If it’s all right, no guarantee everything’s OK
Potential 2020 lineup shows shortage of left-handed sticks
SAN DIEGO — After ranking last in most offensive categories last season, the Miami Marlins are in the market for hitters at baseball’s winter meetings.
Last week, the Marlins made a pair of moves in their attempt to upgrade the unit, acquiring infielder Jonathan Villar and first baseman Jesus Aguilar. After the two additions, one thing stands out about the major-league roster as currently constructed: It’s made up of nearly all righthanded hitters.
While Villar is a switch-hitter, second baseman Isan Diaz is the only full-time lefty bat in the lineup. Given the heavy dose of right-handed bats, adding a lefty to help balance out the roster seems like a natural move, but Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said they won’t close themselves off to all potential options.
“It’s something we’ve talked about, but ultimately we just want the best players,” Hill said. “If their [righty/lefty] splits are even, then it doesn’t matter if they’re lefthanded or right-handed. I think it’s something that’s become more of a conversation given the [addition of the] 26th man that we’ll have this year.
“As we go through this process of improving our offense, if it takes two guys to give you the production you’re looking [for] in one particular position, we have the ability to explore that now because of the
26th man. But for us it’s always been the best option available.”
While Miami won’t be in the mix for top free-agent hitters such as Anthony Rendon or Josh Donaldson, there are still a number of targets for the Marlins to pursue.
South Florida native outfielder Nicholas Castellanos would give Miami an impact bat, but he comes at a greater cost. The Athletic reported Monday that Miami was interested in the right-handed hitter, but his price tag has risen too high for the team.
Outfielders Avisail Garcia and Corey Dickerson are two potential options who would come at a more affordable price.
While Garcia is a righty, there wasn’t a difference in his splits last season. Against right-handed pitchers, he hit .291/.334/.471 with 13 home runs. While his production against lefties was lower, there wasn’t a massive decline as he hit .265/.328/.451 with seven home runs.
Both players could likely be attained on shorter two-year contracts, which is a plus for the Marlins since they’re being mindful not to block their higher-level prospects.
In the minors, Miami’s hitters have the inverse profile. The majority of the top prospects are lefties, including Jesus Sanchez (outfield), Jazz Chisholm (shortstop), Lewin Diaz (first base), JJ Bleday (outfield), Kameron Misner (outfield) and Connor Scott (outfield).
Top-100 prospect Monte Harrison (outfield) hits right-handed and will likely reach the majors this season. Rising outfield slugger Jerar Encarnacion, who
Ex-Marlins pitcher inks deal: After a short stint with Miami, right-hander Hector Noesi signed a minor-league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, per The Athletic. Noesi, 32, signed a similar minor-league deal with the Marlins last year and spent the majority of the season at Triple-A New Orleans before being called up in August after a rash of injuries to the starting rotation.
Seeing his first MLB action since 2015, Noesi made 12 appearances (four starts), posting an 8.46 ERA. The right-hander was outrighted after the season and elected free agency.