The unexpected new front-runner for a rotation place on the Miami Marlins
This season, A.J. Puk will be a part of the Miami Marlins rotation.
With his improved springtime form, Trevor Rogers is expected to return to the starting lineup. It’s conceivable that Edward Cabrera will also receive a slot. It appears that there isn’t room for any more starters, but someone needs to step up because of Garrett’s injury. The leader is A.J. Puk. Initially, I wasn’t all that into it, but I’m beginning to get into the idea now.
The leading candidate for a rotation slot on the Miami Marlins this season is A.J. Puk. He appeared to be a shutdown closer for a while last season, so I’m still a little surprised by that occurring. I continue to be concerned about the blow Puk’s removal would deal to the bullpen. But, there’s a chance Puk’s performance during the rotation will make up for that setback.
My main worries about A.J. Puk are his history of injuries and lack of innings played. He last pitched for more than 66.1 innings in a season in 2022. He has never done so before. He also never made a Major League start as a pitcher. Over his career, he has tossed 147.2 innings and had a 3.72 ERA and 3.59 FIP with 11.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9. Throughout his career, he has had an excellent strikeout rate. He also reduced the number of walks he took from 4.1 in 2021 to 3.1 in 2022 and 2.1 in 2023.
I’m interested to see how he does this season in the starting rotation. He shouldn’t get too many innings, in my opinion. He will undoubtedly be limited in the number of innings he plays and will probably return to the bullpen after Braxton Garrett returns. Nevertheless, Puk might be given more time if Rogers or Cabrera struggle or if Garrett doesn’t return soon enough. We’ll see how God performs in that capacity. So far in spring training, he’s performed nicely.
The Miami Marlins are not permitted to demote any three players.
The Fish are unable to demote several players to the Minor Leagues. There are still some unanswered questions as the Miami Marlins prepare for the next season. This list also happens to include a few upside players. The players on this list are out-of-options and cannot be sent to the minor leagues without first being placed on waivers. I’m paying attention to the best players, but C The others are IF/OF Nick Gordon, IF Vidal Brujan, RP J.T. Chargois, and Christian Bethancourt.
RF Jesus Sanchez
For Jesus Sanchez, this will be a make-or-break year. If the 26-year-old RF can’t produce, he’s gone. It’s highly likely that he will be grabbed on waivers. But I don’t think he’ll be so awful that benching him is an option. He will definitely be a starter or a reserve, in my opinion. However, if he is benched, he will most likely leave after the season.
Over his career, Sanchez batted.234/.305/.434 in the batting order. In 125 games and 360 AB in 2023, he batted.253/.327/.450 with 14 home runs and 52 RBI. In a season, Sanchez has never received more than 360 AB. In 2023, he played 125 games, a total that he never exceeded. Though we may not know for sure until 2024, we may finally learn how he performs over the course of a season.
With slightly more than 300 at-bats, Jesus Sanchez has a career exit velocity of 90.0, and those 14 home runs seem respectable. It would still be improbable that Sanchez would be sent down to the minors, even if he had choices left.
The Miami Marlins have a good number of pitchers vying for a spot in the rotation; the losers will either need to pitch in lengthy relief or be sent down to the Minor Leagues. Among the players who cannot be dropped to the minor leagues is Edward Cabrera.
Cabrera has tossed 197.2 innings in 43 games with a 4.01 ERA/4.43 FIP, 10.1 K/9, and 5.4 BB/9. With a 3.01 ERA in 14 games and 71.2 innings pitched in 2022, he was fantastic. In 99.2 innings pitched last season, he had a 4.24 ERA, which wasn’t as good. The main problem with Cabrera is his control, or more accurately, his lack of it.
Cabrera may be a top-of-the-rotation option if his control problems are resolved. Given his exceptional strikeout rate and the fact that he has already achieved a top ERA in a season, that doesn’t seem all that unlikely. Given that he is a pitcher, Cabrera will definitely be employed as a spot starter or long reliever if he doesn’t make it into the rotation. It’s difficult to see a scenario in which The Fish are unable to retain him in some position on the roster.