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Miami Marlins Morning Catch: Jarrod Saltalamacchia designated for assignment

By Travis Honeycutt |

The writing was on the wall for Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and his struggles finally forced the Miami Marlins’ hand as the team officially designated the veteran catcher for assignment on Monday.

Saltalamacchia is batting a paltry .069/.182/.207 this season with one home run in 33 plate appearances. He hasn’t played regularly in over a week since the promotion of catching prospect J.T. Realmuto, and with Jeff Mathis on the disabled list with a broken finger, Salty was relegated to backup duty. Over the weekend, the Marlins recalled Jhonatan Solano when Saltalamacchia was placed on the paternity list. On Monday the new father was greeted with news of his DFA upon being reactivated.

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The former World Series champion signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Marlins before last season after winning his ring with the Boston Red Sox in 2013. The Marlins fielded one of the all-time worst catcher rosters in 2013, and at the time Salty, fresh off a 25 home run campaign with Boston, seemed like a massive upgrade. His first season in Miami left much to be desired, though, as he slashed .220/.320/.362 with 11 home runs and a 91 wRC+.

The Marlins are rumored to be in talks with five teams about a possible trade for Saltalamacchia, but with his value at an all-time low you have to wonder what scraps the Marlins could net in a return. Maybe an American League team rolls the dice on Salty assuming a DH roll and finding his stroke from a couple years ago, because he is a joke defensively behind the plate but has shown power in the past.

Salty is owed $7 million this season and $8 million in 2016, the last year of his contract.

Marlins News from Around the Web: 

Miami Marlins give up on slumping catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Clark Spencer, Miami Herald

The Marlins might be frugal when it comes to shelling out big bucks on players. But they proved Monday in parting company with Jarrod Saltalamacchia they’re not afraid to cut their losses even when it comes at a great financial cost.

The slumping catcher — one of the biggest free agent signing busts in franchise history — was designated for assignment, meaning the Marlins have 10 days in which to either trade or release him.

Either way, the Marlins stand to eat most, if not all, of the $14.2 million owed to Saltalamacchia over the nearly two years remaining on his contract. But given how poorly Saltalamacchia has been at the plate and behind it, it was clearly a sacrifice they were willing to make. Click here for full article.

Dee Gordon, Adeiny Hechavarria slapping early success for Marlins

Michael Jong, Fish Stripes

The Miami Marlins’ offense received a sudden burst of success in the last few games. Before yesterday’s six-run output versus the Washington Nationals, the Marlins’ non-pitchers were batting .267/.328/.380, a modest .313 wOBA that ranked at right around league average. This is a far cry from the early problems the team was having, with everyone struggling in the first two weeks of the season.

Part of that just goes to show you that it’s way too early to say anything definitive about the team. However, part of the recent success can be attributed to the slap-hitting success of two of the Marlins’ most punch-less hitters, Dee Gordon and Adeiny Hechavarria. After yesterday, Gordon now leads the National League in hits and is batting an absurd .390/.407/.463 (.381 wOBA), second only to Giancarlo Stanton on the team. Hechavarria knocked a bases-clearing triple, is second on the club in RBIs, and is now hitting .333/.355/.500 (.370 wOBA).

Who would have figured that two of the lightest bats on the Marlins would helping lead the way? But is there anything going on underneath these numbers, or are these hollow batting averages with early-season hot streaks? Click here for full article.

Miami Marlins Game Recap: Steve Cishek Blows Game for Marlins

Ehsan Kassim, Marlin Maniac

Coming off a series sweep of the Washington Nationals and a 5-game overall winning streak, the New York Mets came to town on Monday. The Mets beat the Marlins 3-1 and improved to 5-0 against the Miami Marlins in 2015.

Pace of play a problem? Not for the Miami Marlins and New York Mets on Monday night. The two teams played a game that wrapped up in under two hours.

Neither team mustered much offense until the last two inning, as both Jarred Cosart (Marlins) and Dillon Gee (Mets), were in control of the game the majority of the night. Click here for full article.

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