MLB Hot Stove Morning Brew: Miami names new front office leader, Chaim Bloom withdraws from Marlins general manager search, might join NL Central club
NL West club expected to heavily pursue Justin Turner
The Miami Marlins have named a brand new head of baseball operations on Sunday night. The club hired Rays’ general manager Peter Bendix to replace Kim Ng who left the club right after the regular season.
Bendix emerged as the leading candidate for the role on Sunday, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
The Fish’ new front office leader spent his entire career with Tampa Bay, where he started as an intern. Bendix inherits a Marlins roster that won 84 games last season and clinched a postseason berth.
He will be without ace Sandy Alcántara who underwent Tommy John surgery in October. The Marlins have an abundance of young controllable starting pitching which he could deal to add to the core.
Marlins opener Bruce Sherman was looking to add someone with ties to the Rays front office. Sherman reached out to former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, but he declined early on in the process.
Bloom cited family reasons to not be a candidate for the Marlins front office job. The former Sox’ front office boss will be paid by Boston this season unless he were to lead a new organization.
There is speculation around the league that Bloom could join the St. Louis Cardinals front office in an advisor role, per Peter Gammons.
Bloom will likely be a top candidate to run a front office following the 2024 season. Despite his time in Boston, he was able to lead a baseball operations department that rebuilt the Red Sox farm system.
NLCS runner up to pursue Justin Turner, Cubs in the mix?
Red Sox free agent designated hitter Justin Turner might not be out of work for very long. The Arizona Diamondbacks are reportedly interested in adding the slugger to their lineup, per USA Today Sports baseball insider Bob Nightengale.
The Diamondbacks who advanced to the NLCS this October are looking for a third baseman and is expected to pursue the veteran. Arizona was one of the teams last winter that made an offer to Turner, he ultimately decided to sign with the Red Sox.
Another team to watch for the Turner’s services are the Cubs, per MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. The Cubs will be looking to add to the their lineup, especially if Cody Bellinger departs in free agency.
Morosi reported the Brewers made a strong push for the Brewers to sign Turner in the past, with Craig Counsell now in the Windy City, he could push Jed Hoyer to pursue the veteran.
Turner became a free agent this winter after declining his $13.4 million player option and received a $6.7 million buyout.
The 38-year-old .276 with 23 homers, 96 RBIs and an .800 OPS in 146 games in 2023 while emerging as a key clubhouse leader and voice for Boston this season.
The Red Sox are expected to be in the mix to retain Turner, but with their current roster needs and he will turn 39 in the coming weeks, Boston may seem reluctant to offer him a multi-year pact.
With Masataka Yoshida expecting to get his fair share of reps at DH next season, the Red Sox may look to implore a rotation cast at the position like most clubs in the game.
Giants’ southpaw opts-out of deal, becomes free agent
Sean Manaea will test free agency, after opting out of his deal with the Giants on Sunday. He will forgo $12.5 million and the final year of his deal, per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic.
Manaea was used more as a bulk innings pitcher this season, making only 10 starts out of his 37 appearances. He posted a 4.44 ERA and tossed 117 2/3 innings after struggling to begin the season.
The 32-year-old should be able to land another multi-year deal in free agency. His first choice will likely be as a starter but he has shown his value as a bulk pitcher, which is becoming more common place in the game.
The Giants will have a rotation next season that already consists of Logan Webb and Alex Cobb who saw his $10 million option exercised. Top pitching prospect Kyle Harrison, Triston Beck, Keaton Winn and Jakob Junis are all in-house options for San Francisco.
Top free agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on the Giants radar and they expect to be heavily in the mix for his services. San Francisco has money to spend after almost landing outfielder Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa in free agency last season. They might be more motivated to not have a repeat of losing out and give the Japanese superstar a massive offer.
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