Tag Archives: Kim Ng

San Diego Padres Finalizing Deal to Acquire Luis Arraez from Miami Marlins

Posted on by
Reply

Luis Arraez is thisclose to heading west…

The San Diego Padres are nearing a deal to acquire the 27-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman from the Miami Marlins for reliever Woo-Suk Go and prospects Dillon Head, Jakob Marsee and Nathan Martorella, per ESPN sources.

The trade is pending a medical review, but is expected to be finalized soon.

The transaction represents the first significant move for the Marlins since Peter Bendix took over as the team’s president of baseball operations in November after Kim Ng departed.

It marks the beginning of the Marlins’ teardown of an underachieving roster that has produced the third-worst record in the majors at 9-24 entering Friday with a minus-59 run differential after reaching the postseason in 2023.

On the other side, it’s another aggressive deal for A.J. Preller, the leader of the Padres’ front office since 2014.

Arraez, one of the sport’s best contact hitters, will give the Padres a needed left-handed-hitting weapon after Juan Soto was sent to the New York Yankees in December.

San Diego entered Friday 16-18 with a neutral run differential, 4.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West standings.

Arraez was the Marlins’ best player, an MLB All-Star and batting champion each of the last two seasons. This season, he is batting .299 with a .719 OPS in 33 games, all started at second base. He also has extensive experience at first base.

Arraez is expected to start games as the Padres’ designated hitter, but the club plans to cycle through the DH spot. Jake Cronenworth, Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado could also get at-bats there. Bogaerts has been the club’s starting second baseman.

Go spent seven seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) before signing a two-year deal with a mutual option worth $4.5 million guaranteed during the offseason. The 25-year-old right-hander appeared in 10 games for Double-A San Antonio, posting a 4.38 ERA across 12 ⅓ innings after failing to make the Padres’ bullpen out of spring training.

Head was the Padres’ first-round pick (25th overall) last year out of high school. The 19-year-old center fielder is batting .237 with a .683 OPS and three stolen bases in 21 games in low-A.

Martorella is batting .294 with an .282 OPS in 23 games in San Antonio. The Padres selected the 23-year-old first baseman in the fifth round of the 2022 draft.

Marsee, a 22-year-old outfielder, has spent the season in San Antonio batting .185 with two home runs. He was a sixth-round pick in 2022 out of Central Michigan.

Marlins Ace Sandy Alcantara Receives Key to the City of Miami

Posted on by
Reply

Sandy Alcantara is sportin’a new key…

The 27-year-old Dominican professional baseball player and Miami Marlins ace, the 2022 National League Cy Young winner, was awarded a key to the city of Miami from Mayor Francis Suarez on Tuesday.

Sandy Alcantara“His dedication has influenced hundreds, if not thousands of people in our community,” said Suarez, with Alcantara standing to his right and Marlins general manager Kim Ng next to them. “and he’s established himself as a positive leader and a role model.”

Suarez also declared January 10 “Sandy Alcantara Day” in Miami.

Alcantara made history as the first Marlins pitcher to win the Cy Young award. It was a unanimous vote after he pitched a league-high six complete games in 228 2/3 innings, also a league-best, this past season. He was the 15th unanimous NL Cy Young winner and said he hopes to win more.

“It’s such a great day,” Alcantara said. “I will never forget this day. That key is going to mean a lot for me in my life.”

With about a month before the Marlins begin spring training, Alcantara said that as long as he’s healthy for the upcoming season, he’s confident in his ability to follow a 2022 campaign where he had a 2.28 ERA with another successful outing.

His six complete games were the most in the majors since Chris Sale had six in 2016, and his innings pitched and wins (14) were both career highs.

“I’ve been ready since about two weeks after the season last year,” Alcantara said. “I’ve been ready. I got to keep being ready because you never know what can happen.”

Jorge Soler Agrees to Thee-Year, $36 Million Contract with Miami Marlins

Posted on by
Reply

Jorge Soler is headed to the Sunshine State…

The 30-year-old Cuban professional baseball outfielder and the Miami Marlins have agreed on a three-year, $36 million contract, according to ESPN.

Jorge SolerSoler’s deal includes opt-outs after the first two seasons, sources said. If he opts out, Soler would hit free agency again at age 31 next winter.

A bit player during the Chicago Cubs‘ drought-smashing victory over Cleveland five years ago, Soler was voted MVP of the Atlanta Braves‘ six-game World Series win over the Houston Astros. Soler hit .300 with three home runs and six RBIs.

Soler’s three World Series home runs matched the most for the Braves, equaling Hank Aaron in 1957, Lonnie Smith in 1991 and Ryan Klesko in 1995.

Marlins general manager Kim Ng said as Miami opened camp that the team had two needs: an outfielder — particularly a center fielder, which Soler hasn’t been, as he has primarily played right — and offense.

Soler does fit that bill. He has 121 home runs and 343 RBIs in 661 career games with the Kansas City Royals, the Chicago Cubs and the Braves. He led the American League with 48 homers in 2019, and hit 27 home runs in 149 games with the Royals and Braves last season.

Soler defected from Cuba in 2011, established residency in Haiti and made his big league debut in 2014.

MLB Network was first to report news of Soler’s agreement with Miami.

Miguel Rojas Agrees to Two-Year, $10 Million Deal with Miami Marlins

Posted on by
Reply

Miguel Rojas is staying in South Florida…

The 32-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball infielder and the Miami Marlins have announced a two-year, $10 million contract, the first big step the team has taken this offseason.

Miguel Rojas

The deal has Rojas under contract through 2023. He’ll make $5 million in each of the next two seasons.

Rojas batted .265 this season for Miami, with nine home runs and 48 RBIs. No current member of the Marlins roster has appeared in more games for the franchise than Rojas, whose 730 appearances is the ninth most in team history.

“Miguel embodies a lot of the things that we want as Marlins,” Miami general manager Kim Ng said Thursday at a news conference inside Marlins Park. “On the field, the consummate professional. Defensively, extremely sure-handed, a great stabilizer. In terms of leader, there’s no one who shows more leadership skills out on that field than Miguel Rojas, as well as in the clubhouse.”

Rojas came to the Marlins in 2015 as a bench player, eventually becoming the team’s every-day shortstop and clubhouse leader. He has played all four infield positions during his time with the Marlins and was deputized by manager Don Mattingly to run the club for its regular-season finales in 2019 and 2021.

“I just want to win, and I want to win here in Miami,” Rojas said.

Rojas initiated extension talks with the Marlins this season by simply telling the team he wanted to remain in Miami. From there, it was only a matter of time until a deal got done.

“It was an extraordinarily easy thing to do,” Ng said.