Offishial News, 1/14/21

The Marlins continue to contemplate trade and free agent targets, and one of their new minor league affiliates is nearing the completion of a state-of-the-art ballpark.

Serene is how you might describe this day for the Miami Marlins. Behind the scenes there might be research, conversations and phone calls to Chicago and Boston as team decision-makers consider potential trades for catcher Willson Contreras and outfielder Andrew Benintendi.

We have some speculation of our own via the minds and studies of our own Ethan Budowsky who wrote on Contreras yesterday and Ely Sussman who explored the concept of a Benintendi trade earlier this week.

I like the idea of Andrew Benintendi as a Marlin. He’s a former Baseball America #1 Prospect, and World Series champion who is fresh off a year we’d all like to forget. He could lock down a corner at Marlins Park for the next couple of years and by simply being who we all knew he was in 2018, Miami might have a first-time All-Star and Future World Series champion on their hands.

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In what is, in a sense, an offseason road trip, the Miami Marlins sent Geoff Degroot, their director of minor league operations, to visit the new Advanced-A affiliate in Beloit.

Per MiLB.com’s Bill Vilona: Degroot described “looking at the stadium main entrance and getting to see all the brick, it looks like it’s going to be spectacular.” This yet-to-be-completed stadium will seat 3,500 and was privately funded. Which, in the eyes of this author, is doing it right. Also interestingly, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, another of Miami’s newly affiliated clubs, is owned by the same group.

Looking at Beloit.

Which you should.

By clicking to Bill Vilona’s piece.

The snowfall is so beautiful. The trees to the right of the picture at the heading are gorgeous. The image was really sticking with me so I dug a bit further and if @BareZachow01 is to believed….

So Beloit is using local bricks for their stadium, and privately funding the construction then they’re directly investing in their community.

I think that’s beautiful.

This same partnership led by Quint Studer operates the Marlins affiliates in both Beloit and Pensacola. I could read into it. And I might at some point.

Sounds to me, like the Marlins have found fitting partners. I’m excited to see how it plays out. They’re definitely giving us things to appreciate and those bricks are great. Look at them.

It isn’t baseball quite yet. But we’re getting closer. And for at least a moment bricks in Beloit made me feel like I was watching the Fish take to the infield clay in Miami. They’re not that far apart.

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Over on MLB Network, Miguel Rojas made an appearance on Intentional Talk and you should watch it.

Great Marlin.

Checking in on past Marlins, we had Carter Capps. When he was a Marlin, he was known for high velocity, strikeouts and jumping towards the plate when he pitched. Now he’s headed to New York.

The blue ones.

He was fun to watch. I wish him luck.

We also had our own KevinKraz with the 88th chapter in our All-Time Marlins Countdown.

For good measure, the Miami Marlins did send a scout to attend a workout of Jets Sport Management clients Corey Kluber, Anthony Swarzak and former-Marlin Steve Cishek who are all looking for their next contract and new home for their pitching. Ely dives into the Kluber possibility on the Fish Stripes podcast.

Elsewhere in the major leagues the rumor is that the San Diego Padres are still looking to add pitchers that could help in their rotation. After trading for Cy Young winner Blake Snell of Tampa Bay and the decorated and internationally sensational Yu Darvish—most recently of the Chicago Cubs—the Padres might add more.

San Diego was already a contender in 2020. Headed in to 2021, they seemingly view themselves as World Series or bust. I’d recommend following Ken Rosenthal on Twitter if you want the latest on this specific rumor and a lot of baseball’s latest transactions.

We’ll close with a poll. Following that Yu Darvish thread…