Can you believe it? Baseball will be returning in a few weeks. Here’s a review of the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays’ hot stove and how these organizations are building momentum as they approach Spring Training.
The Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays did not have an opportunity to reunite with players like Blake Snell. They also did not sign big-name free agents like Juan Soto nor were they expected to. Although neither of these teams has made big off-season splashes, that does not mean they have not been building momentum as we approach the 2025 MLB season.
Miami Marlins Hot Stove / Spring Training
It is hard to associate the adjective of HOT with the Marlins off-season. Team activity can be seen and after all the organization’s messaging has been consistent since 2023. President of Operations Peter Bendix has been firm on the point that for Miami to achieve sustainable success, the Marlins needed to add long-term value to the organization.
In addressing the point of “Long-Term Value”, Bendix dealt third baseman Jake Burger to the Texas Rangers. Burger played in 137 games for the Marlins during the 2024 season. He belted 29 home runs, drove in 76 RBI’s, and batted a solid .250 AVG. Coming back to the Marlins in the trade from the Texas Rangers are three top prospects. All these prospects are listed as top 30 MLB talent. Prospect Echedry Vargas ranks at #16 on this list. Max Acosta comes in at #16 and is a former top international prospect. Left Brayan Mendoza rounds out this list and ranks at #29.
“We added a lot of talent to the organization,” Bendix said. “We think really highly of the three players that we got in return. I think they’re players that just add to the overall talent base. There are two good shortstops. There’s another pitcher. You can never have enough talent, and I think it just contributes to the vision of being as good as we can as soon as we can.”
Today, we have acquired INF Max Acosta, INF Echedry Vargas and LHP Brayan Mendoza from the Texas Rangers. pic.twitter.com/nCnSVcGcsF
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) December 11, 2024
More Marlins Moves
Other news of significance was with the signing of 3B Eric Wagaman. Wagaman spent most of the 2024 season playing minor league baseball but did pick up 72 major league at-bats. He is a 2017 round 13 draft pick of the New York Yankees.
In a blast from the past, the Marlins also named Pedro Guerrero as the team’s new hitting coach. Pedro played 15 seasons of MLB ball with the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals.
Tampa Bay Rays Hot Stove
As usual, the Tampa Bay Rays will be one of the most underrated sports gaming stories leading into the 2025 season. Common betting odds formats such as OVER/UNDER win totals will be highlighted around the Dodgers and their big 103.5 wins total projection. However, we are standing strong on how the Tampa Bay Rays OVER 80.5 total wins is a firm play. Within our favorite sportsbooks, we see ways you can tease this number up to 83.5 and get great +155 moneyline odds on this wager. Keep in mind that when you see odds like +155, this means that a $100 bet will return you $155. The reverse would be true if you noticed -155 odds. This would mean that a gamer would need to wager $155 to win $100.
As Spring Training progresses, watch as excitement builds on the topic of Carson Williams. The 2021 first-round draft pick is regarded as MLB’s No. 11 overall prospect. He is highly regarded for his defense and posted a .256/.352.469 slash during his stint in Double-A during the 2024 season. This June he will turn 22, and we cannot wait for him to make an impact at the big-league level. Expect him to start the season in Triple-A, but only for a short time.
More Rays Moves
Tampa Bay also recently signed infielder Taylor Walls to a single-year deal with a club option for 2026. Walls will earn a $1.4 million guaranteed salary this year which is a bargain. The 28-year-old had a rough season at the plate in 2024 but is talented from a defensive perspective. In 252 plate appearances, he compiled stats of only .183/.282/.248 with one homer, five doubles, three triples, and 16 steals (in 20 attempts). The positive with Walls is that he does have a disciplined batting approach. In 2024, he walked in 12.3% of those 252 at-bats — this is right in line with his career 12.1% mark.
Of course, you simply cannot talk about Rays baseball without mentioning how they continue to build bullpen depths. Recently the team acquired left-hander Brandon Eisert from the Toronto Blue Jays. Eisert, 27, joins the second club of his career. He made his major league debut last year. To this point, his big-league track record is limited. He tossed 6 2/3 innings for the Jays last year, allowing three earned runs.
The Rays are interested in the lefty’s minor-league stats, which are solid. Over the past four years, he has compiled 264 2/3 innings in the minors with a 3.76 earned run average, 29.1% strikeout rate, and 7.7% walk rate. The 91.2 mph fastball is a concern but the staff sees something they can work with. What cannot be disputed is how the coaching staff builds and continues to build its relief pitching squad into a strength of this organization. Let’s see how they can mold Eisert.
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