencer/status/626500274321031168">July 29, 2015</a>
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<p>MIAMI -- <span>Mat Latos</span> and <span>Michael Morse</span> have been dealt to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a>. But the deal is yet to be made official.</p>
<p>Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times was among the first to <a href="https://twitter.com/GDubCub/status/626411683179851776">report the Marlins were prepared to send Latos, Morse, and a competitive balance pick</a> to the Dodgers. However, as of Wednesday afternoon, no deal has been made, according to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a> Manager Dan Jennings.</p>
<p>"I've read and heard the same things you guys have but I have not heard anything official," Jennings said. "Until we get something official, right now it's just a lot of talk. I am waiting to hear from [President of Baseball Operations] Michael Hill to see if something has been finalized."</p>
<p>Although a deal might not be close, neither Morse nor Latos was stretching with the team prior to Wednesday night's contest against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.federalbaseball.com/">Nationals</a>. The expectation is the Dodgers are waiting to flip Morse before the deal becomes official.</p>
<p>MLB.com's Joe Frisaro was among the first to note <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeFrisaro/status/626474392223150080">Jeff Brigham is likely heading to Miami</a> in the deal.</p>
<p>"It's not my department anymore," Jennings said. "I just wait for the phone call now. I do see two people missing. They are probably in a holding pattern pending."</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2015/7/29/9069717/miami-marlins-trade-rumors-latos-morse-dodgersScott Gelman2015-07-29T23:00:22-04:002015-07-29T23:00:22-04:00Jeff Brigham would head to Miami in Latos deal
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<p>Victor Araujo would also be sent to Miami.</p> <p>MIAMI -- <span>Michael Morse</span> and <span>Mat Latos</span> left the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a>' clubhouse with their bags packed on Wednesday night.</p>
<p>Both had reportedly been dealt to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Los Angeles Dodgers</a> early Wednesday afternoon, however medical complications and paperwork delays prevented the deal from becoming official. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> reportedly are involved in the deal, but following Wednesday night's 7-2 loss to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.federalbaseball.com/">Nationals</a>, Manager Dan Jennings said no deal has been officially made.</p>
<p>"Before game time, we made sure Latos and Morse were suited up," Jennings said. "But you never know if you're going to get a call down to the dugout saying 'hey, these guys, get them out.' Nothing from [President of Baseball Operations] Michael [Hill]. I know that they're up stairs, they've pretty much been upstairs the whole game. But there was no news to report and there is nothing official."</p>
<p>The Marlins are expected to receive three minor league pitchers from the Dodgers in exchange for Latos, Morse, and a competitive balance pick. According to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, Jeff Brigham, Victor Araujo, and Kevin Guzman <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeFrisaro/status/626578818019540992">would be the three relievers heading to Miami.</a></p>
<p>Brigham, 23, was a fourth round draft pick of the Dodgers in 2014. He has posted a 5.52 ERA over 75.0 innings and 14 starts between Low and High-A this season. Araujo, 22, has posted a 5.40 ERA over 50.0 innings in relief in High-A. Guzman has pitched to a 3.90 ERA over 83.0 innings in Single-A.</p>
<p>The Dodgers and Braves are expected to make a deal involving Morse, however it is unclear if the Marlins are involved in that trade. Here is the proposed deal as told by Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan.</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">If completed, Dodgers get Wood, Latos, Johnson, Peraza, Morse. Braves get Olivera, Zach Bird, draft pick. Marlins get 3 low-level pitchers.</p>
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/626568766088978433">July 30, 2015</a>
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<p>A deal could be announced as soon as Thursday morning. The Marlins end a three game series with the Nationals at 12:10 at Marlins Park.</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2015/7/29/9071831/miami-marlins-trade-rumors-jeff-brigham-dodgersScott Gelman2015-07-29T20:48:52-04:002015-07-29T20:48:52-04:00Braves third team involved in Latos/Morse trade
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<p>Atlanta has reportedly entered the mix.</p> <p><b>Update</b> -- According to ESPN's Jim Bowden, several notable <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> prospects are involved in the deal.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a>-Braves-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a> deal if it goes down involves Avilan, Wood, Latos, Morse, Olivera, Peraza <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/braves?src=hash">#braves</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dodgers?src=hash">#Dodgers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/marlins?src=hash">#marlins</a></p>
— Jim Bowden (@JimBowden_ESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimBowden_ESPN/status/626558956895367168">July 30, 2015</a>
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<p>MIAMI -- The Atlanta Braves have entered the mix in the deal that is expected to send <span>Michael Morse</span> and <span>Mat Latos</span> to Los Angeles in exchange for three minor league pitchers. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal was <a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/626545465413210112">among the first to report Atlanta's interest.</a></p>
<p>Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times <a href="http://2015/7/29/9067139/miami-marlins-trade-rumors-dodgers-latos-morse">reported this morning the Marlins </a>were set to deal Latos, Morse, and a competitive balance pick to the Dodgers. However, the deal was not confirmed by Manager Dan Jennings prior to Wednesday night's contest against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.federalbaseball.com/">Nationals</a>. USA Today's Bob Nightengale <a href="https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/626534575355736064">noted the deal was being held up by paperwork.</a></p>
<p>Even with the Braves involved, the Marlins are still likely to acquire the minor league arms. Los Angeles might be looking to find a team to flip Morse to. Braves lefty Alex <a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/626554095365672962">Wood would be dealt </a>to Los Angeles if the deal gets approved, Rosenthal adds. Jim <a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/626554581212901377">Johnson would head to Los Angeles</a> and the Braves would acquire the competitive balance pick according to Rosenthal.</p>
<p>Latos, 27, has posted a 4.48 ERA and 3.34 FIP over 88.1 innings and 16 starts. Since he is an impending free agent, the Marlins were expected to move Latos before the deadline. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported the <a href="http://2015/7/28/9061077/miami-marlins-trade-rumors-mat-latos-marcell-ozuna">market for Latos was "coming into focus" </a>on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Morse, 33, has struggled after signing a two-year deal with the Marlins last offseason. He has spent time on the disabled list and is batting .214/.277/.314 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. Justin Bour has had success at first base and as a result the Marlins likely felt comfortable moving Morse.</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2015/7/29/9071385/miami-marlins-trade-rumors-braves-third-team-involved-in-latos-morseScott Gelman2015-07-29T14:41:27-04:002015-07-29T14:41:27-04:00Marlins don't pay, likely get less return in trade
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<p>The Miami Marlins gave up Michael Morse and his currently dead-weight salary along with promising starter Mat Latos to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but with no money paid, chances are the Fish will not receive much in return.</p> <p>Once again, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Miami Marlins</a> make offseason moves before the year with the plan to contend, and once again the team's actual outcomes are bad enough to force a sale of the players they acquired.</p>
<p>This time around, the Fish were able to get out of salary commitments for starting pitcher <span>Mat Latos</span> and first baseman <span>Michael Morse</span> by trading them to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Los Angeles Dodgers</a>. The Fish also sent over their competitive balance pick in 2016; this is the third straight season in which Miami has forfeited its competitive balance selection. In return, the Marlins will receive three pitching prospects in the minors, though their names have yet to surface.</p>
<p>Earlier last week, we went over the <a href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2015/7/22/9013769/miami-marlins-trade-deadline-primer-mat-latos">trade value of Mat Latos</a>, and we found that he was probably worth a low-level prospect at this point in the season. With likely $4.5 million remaining in salary for the rest of the year, Latos would have been worth about $3 million in surplus trade value. That would not have been enough to net someone of interest without Miami chipping in with some salary relief.</p>
<p>The Fish were never going to do such a thing, and they turned to the Dodgers instead to <i style="font-weight: bold;">find</i> salary relief in the form of dumping off Michael Morse. The Marlins were committed for another $11 million through 2016 for Morse, and clearly the club felt buyer's remorse for making what appeared to be a reasonable move at the time. Since then, Morse has struggled mightily and lost his starting job to <span>Justin Bour</span>, making him dead weight much like <span>Garrett Jones</span> was at the end of last season. In this case, the Marlins are using Latos's value to try and rid themselves of Morse and his contract and unburden their salary load for next year.</p>
<p>All of this points to one likely scenario: much like the <span>Ricky Nolasco</span> trade of 2013, the Marlins are unlikely to receive an interesting package of players in return.</p>
<p>Two years ago, the Fish dealt Nolasco to the (guess who?) Los Angeles Dodgers but declined to pay any of the remaining $6 million left on Nolasco's deal. The nouveau-rich Dodgers took on all of Nolasco's salary, but traded back three nondescript prospects in return. Two years later and only one of them is still with the Marlins' organization.</p>
<p>The likelihood of something like that happening this season with this trade seems even more possible. Miami did deal a legitimate, if small, trade piece in the improving Latos, but they also sent Morse, who at this point is owed more than he is worth. To alleviate some of that displaced value, the Marlins had to send yet another competitive balance draft pick, which seems like the opposite of what a team trying to rebuild a farm system would want to do. Still, Latos and the draft pick likely only come close to offsetting the cost of sending Morse. The draft pick alone could be worth something like $6 million or $7 million in surplus value based on <a href="http://www.hardballtimes.com/the-net-value-of-draft-picks/">research done elsewhere</a>.</p>
<p>What does that mean for Miami? It means that the primary value of this trade for the Marlins was <i style="font-weight: bold;">getting rid of Morse's contract</i>. The return of prospects may end up being a marginal afterthought for the Fish. Miami paid up to get rid of Morse's deal, so now they may take any number of mediocre lottery tickets to try and get any value. The odds of them receiving value, however, is likely very low, even for a deep organization like the Dodgers. Just like with Nolasco, the team emphasized saving money over adding better players, and the infusion of minor league talent is unlikely to make a dent on the team's already-poor system.</p>
<p>The return itself has yet to be announced, so this could be wrong depending on whom the Marlins acquired. But given the financials of the situation, it seems like the Fish pulled a salary dump deal again and are likely to get very little talent in return.</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2015/7/29/9068127/mat-latos-trade-marlins-do-not-pay-salaries-likely-to-get-lesserMichael Jong2015-07-29T11:32:31-04:002015-07-29T11:32:31-04:00Dodgers acquire Latos, Morse
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<p>Latos and Morse head to Los Angeles in exchange for prospects.</p> <p><b>Update</b> -- Miami will send Mat Latos, Michael Morse, and a competitive balance pick to the Dodgers in exchange for three minor league players, according to Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald. Los Angeles <a href="https://twitter.com/clarkspencer/status/626414414615318528">will also pay all of Morse's remaining salary.</a></p>
<p><span>Mat Latos</span> and <span>Michael Morse</span> are headed to Los Angeles. According to Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a> have acquired prospects in exchange for both Latos and Morse. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> are also reportedly getting at least one competitive balance pick.</p>
<p>Latos, 27, has posted a 4.48 ERA and 3.34 FIP over 88.1 innings and 16 starts. Since he is an impending free agent, the Marlins were expected to move Latos before the deadline. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported the <a href="http://2015/7/28/9061077/miami-marlins-trade-rumors-mat-latos-marcell-ozuna">market for Latos was "coming into focus" </a>on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Morse, 33, has struggled after signing a two-year deal with the Marlins last offseason. He has spent time on the disabled list and is batting .214/.277/.314 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. Justin Bour has had success at first base and as a result the Marlins likely felt comfortable moving Morse.</p>
<p>Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald was among the<a href="https://twitter.com/clarkspencer/status/626409906900496389"> first to report the Marlins could consider dealing</a> a competitive balance pick.</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2015/7/29/9067139/miami-marlins-trade-rumors-dodgers-latos-morseScott Gelman