Inter Miami CF: The Problem With Passivity

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Inter Miami is going through a rough patch, to say the least.

Despite an encouraging result against the Chicago Fire in their home opener, Phil Neville’s men have struggled to look competitive through their first four games.  Miami’s latest loss to FC Cincinnati was another example of how, at times, tactically poor the South Florida club has looked this season.

What’s going wrong? Can it be fixed? 

Let’s dissect.

Lack Of Consistent Creation

The biggest issue facing Inter Miami on the field as of today is the lack of a consistent creator. Though Gonzalo Higuain has put it on himself to be the main distributor for the Herons, the team’s tactical shape and lack of real penetration in the final third has caused the attack to sputter.

Let’s take a look at some numbers:

In Miami’s last match, they had 26 progressive carries while Cincinnati had 37. A progressive carry is any movement that moves that ball at least five yards towards an opponent’s goal, or any carry into the opposition penalty area.

When a team can’t progress the ball well, they won’t create chances in the attacking third. 

Due to this, Miami’s SCA (shot-creating action) number against Cincinnati was poor. The Herons had 19 SCA to Cincinnati’s 30.

The Heron’s inability to progress the ball out of the back has hindered them.

Their heatmap against Cincinnati gives us an even clearer picture. The majority of Miami’s touches were on the right side of the defensive third:

The pass maps from the game also show that the bulk of Miami’s passes were towards DeAndre Yedlin, Damion Lowe, and Chris McVey who are all defenders – not ideal:

If Miami wants to dig themselves out of this hole, they need to start progressing the ball up the field quicker and be a bit braver in their passing.

Defensive Passivity

Not only is Miami struggling on the offensive side, but defensively, they don’t fair much better either. This could be due to the lack of high press.

MLS is a high-intensity league where high pressing is valuable. In Miami’s case, they are happy to sit back in a midblock and keep their shape. They’ll often let the opposition have the ball until they threaten in the final third:

However, this strategy hasn’t been working too well. Miami’s passivity in defense has seen them concede 10 goals in four games.

Passing Patterns and Situational Awareness

Lastly, though it may seem trivial to some, the importance of working on progressive passing patterns and being situationally aware is important.

Based on their last four games, Inter Miami looks like they struggle with this. 

Oftentimes, whoever has the ball will outstretch their arms, shrug their shoulders, and ask a teammate to come closer to them so they don’t lose possession.

On the flip side, like in the video below, a player will wave their hands frantically asking for the ball to be passed to them only to be ignored or unchecked:

Take this instance from Miami’s loss to Austin FC. Christopher McVey gets impatient and forces the ball into a heavy traffic area:

When he does this, Austin’s attackers pounce and punish Miami’s slack passing.

This could’ve been prevented had the Herons slowed the game down, gotten Gregore to drop in between the two center backs, and build out from there. Or McVey could’ve passed to ball over to his center-back partner Jairo Quinteros.

Four games in and these issues pop up repeatedly. The failure to find the open man has cost them and opposing teams take advantage of that. 

The same instance happened against Cincinnati as well, but this time on the offensive side. 

Robbie Robinson plays a good ball into Gregore who does well to get a shot off, but, had he picked up his head, seen Ariel Lassiter lurking in the penalty box, and tried to squeeze through a pass, perhaps Miami would’ve tested the keeper a tad more:

Situational awareness, defensive passivity, lack of progressive ball movement, and the inability to create consistent chances see Inter Miami lingering at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. 

What’s Next?

If Miami want to bounce back, unfortunately, their upcoming fixtures don’t look promising:

This is crunch time for Inter Miami and Neville.

At the beginning of the season, Chris Henderson stated that despite the sanctions the team wants to remain competitive.  Though it’s early days, Miami is struggling to do so. 

Of course, they can always turn it around.

MLS is a league where teams can start slow and still make the playoffs later, but, the South Florida club currently looks far off the pace.

With their upcoming home match against the Houston Dynamo, the Herons will have a solid opportunity to kick start their season into gear.

Will they be able to bounce back?

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to the Nets

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The Miami Heat were looking for a bounce back night after being embarrassed three games in a row, and well, they followed all of that up with an absolute obliteration from the Brooklyn Nets.

The team isn’t in a good spot right now, obviously. The offense has hit a wall, hard, and just simply seems like it can’t hang with a Durant, Irving offense when playing this lackluster.

But, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: The inconsistency of the Heat’s shot profile on display.

As the Heat fell behind by 21 at the half, many questions are presented. Some could be asked about Miami’s interior defense falling apart, but a lot of their buckets was Kevin Durant doing Kevin Durant things. But the main issue: the offense. When I say there’s inconsistencies in the team’s shot profile, I mean from possession to possession. Threes aren’t falling, the off-ball sets aren’t as crisp as they were early on, and their best players aren’t able to make plays on any given possession. It’s clear that the offense has hit a wall in that way. Kyle Lowry had moments, Tyler Herro was inefficient to start but did good things. But Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler have the eyes on them. Butler needs to figure out himself offensively at this stage, and Adebayo needs an obvious shift in his spots and scoring outlook.

#2: So, about Victor Oladipo…

Watching Victor Oladipo enter the game tonight, things quickly spiraled out of control from there. Not to say that was on him, but there are clear takeaways from getting an extended look at him. For starters, the gelling hasn’t been there. Tyler Herro and him haven’t been the greatest combo in that back-court, and Jimmy Butler has been mirrored with him a ton, which in my opinion isn’t a good thing. The reason for that is we’re watching two guys run the offense as the defense goes under the screen. We know how they defend Butler, but teams are daring Dipo to make that quick pull-up. Safe to say I’m not the biggest fan of those two together, as well as the constant pairing of Dedmon. If you’re going to go to Dipo, give him Bam who is a quick roller and shooters. If not, I think Gabe Vincent plugging back in come playoff time is a real possibility.

#3: PJ Tucker’s offensive need.

When talking about PJ Tucker as of late, we quickly equate every game he struggles to needing rest and simply missing that open corner three. But the thing about his play early in the season, was that he wasn’t strictly that corner threat. We praised the team for elevating his game from past corner spectating with past teams, but that has declined heavily since the all star break. Guys returning meant less offense would be worked through him, leaving me with a simple question: why? To maximize spacing in a lineup with Tucker and Butler, weak-side spot-ups isn’t the way. When the Heat caught some momentum in the 3rd against the Warriors after the altercation, the offense was being worked through Tucker for a good period of time. Some post-splits. Some fake hand-offs. Just something to give him more of a selection.

#4: Oh hey, Goran Dragic’s back. Yeah, that’s my takeaway from this one…

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#5: Time to look at the upcoming stretch.

This is about as bad of a 4 game stretch as it possibly gets. A loss to the 76ers without Joel Embiid and James Harden. A loss to the Warriors without Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, including a big bench blow up. A loss to the Knicks where the had a 17 point lead in the 4th. And now, an obliteration against the Brooklyn Nets. I’ve talked enough about that past stretch, so let’s take a quick look up ahead. They play Monday night against the Kings, which is the ultimate team to get back in the win column against, but we know how things have gone. Then Wednesday is against the red hot Boston Celtics, who provide their own problems with that switching defense. This blends into an April back to back on the weekend against the Bulls and Raptors, both on the road. The path isn’t getting much clearer, but the teams they’re playing aren’t the issue. It’s themselves. And there are clear issues.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Knicks

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The Heat led the entire way against the New York Knicks on Friday night, yet folded late in the 4th.

They were outscored in the 4th 38-15. Clearly, problematic…

#1: A different look bench group gives Miami a decent boost.

When looking at Miami’s bench unit no matter who is playing on any given night, it’s always guard heavy. The way to know that is because Caleb Martin and Max Strus switch off playing the 4 from lineup to lineup. Yet tonight, those two guys were the smalls in the bench lineup. With Tyler Herro, Gabe Vincent, and Victor Oladipo out, those two along with Markieff Morris and Dewayne Dedmon were the 4 next to one starter. I was a bit skeptical about the offensive spacing, but it went way above expectations. The reasoning: Morris and Dedmon spacing the floor effectively allowed it to work. Morris hit two threes and Dedmon added in a corner triple in that first half, opening up the motion sets for Strus and a driving lane for Butler. That group clearly didn’t lack size, which is a good change of pace from previous games.

#2: Jimmy Butler assertive and dishing early.

After the bench altercation in the last game against the Warriors, Jimmy Butler came out in the exact manner that you’d hope. Not only for aggression purposes, but using that into his facilitating favor. He had 6 assists in that first half, but that doesn’t illustrate the “over-passing” he was providing on the floor, which I’m not sure was coincidental. His chemistry looked as good as ever, as two late buckets in the second quarter consisted of him waving on the opposite side of the floor in direction of Kyle Lowry, while the Knicks were shooting free throws. Lowry bombs it, Butler takes advantage. He was taking smart shots, getting to the basket when he wants, and was really physical in the painted area. A good thing to see at this point in time.

#3: Caleb Martin is the ultimate Swiss Army knife, but why didn’t he close?

When hearing Coach Spo talk about Caleb Martin after games, you often hear the phrase “swiss army knife.” The reason is that you can place him in so many different lineups, against so many different match-ups, and a new thing that was picked up on, in so many different positions and spots on the floor. As I said a little earlier, Martin saw a shift up to the 3 with Morris and Dedmon entering the lineup. But forget the 3, since he actually went from corner spot-up and dunker spot spacer to running Miami’s actions. It’s clearly not his biggest strength, but he can get the job done, by making insert passes and exploding to the rim from time to time either for a bucket or some needed rim pressure. We know he’s a rotation lock, but this stuff can’t just slip under the radar. And more importantly, when Strus is getting hunted late like he was, Martin needs to be utilized as a closer. But that’s not on him.

#4: Bam Adebayo having moments as tough shot maker, yet quickly blends into team closing issues.

After Bam Adebayo finished off his third quarter stint, he walked to the bench with 16 points on 6 of 6 shooting. Usually when you see those type of clean and perfect field goal percentages, it equates to easy looks or more opportunities as a roller. Yet, that wasn’t really the case. His shots were far from easy, as he was taking some tough shots while knocking them down at a high rate. Early on, he went to a half spin fake before spinning baseline twice in a small portion of time. Why is that important? Well, for one, it felt like that was just added to his bag recently. And secondly, it was showing that his on-ball usage was a bit higher, for the lack of guards that I mentioned before. He even ran a few inverted pick and rolls with Kyle Lowry, which shouldn’t have the adjective “few” attached. When that is seen, good things happen. But lastly, good things didn’t happen late for this team tonight. All of the good I talked about from top players, disappeared in closing time, which continues to be a mystery.

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#5: Jimmy Butler vs Udonis Haslem? Here’s my final statement:

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Miami Hurricanes land former UCLA edge defender Mitchell Agude

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The Miami hurricanes were able to continue the positive vibes from Thursday night, as they were able to land a commitment on Friday. UCLA edge defender Mitchell Agude committed to the program.

Agude chose Miami over Oregon, Washington, and Tennessee. He had a host of people involved in his recruitment. Defensive analyst Jason Taylor, defensive line coach Joe Salave’a, and defensive ends coach Rod Wright were all involved in his recruitment. As Gaby Urrutia noted in his report, this was something Agude took notice of.

This is another big grab for the Hurricanes in terms of edge defenders. In the last two seasons at UCLA, he recorded 78 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 4 ½ sacks, and seven forced fumbles. His explosiveness off the edge is something that Miami has been looking for. When you think about how the edge position has evolved over the years, it’s now gone from a niche position to something that coaches recruit heavily.

 

 

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Miami Hurricanes have benefited from transfer portal

 

As a senior, he will have only one more year of eligibility. His addition now marks the seventh transfer for the Miami Hurricanes. In this particular class, defense has been something that the Miami Hurricanes have been able to land via the portal. Some of the more notable names include defensive lineman Jake Lichtenstein , defensive lineman Antonio Moultrie, and cornerback Daryl Porter.

Agude will have a chance to make an immediate impact, and this should allow him to be a key part of the defensive line. Miami wants to establish dominance at the edge position, and it’s interesting to see things come full circle. Who knows about dominance at the edge position? Jason Taylor.

Now Agude will have a chance to make a mark of his own, as the Miami Hurricanes look to usher in a new era of football. One thing appears to be certain. Defensive experience is a priority for the program. In terms of recruiting, Mario Cristobal is red hot right now.

Miami Hurricanes land pair of athletic brothers for ’23 class

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The Miami hurricanes received commitments from a pair of brothers on Thursday night. Four-star athlete Robby Washington and three-star linebacker Bobby Washington both committed to the program on Thursday night. This was first reported by Andrew Ivins of 247Sports.

Robby is the eighth overall athlete in the 2023 class, and the 16th overall player in his class from the state of Florida per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Bobby is the 50th overall linebacker in his class, and the 97th overall player in his class from the state of Florida per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Measuring in at 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, Robbie played both the running back and wide receiver positions in high school. As a receiver, he shows tremendous athleticism. He is able to make things happen after the catch, and is able to use that athleticism to make plays. He does a nice job of adjusting to balls in the air, and has tremendous agility when catching the football.

What can Bobby bring to Miami Hurricanes?

Bobby Washington does a good job of tackling in the open field. He can identify a play quickly, and takes good angles in order to make a tackle. The fact that he is a good open-field tackler is important. Matchups are won and lost in the open field. Measuring in at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Washington as the agility needed in today’s offensive-minded game of college football. In addition to being versatile, he is also physical. He immediately wraps up and is able to make a sound contact on tackles.

The 2023 Miami Hurricanes recruiting class is continuing to rise the class ranks 19th nationally and third overall in the ACC per the 247Sports Composite rankings. Robby is now the highest-rated commitment in the class.

Overall, the Miami Hurricanes were able to get a pair of good athletes. Robby should add an immediate spark to the offense, while Bobby adds additional physicality to the defense.  Thursday was indeed a successful day for the Miami Hurricanes.

 

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Marlins blockbuster trades

Marlins Blundering History with Blockbuster Trades

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The Miami Marlins have long been negatively associated with the term ‘fire sale.’ Too often in the franchise’s history, ownership groups (yes, more than one) gutted a talented roster to save money. The team trafficked in hope with prospect packages, parting with players in their prime. The Marlins sabotaged local support by blundering these blockbuster trades throughout their history.

This week, the book closed on yet another blundered blockbuster. The Marlins designated Isan Diaz for assignment to open a roster spot for the newly signed slugger Jorge Soler. The Yelich deal stands among many failures for the Fish over the years.

There’s no singular reason behind Miami’s seeming inability to “win” these transactions, beyond bad luck and maybe misguided management. Some of the moves paid off in short bursts, but over time, most soured on them.

The Marlins find themselves on the cusp of contention once again and could be nearing another blockbuster trade. These days, Miami’s in a position to bring in the All-Star talent rather than part with it. But so far, the Marlins have balked at the cost of premium prospects demanded by other clubs. Given their blundering history with these deals, it’s easy to understand why.

Marlins First Foray into Blockbuster Trades

The first of (too) many blockbuster trades in Marlins history dates back to the club’s inaugural season. On June 24, 1993, the Marlins made their first in-season trade as a Major League franchise.

Florida acquired 24-year-old All-Star Gary Sheffield and left-handed pitcher Rich Rodriguez from the San Diego Padres. In exchange, Florida sent rookie reliever Trevor Hoffman, as well as minor league arms Andrés Berumen and José Martinez, to the Padres.

Marlins Return on the Trade

Sheffield’s impact with the Marlins was immediate. He became the early face of the franchise, thanks to his bat wag and long balls. He and closer Bryan Harvey were the team’s first-ever All-Stars.

Over parts of six seasons in Miami, Sheffield hit 122 home runs, with a .288 batting average and .970 OPS, and drove in 380 runs. He earned two All-Star berths and won a Silver Slugger. Most importantly, he helped the Marlins win the 1997 World Series.

This information alone seemingly tilts this blockbuster trade in the Marlins’ favor—that is, until you factor in Hoffman’s place among the all-time greats. No one could have predicted Hoffman’s Hall-of-Fame future, something Sheffield’s still waiting on (though he shouldn’t be). It’s not a clear win for the Fish, nor an abject failure.

Unforeseen Cost for the Fish

Hoffman came to the Marlins in the 1992 expansion draft. With the eighth pick, Florida plucked the relief pitcher from the Cincinnati Reds organization. He made the Marlins’ inaugural roster as a set-up man for Harvey. But after just three months (and his first two career saves), Hoffman became the centerpiece in the return package for the Padres.

San Diego put on a fire sale of their own in 1993, trading away Tony Fernandez and Darrin Jackson before dealing Sheffield. The Padres later dealt Fred McGriff and failed to sign draftees Todd Helton and Troy Glaus. They let catcher Benito Santiago go in free agency. (The four-time All-Star signed in Florida and started the franchise’s first game.) San Diego stopped short of trading Tony Gwynn.

New Padres general manager Randy Smith wanted Hoffman as part of the trade for Sheffield. Smith had come to the Padres from the Colorado Rockies, where he’d helped prep for the ’92 expansion draft where Florida had found Hoffman (Berumen and Martinez, too).

Then-Marlins GM Dave Dombrowski offered Berumen, Matt Whisenant, and Darrell Whitmore, but Smith insisted on Hoffman. Florida acquiesced, surrendering a reliever who’d been projected as a catcher in the pros and played shortstop and third base before transitioning to the bullpen.

Hoffman overcame changing positions, injuries, and diminished fastball velocity to become MLB’s all-time saves leader in 2006. With his “Bugs Bunny” changeup as an out-pitch, Hoffman helped San Diego make five playoff appearances, including a trip to the 1998 World Series.

Hoffman finished his career with 601 saves and seven All-Star berths, twice finishing runner-up for the NL Cy Young award. Mariano Rivera broke the career saves record in 2011, but Hoffman’s still No. 2 all-time. The nearest active closer (Craig Kimbrel) remains more than 200 saves away.

The Curious Case of Catcher Mike Piazza

People forget Mike Piazza’s five-game stopover in Miami during the summer of 1998, but it happened. (There’s video proof.) Following the ‘97 World Series championship, the Marlins front office celebrated with the first fire sale in franchise history.

That winter, Florida traded away Moises Alou, Kevin Brown, Jeff Conine, Al Leiter, Robb Nen, and Devon White in a series of deals. For the Marlins, those not-quite blockbuster trades netted just A.J. Burnett, Derrek Lee, and (the original) Jesús Sánchez.

Florida started 13-28, then opted to continue the payroll purge. On May 14, 1998, the oddest of these Marlins blockbuster trades went down. Florida shipped a disgruntled Sheffield, as well as Bobby Bonilla, Charles Johnson, Jim Eisenreich, and Manuel Barrios to the Dodgers for Piazza and third baseman Todd Zeile. LA absorbed $83 million in salaries with the deal.

Piazza played a grand total of five games with Florida. He registered five hits and five RBI over 19 plate appearances before getting flipped to the New York Mets. The Marlins sought to shed even more payroll, having no intention of signing Piazza to an extension.

These blockbuster trades were part of a larger scheme involving TV rights and the franchise’s sale. According to then-Dodgers GM Fred Claire, Fox executives negotiated the trade hoping to incentivize then-Marlins owner H. Wayne Huizenga to sell them his controlling stake in SportsChannel Florida (now Bally Sports Florida), which he did in November of 1999.

On May 22, 1998, Florida traded Piazza to the New York Mets for outfielder Preston Wilson, and pitchers Geoff Goetz and Ed Yarnall. Zeile played 66 games with the Marlins in 1998 prior to a trade that sent him to the Texas Rangers for two minor league pitchers who never made it above A-ball.

Marlins Seed Next World Series with these Blockbuster Trades

For the Marlins, the blockbuster trades in 1997 and 1998 provided the team with the ammunition to make another World Series run in 2003. Burnett and Lee came in those deals, and the Marlins used pieces from the Piazza trade to land a few more. A look at the MLB Trade Trees website shows this move even branches to the 2022 starting rotation, leading to the acquisition of Pablo Lopez.

Wilson headlined the return for the Marlins in the Piazza trade with New York. Wilson proved to be a serviceable player for the Marlins, finishing second in the NL Rookie of the Year running in 1999. Playing parts of five seasons in Miami, Wilson hit 104 homers, drove in 329 runs, and stole 87 bases for Florida.

On November 16, 2002, the Marlins traded Wilson with Vic Darensbourg, Charles Johnson (again), and Pablo Ozuna to the Colorado Rockies for Mike Hampton and Juan Pierre. That trade morphed into something of a three-deal deal involving the Atlanta Braves, who got Hampton two days later. The Marlins took on $30 million of Hampton’s salary but offloaded more than $50 million sending out Wilson and Johnson. The Marlins got Tim Spooneybarger from Atlanta and cash from Colorado.

As for Yarnall, he never pitched for the Marlins, but headlined a trade package to the New York Yankees in 1999. That deal landed Florida third baseman Mike Lowell. Goetz, meanwhile, never made it to the Majors despite being the No. 6 overall pick in the 1997 amateur draft.

The Worst of the Marlins Blockbuster Trades

The worst of the Marlins blockbuster trades over the years is the Miguel Cabrera deal. On December 4, 2007, Florida shipped Cabrera and another franchise-favorite, Dontrelle Willis, to Detroit for a package of prospects

The return included a pair of Top-10 prospects in outfielder Cameron Maybin and left-handed pitcher Andrew Miller. In addition, the Marlins received catcher Mike Rabelo, and right-handed pitchers Burke Badenhop, Dallas Trahern, and Frankie De La Cruz.

Cabrera provided a spark as a rookie for the Marlins’ World Series-winning club in 2003. He ascended quickly, becoming one of the best hitters in baseball. All told, Cabrera played parts of five seasons with the Marlins and finished with four All-Star berths, 138 home runs, and 523 RBI. He slashed .313/.388/.542 with the Fish.

But the penny-pinching of Jeffery Loria and David Samson ultimately outweighed Cabrera’s (and Willis’) production. Cabrera made $7.4 million in 2007 and stood to make $11.3 million in 2008. That figure proved to be untenable for Loria and Co., so they looked to flip Cabrera while the star still had a few seasons of team control.

The Marlins tinkered with their roster following the 2003 World Series. The team had a budding star in Hanley Ramirez, who they’d acquired in the Beckett/Lowell trade with Boston in 2005. This mistakenly led the Marlins to feel Cabrera was expendable. The same was true with Willis, since the team felt comfortable proceeding with young arms in Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, and Anibal Sanchez.

Disastrous Return for Florida

Once Cabrera became available, teams offered the Marlins prospect-laden packages common in blockbuster trades. Negotiations pitted the Los Angeles Angels, Dodgers, and Tigers in a bidding war. From the Dodgers, the Marlins sought pre-arbitration prospects like Chad Billingsley, Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, and James Loney.

Florida reportedly had an agreement with the Angels for Howie Kendrick, Ervin Santana, and Jeff Mathis. The team then approached Detroit, whose owner coveted Cabrera. Tigers (and former Marlins) GM Dave Dombrowski hoped to keep Detroit’s top prospects out of the deal but eventually came to terms once the trade expanded to include Willis.

Then-Marlins president David Samson admitted years later Florida lied to the Dodgers at that point, hoping to land Billingsley and Kershaw. LA didn’t bite, and the Marlins dealt with Detroit.

Despite being highly-touted prospects, both Maybin and Miller flopped with the Fish. Maybin struggled in his first stint, hitting .257 with 151 Ks over 144 games. He’d become a serviceable fourth outfielder, but not in Miami. He won the 2017 World Series with Houston.

Miller posted a 5.89 ERA over 58 games with the Marlins. The team traded Miller to Boston in 2010 for Dustin Richardson, who never pitched in Miami. Miller went on to be a two-time All-Star and win the 2016 ALCS MVP as a reliever in Cleveland.

Badenhop proved to be the best Marlin from this disaster. In four seasons with Florida, he posted a 4.34 ERA. Rabelo played 34 games in Miami, hitting .202. De La Cruz pitched in just six games with an 18.00 ERA. Trahern never made it to the bigs.

Cabrera, meanwhile, enters his 20th MLB season on the cusp of 3,000 hits, having hit more than 500 home runs. He’s a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer.

 

Marlins Move Off Stanton’s Contract

Once they agreed to a “landmark” 13-year, $325 million contract, Giancarlo Stanton and the Marlins seemed destined for divorce. The onerous deal hung like an albatross on the franchise. So, when Loria sold the team to Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter’s ownership group, it was only a matter of time before the club embarked on its latest fire sale.

On December 11, 2017, the Marlins completed another of these blockbuster trades, sending Stanton and cash to the Yankees. In exchange, Miami received infielder Starlin Castro, pitcher Jorge Guzman, and shortstop Jose Devers.

The Marlins cited a lack of organizational depth when shipping off the most productive player in franchise history. Stanton left Miami the career leader in over 15 statistical categories, including home runs (267) and RBI (672). He’s the only player in Marlins history to win NL MVP, doing so in 2017 when he hit a club-record 59 homers.

The player-return for Stanton paled in comparison to his production. Castro, who many assumed would be flipped in another deal, played two productive seasons in Miami before leaving in free agency. Guzman, who once ranked as high as No. 6 in the Marlins system, struggled to make the transition to the Majors (27.00 ERA in 2.2 IP) and is now in the San Francisco Giants system.

Devers came in as the No. 13 prospect for Miami and made his MLB debut last season. The 22-year-old slashed .244/.304/.317 with five RBI and seven runs scored. A shoulder injury sidelined him in July and he’s likely bound for Triple-A in 2022.

The true “win” for the Marlins with this, the most unpopular of the blockbuster trades, was monetary. The move nearly cleared the books for the new owners, with New York assuming about $250 million of Stanton’s contract.

Yelich Trade Ended Completely One-Sided

The same offseason in which the Marlins dealt away Stanton, Miami also shipped off another young slugger, Christian Yelich. While the Marlins had the budding star on a team-friendly contract, Yelich wanted no part of the rebuild. Publicly, the Marlins claimed they wouldn’t consider moving Yelich, or their other controllable young talents in Marcell Ozuna and J.T. Realmuto, but we all know how that turned out.

On January 25, 2018, a month after the Stanton deal, and after fielding offers from several teams, the Marlins dealt Yelich to the Milwaukee Brewers for several prized prospects. The headliner in the return package for Miami was one of baseball’s top prospects at the time, outfielder Lewis Brinson. A local product, Brinson was a consensus top-20 prospect, considered to have both a high floor and a high ceiling given his tools.

The other prospects in the deal were Isan Diaz, Monte Harrison, and Jordan Yamamoto. At the time, Harrison ranked No. 49 overall with Baseball Prospectus and No. 75 with Baseball America. Diaz checked in at No. 85 on Baseball Prospectus’ list. Yamamoto projected as a backend starter in the bigs.

At least a dozen teams were in on Yelich. The Marlins wanted Ronald Acuña Jr. from Atlanta, but the Braves declined. The other team that reportedly got close to a deal with Miami was the Toronto Blue Jays. But Toronto refused to include Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the return package.

The Marlins found themselves in a difficult position with Yelich in 2018. Although he was locked into a team-friendly deal, the relationship between Miami and Yelich had “soured” and was “irretrievably broken” following the latest fire sale.

Prospects Flop in Another of Marlins’ Failed Blockbuster Trades

Milwaukee presented a prospect package intriguing enough to the Marlins, despite their initial desire to keep Yelich. Miami couldn’t pry away top prospects from other teams but felt Brinson neared that level. Unfortunately for the Fish, he didn’t.

Over four unremarkable seasons, Brinson managed just a .203 batting average with 296 strikeouts over 1,056 plate appearances. Miami finally designated Brinson for assignment on November 30, 2021. The 27-year-old later signed a minor league deal with the Houston Astros.

Harrison never found his footing with the Marlins, either. He appeared in 41 games for Miami, hitting just .175 with a staggering 47 percent strikeout rate. Miami designated Harrison for assignment earlier this month after claiming 29-year-old Yoan López, a right-handed reliever, from the Philadelphia Phillies.

Yamamoto impressed in his initial run with the Marlins, posting a 1.59 ERA through his first six starts. But he flamed out after that. Yamamoto sported a 6.65 ERA over his final nine starts in 2019, then an 18.26 ERA over four games in 2020. Miami eventually traded Yamamoto to the Mets in 2021 for minor league infielder Federico Polanco.

Diaz once looked to be the Marlins’ second baseman of the future, winning the team’s 2019 Minor League Player of the Year award. He hit nearly 100 homers during his time in the minors and raked at Triple-A for the Fish. But that success at the plate never translated to the bigs.

Over parts of three seasons, Diaz posted a .185 batting average, striking out 139 times over 501 plate appearances. Miami designated the 25-year-old for assignment this week. Diaz peaked during his MLB debut, homering off Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom while his father was being interviewed on the TV broadcast.

The Marlins Other Blockbuster Trades

Considering this Marlins franchise has undergone three fire sales (with three different ownership groups), there’s no shortage of blockbuster trades. Over the years, Miami’s traded away an All-Star team, including two players in the Hall of Fame with more headed that way. In those fire sales, the Marlins made moves sending away notable players with the returns being hit-or-miss over the years.

The Beckett Trade

Following their first fire sale in 1998, the Marlins drafted Josh Beckett with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1999 amateur draft. They signed him that September and nearly two years to the day later, Beckett made his MLB debut. Beckett eventually became the staff ace and earned the 2003 World Series MVP after dominating the Yankees on short rest to win that championship.

But two years later, wanting to shed payroll again, the Marlins found a trade partner willing to take on cash. On November 24, 2005, they traded Beckett, Lowell, and Guillermo Mota, to the Red Sox. Florida received highly-touted shortstop prospect Hanley Ramirez, and pitching prospects Jesús Delgado, Harvey Garcia, and Anibal Sánchez.

The kicker was Boston’s willingness to take on the $18 million owed to Lowell. That kept Beckett from going to the Texas Rangers, who offered All-Star third baseman Hank Blalock, one of their two top pitching prospects, Thomas Diamond or John Danks, as well as shortstop prospect Joaquin Arias.

This trade goes down as a “win” for both clubs, considering the cash savings and production for the Marlins and the 2007 championship Beckett and Lowell brought Boston. Beckett would become a three-time All-Star with the Red Sox, finishing second in the ’07 AL Cy Young voting. Lowell earned an All-Star berth and World Series MVP in ’07.

Ramirez went on to win NL Rookie of the Year in 2006 and became the best shortstop in baseball for a short period of time soon thereafter. Delgado and Garcia did little of note with the Marlins, but Sanchez proved valuable. Over parts of seven seasons in Miami, Sanchez posted a 44-45 record with a 3.75 ERA. On September 6, 2006, Sanchez threw one of six no-hitters in Marlins history.

The (Other) Hanley Trade

In 2007, the Marlins built around their budding star, Hanley Ramirez, at the expense of Miguel Cabrera. Ramirez would earn three All-Star berths and finished runner-up for NL MVP in 2009 after leading the league in hitting that season.

But the drop-off from those heights was precipitous. Ownership went all-in on the team entering their new ballpark but quickly pulled the plug in 2012. Ramirez, whose effort (and production) waned, grew disgruntled with his move to third base. He pouted and eventually found himself (and the remaining $37 million on his contract) shipped to the Dodgers

The Marlins sold low on Ramirez but the club had had hopes on contenting just as Ramirez’s play dropped off. Sending nearly $40 million to LA prevented a meaningful prospect return for Ramirez. Miami received pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Scott McGough. Eovaldi would eventually become an All-Star pitcher, just not for the Marlins. McGough pitched in six games for Miami in 2015, posting a 9.45 ERA. The Marlins waived him prior to the 2016 season.

This trade came two days after Miami dealt Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez to the Tigers for Rob Brantly, Brian Flynn, and Jacob Turner. This mini fire sale preceded a full roster tear down that winter.

Marlins Win the Ozuna Trade

Wins for the Marlins in blockbuster trades are rare, but this was one. Miami flirted with trading Marcell Ozuna in both 2015 and 2016, with owner Jeffery Loria reportedly having bad blood with Ozuna and his agent, Scott Boras, stemming from Ozuna’s demotion to Triple-A. Boras claimed that was done to stall Ozuna’s service time. Ozuna stayed with the Marlins thanks to backing from (then) new manager Don Mattingly and new hitting coach Barry Bonds. (Yes, that Barry Bonds.)

At least 10 teams showed interest in Ozuna those winters, with the Marlins making offers to both the Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds. In 2015, the Marlins neared a deal to send Ozuna to the Seattle Mariners. Miami coveted right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker and had an interest in left-handers James Paxton and Roenis Elias.

Ozuna stayed though, becoming an All-Star in 2016 and 2017, winning both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards in ’17 after hitting 37 homers with 124 RBI. The Marlins parlayed that success into a franchise-changing prospect package from the St. Louis Cardinals.

Just three days after the Stanton trade in 2017, the Marlins sent Ozuna to St. Louis for pitchers Sandy Alcantara, Daniel Castano, Zac Gallen, and outfielder Magneuris Sierra. Factor in the fact that Miami later flipped Gallen to Arizona for shortstop Jazz Chisholm Jr., this stands as the most successful swap to date.

At the time, Sierra was the highest-ranked prospect in the deal (No. 6), followed by Alcantara (No. 9), and Gallen (No. 14). Sierra never developed beyond his blazing speed, but Alcantara’s become one of the best starting pitchers in the NL. Even Castano’s been a serviceable starter at times, and flipping Gallen for Chisholm means the Marlins finally have their second baseman of the future.

The Realmuto Trade

The last of these blockbuster trades for the Marlins is the J.T. Realmuto deal. The young catcher also wanted out of Miami amid the fire sale in 2017, but he didn’t get his wish until two offseasons later. Coming off his first All-Star appearance and a Silver Slugger award, and with (more importantly) a lucrative contract extension looming, Realmuto finally got his ticket out of Miami.

The Marlins reportedly sought at least one high-end prospect, as well as a catcher with MLB experience. There was no shortage of suitors for Realmuto. The reported asking price for LA started at Cody Bellinger, then lowered to a prospect package including Gavin Lux, Trevor May, and either Keibert Ruiz or Will Smith.

On February 7, 2019, Miami sent Realmuto to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for catcher Jorge Alfaro, pitching prospects Sixto Sánchez and Will Stewart, and international bonus slot money.

Jury’s Still Out On Sánchez

As the No. 27 overall prospect at the time, Sánchez headlined the return. The oft-injured starter appeared at the 2019 Futures Game for Miami and made an impressive MLB debut in 2020. But a right shoulder injury kept him from pitching in 2021. He’s still rehabbing from surgery and likely will start in Triple-A.

Alfaro proved serviceable if frustrating over his three years in Miami. He hit .252 in his Marlins career but struck out 289 times in 253 games. Alfaro had his moments, but never found the necessary consistency at the plate. The team tried changing his position in an effort to get his bat going, but even those efforts fell short. The Marlins dealt Alfaro to the San Diego Padres in December.

Stewart has struggled as a left-handed starter in the minors. He’s currently with the Major League team in Spring Training, with mixed results so far.

Realmuto, meanwhile, remains one of the top catchers in baseball. With the Phillies, he’s earned two more All-Star berths, a Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger. Had Miami also pried third baseman Alec Bohm from the Phillies (they asked for him), Marlins fans might feel better about this one. Right now, the fate of this trade rests squarely on Sixto Sánchez’s shoulders.

Another Blockbuster on the Horizon?

The Marlins seem on the cusp of contention once again. Led by a strong starting staff, with exciting young offensive players in the mix, Miami could make a push for the postseason in 2022. But there are holes in this roster still, most notably, in center field and the bullpen.

Marlins general manager Kim Ng called acquiring “a center fielder who is an offensive threat” the team’s “primary objective.” After failing to re-sign Starling Marte this offseason, the Marlins pivoted to trade targets, including Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star center fielder Bryan Reynolds.

Talks reportedly stalled once the Pirates insisted upon Miami including both highly-touted prospects Max Meyer and Kahlil Watson in the deal.

The Marlins also had talks with the Oakland Athletics for outfielder Ramon Laureano, who still has 27 games remaining on his 80-game PED suspension from last season. The A’s reportedly had an interest in Marlins outfield prospect JJ Bleday and were willing to include relief help for Miami.

Trade discussions also took place between the Marlins and Toronto regarding their outfielder, Teoscar Hernández, but the Blue Jays made other moves instead.

It’s no surprise Miami would hesitate to trade away some of their more highly-rated prospects. For fans, considering the Marlins’ spotty history with these deals, there’s a level of PTSD. Sure, there’s a chance one of those prospects is eventually an All-Star, maybe even a Hall of Famer. But players like Reynolds are known commodities that can help this club win now and for the foreseeable future.

It’s time for the Marlins to try another one of these blockbuster trades.

Noah Allen’s Journey to the Inter Miami First Team

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It was an introductory interview to the 2021 MLS season where Inter Miami CF co-owners David Beckham and Jorge Mas emphasized the importance of “culture” within their club. Not only a winning culture, but one from their organization’s grassroots. 

“The DNA of this club has to be what comes through our academy system,” Beckham exclaimed in the presser. “There’s nothing prouder than seeing a homegrown player come through our system and play at the highest level. I had it at Manchester United… whatever player we brought into the club, whatever player came in and was a big signing. I don’t think anything compared to the young players brought through the academy system that were going into the first team.”

After joining the Inter Miami Academy in 2019, seventeen-year-old Noah Allen became the club’s fourth academy product to sign for the first team, following Felipe Valencia, Edison Azcona, and Ian Fray. By working through the academy, playing with the second team, then being handed two starting jobs to open the 2022 MLS Season, Allen was offered a homegrown deal from his hometown club. The Pembroke Pines native fully epitomized the idea expressed by David Beckham.

“It was a long wait for sure,” Allen explained. “A lot of ups and downs, but it was one of the best moments of my life.”

Before getting into the “beautiful game,” Noah Allen was also a basketball and baseball player. The fact that soccer is played year-round in South Florida, and despite being a pretty decent baseball player, he ultimately decided to stick with soccer. 

Noah Allen’s love for soccer guided him to play with West Pines United in Pembroke Pines before joining Weston Academy when he was about ten years old. From there, he heard about and eventually leaped to the Inter Miami Academy in 2019.

“I remember into my second or third year at Weston. I remember hearing about Inter Miami wanting to be formed. David Beckham was coming here saying it was his dream to own a team here,” Noah explained. “I remember thinking, ‘this could actually happen, this could be big! It’s a professional team!”

The excitement at that time for all soccer fans in South Florida was huge. Huge because this part of the state had not had a professional team since the Miami Fusion dissolved in 2002, and the lack of a local club at any top division was affecting the city since the Fort Lauderdale Strikers disbanded in 2016.

Fort Lauderdale Strikers matches were the only games Allen went to as a kid, barring a couple of pre-season-friendly tournament games he attended through the International Champions Cup. And for many fans of the sport and young kids like Allen, those were the only experiences to have until Inter Miami came along.

Allen was deadset that playing for Inter Miami was a dream he had to fulfill before joining the academy. The impact on the community that the club had on him and undoubtedly many other players alike, especially at a young age, is unfathomable and was precisely the reaction the current club owners wanted.  

“The young guys that we have here [in South Florida], and the potential of the guys that we have here is huge and could be so much bigger,” Beckham said back in the 2021 press conference.

When Allen finally joined the academy in 2019, between fourteen and fifteen years of age, it was almost immediately that he saw action with an older age group. The U17-U18 team that Allen became a part of, played in the club’s first-ever official match in South Korea. The 2019 K League U-17 Championship took place from August 11-20 of that year, and Allen describes it as a year and the tournament that he “learned a lot” from.

“That tournament really helped me take the next step,” Allen stated following his MLS debut in his post-match press conference.

Allen was firm when discussing that the group of guys he played with in Korea was one of the best teams he’d been on, and if it weren’t for the pandemic shutting things down months after, it would’ve helped some of the kids on that team progress even more. 

Part of that U-17/18 team that took the trip to Korea were some of Inter Miami’s young stars now. Edison Azcona and Ian Fray, along with other academy starlets at the moment, were part of the squad coached by Jason Kries that had such a successful time over in Asia. The impact of a “world-class coach,” according to Allen, never went unnoticed.

“He’s a different level….he helped me learn so much,” Allen said, referring to Kreis. “This coaching staff is so crazy. It helped me so much [to] mature as a person and as a player.”

Following a 3-1 win against Pohang to cap off the competition in Korea, the Inter Miami CF Academy team finished second in their group. 

Allen’s next step following the tournament and the pandemic through the academy was the jump to the club’s USL League One side at the time, Fort Lauderdale CF. Now known as Inter Miami CF II, which plays in the newly formed MLS Next Pro League, Allen, among many other academy products, was exposed to and gained experience with a  professional environment among professional players.

The makeup of USL League One at the time was interesting and had been for a while. On the one hand, the league saw teams like Fort Lauderdale CF, an affiliate to an MLS side, use their games to help develop the younger talent they had in their respective systems. And on the other hand, some clubs were independent organizations that had very little focus on developing young players compared to affiliate teams and instead were competing for championships every year. 

There is more than one way to perceive what this league makeup does for specific individuals, but it could be seen as positive in Allen and other young players who play for MLS affiliate sides’ perspectives.

“The physicality level is very similar to MLS,” Allen explained. “That really helped me adapt. I know I’m not the biggest guy or the fastest guy, but my dad and many coaches told me I’d have to adapt to be successful. If I wanted to make it, I’d have to adapt.”

Atmospheres in matches for individual clubs compared to those of an MLS affiliate team were also very different and had players like Allen experience a filled stadium, under the lights, with pressure. 

“The hardest trip and the most fun trip too was Madison,” Allen began to describe. “They had a great supporters section, a great city too. My parents went to that game, and we had a draw at the end of that. Probably the best atmosphere I’ve played against.”

Despite any threat of adversity for a young player in a physically demanding league, Noah Allen was still able to shine through as one of the league’s best during 2021.

After playing just two matches for Fort Lauderdale CF in the 2020 USL League One campaign, Allen made significant strides in the offseason going into 2021, which showed through his performances. Performances not only recognized by his club, but by the league he played in as well.

Following the 27 matches he played in during that next season, Noah Allen was named the USL League One Young Player of the Year, beating out his teammate Shaan Hundal, one of the three nominees, for the award.

In an interview with The Heron Outlet after winning the award, Allen talked about his possible path to the first team after being asked where he sees himself in the future.

“I’m excited for the future,” Allen explained. “I know that my trajectory is on a good path, and I’m ready to keep putting in work and keep getting better.”

“Three years forward, my goal is to play in MLS,” he stated. “To attack every opportunity I get.”

From third-tier American soccer to now the first tier, the jump for Noah Allen wasn’t a small one (and it definitely didn’t take three years for him to get to this point). The signing of a homegrown deal for a seventeen-year-old makes everyone involved proud, especially when it wasn’t a guarantee to begin the 2022 MLS season. 

Noah Allen debuted for the first team on February 26th, 2022, following a “short-term loan deal” from the club’s second team. A start for the young left-back came about, in part, due to numerous injuries on the Inter Miami CF squad, especially at his position. However, after his first start, Inter Miami’s head coach Phil Neville explained that Allen’s MLS minutes may have always been part of the plan.

“We wanted to use the preseason period to see how he developed. To see the challenge that’s in front of him,” Neville explained. “He’s got incredible talent that just needs time to develop… He’s well in my plans. He knows we think a lot of him. And he knows he’s got a lot of work to do to keep improving.”

What complicated the matter was that Allen had not yet been given an MLS contract at the point of his first start, so when he made his second start in 2022 in Austin, Texas, the reality was that a play by the club was imminent.

Inter Miami CF II listed Allen to their initial roster that looks to kick off their campaign in MLS Next Pro on Saturday, March 26th. The formation of this league may have had the intention of helping MLS clubs. However, when specific call-up rules were made certain, the idea of a homegrown deal for Allen almost became a necessity for Inter Miami. 

The league stated that a contracted MLS Next Pro player was only able to play in two MLS League matches despite the ability to have four different loan deals that could amount to a sixteen-day total. So once that second appearance was made by Allen in Austin, the question about an Allen homegrown deal loomed.

In a press conference on March 11th, Neville finally answered and broke the news.

“We’ve offered him an MLS homegrown contract, and he signed it,” Neville said. “It’s brilliant news for the club… he’s now an MLS player.”

And from that point forward, it’d been a dream come true for the South Florida native, but it wasn’t without any hardship or skepticism. 

“It was all hard. It was a tough situation,” Allen said. “I just played through it, didn’t really think of it. Obviously, after I played the second game, it was on my mind, on my parents’ minds, but I tried not to focus on it. I just wanted to focus on my play.”

So how does a seventeen-year-old athlete, playing in a professional league, see the difference in quality and aim to compete with professional athletes that could be double his age?

“It’s definitely tough, I’m not gonna lie,” Allen stated. “Lots of quality in MLS. But I work with these guys every day, and they’re making me better. They’re getting me used to MLS players. To adapt in training will lead to adapting in games, and that’s the biggest key for me.”

The mental aspect of it? Understanding or trying to better understand the game you play while a young player’s experience can’t compare to a veteran’s is something to work on.

“The players talk to me a lot,” Allen said. “They all really help me. They all understand me; they’re all very good with me. The coaches, too, even the trainers. They go through everything, and that’s very key for me, a young player who’s been through ups and downs. They emphasize there are going to be ups and downs, but it’s how you handle them. They help me get through them.” 

Noah Allen has been on this journey since even before ten years old, and the idea that a hometown kid was able to achieve his dream of signing a contract with his hometown club speaks volumes to the type of player and man he’s become. The support system through his parents, whom he speaks extremely highly of and mentions often, seemed to be a key to achieving his dream.

“They’re amazing,” Allen exclaimed when referring to his parents. “They help me so much. I live far from [DRV PNK Stadium], [I live] down south. It’s a forty-five-minute drive, and I remember when I didn’t have a car, they’d have to drive me here every day, wait here, then drive back.”

It wasn’t just when he started with the Miami academy that his parents had to put in real effort to aid him.

“I even remember being younger too,” Allen began to describe. “Driving to Weston wasn’t the closest. Driving to practices was tough for them. They have their own lives too. But they always supported my goal; they never thought once ‘soccer’s not for you,’ they never told me that once.”

“Honestly, without them, I would not be who I am,” Allen stated. “I have to thank them the most.”

The fact that Inter Miami has made its fourth homegrown signing from their academy is a massive, massive deal. All involved should be genuinely proud of the work put in by the club and the players involved. 

Players on the Inter Miami first team, including Damion Lowe and Kieran Gibbs, have expressed their excitement and happiness for Allen since his signing.

“Really happy for him,” Gibbs said to the media following a training session. “I’ll try and help him as much as I can with what I learned from the game. He seems like a composed young boy, quite mature for his age. I like the way he plays, and I wish him all the best.”

“He’s confident,” Lowe stated in a press conference earlier this year. “I’m happy to have him around. I went over to hug him when I found out he got his homegrown deal… I’m happy that he’s a part of us so he can grow, and I can say one day, ‘hey, I played with that guy!’ Bright future for sure.”

For Noah Allen, signing the contract with his hometown club isn’t the end. His aspirations continue to grow as he progresses through the ranks in the sport he loves.

“Long-term goal for me is to play in a top-five league in Europe,” Allen stated. “I would also love to get called up to the senior [United States Men’s National Team]. I think that’s short-term or long-term… to represent my country. [With] Inter Miami my dad is dreaming right now. But I think if I were to get a call-up to the senior team, he would be completed.”

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Warriors

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The Miami Heat faced the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, and it wasn’t your normal game.

Golden State got hot without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, which caused chaos on the Heat sideline. A Udonis Haslem-Erik Spoelstra-Jimmy Butler scuffle occurred, pretty much sparking this group through and through…or the exact opposite.

Anyway, here are some takeaways from this game…

#1: Kyle Lowry completely shifting the nature of this offense.

The Heat had some rough patches, as I’ll get into shortly, but if you were reflecting back at halftime, Kyle Lowry should be your primary takeaway. When you imagine one specific part of his game that needed an increase, it has always been that pull-up three. He’s an incredible play-maker in the PnR, but the way to elevate that is to take that pull-up when it’s there, which eventually shifts the defense. That happened in the second quarter, when after he buried the deep three, Miami’s offense turned. Next possession, he took a baseline drive after the shot fake, pulling the entire defense his way before looping a pass to Dewayne Dedmon in the corner for three. Right after that, he speeds pace back up by bombing it to Jimmy Butler for the lay-up. All of that is great, but it all spirals from that pull-up triple. Not by making it, but simply by taking it.

#2: The ups and downs of Miami’s offense and defense.

Aside from the positive of Lowry in that first half, one other thing strictly stuck out about this team: the inconsistency from play to play. Part of that may be that there’s 10 games left in the regular season, so they are coasting, but that just shouldn’t be the case. The offense came out flowing really well, but hit a wall. That wall could also be referred to as Jimmy Butler being subbed out on a night the team is without Tyler Herro. But we’ve talked enough about the offensive issues recently, while the defensive droughts are new. As they were out-hustled and out-energized in Philly, there were glimpses of that in this one. The paint numbers for the Warriors were wild, just due to the defense overplaying ball-handlers and allowing easy back-cuts, specifically baseline. That stuff needs to be cleaned up. Part of that was Victor Oladipo adjusting and Max Strus simply getting burnt off-ball, but consistency defensively is a major tool.

#3: So we saw Markieff Morris? And Dewayne Dedmon? Yes, and that’s the playoff theme.

When watching Markieff Morris to begin this game, it wasn’t his best stint in a Heat uniform. He was a primary reason for the interior scoring being so lopsided, and his defensive quickness just wasn’t there completely. With that said, Miami needed some type of shift, so Coach Spo quickly looked in the direction of Dewayne Dedmon to give them some size, rebounding, and an interior deterrent. But as I’ve said a lot, this team won’t have a back-up big when the post-season rolls around. They will have multiple. The fact that the coaching staff has been getting an extended look at Morris at the 5 has nothing to do with Dedmon exiting. There are match-ups where the spacing will be more important in that 8 minute stretch, and there will be nights where the size and rebounding is much more useful. They’re role players, so the role will shift depending on the series, and even the night.

#4: Jimmy Butler vs Udonis Haslem?

Jordan Poole hits another wild three to cap off a 19-0 run to begin the third quarter. As the Heat go to the bench, things go south a bit. Jimmy Butler and Udonis Haslem going at it, players jumping in to pull them away, Erik Spoelstra fuming. It a moment that represented two things: either the floor opening up beneath this team as the beginning of the fall. Or, the spark this team needed, not just in this game, but this season. Well, the next stretch pretty much gave you that answer for the time being, as Bam Adebayo and company made the subs go sit back down in the third to finish what they started. Offensive and defensively, they were locked in. Not stupidly, but they were locked in. That’s the energy this team has missed, and Udonis Haslem may have just done something.

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#5: Bam Adebayo is the key to this team’s success.

I can sit here and have minor discussions about PJ Tucker’s post split success, the excellence of Butler and Lowry when they’re clicking, or even the consistent scoring burst Tyler Herro adds. But if I can be completely honest, through all of that, Bam Adebayo is the key to this team taking that next post-season leap. In that big third quarter, it was a bit blurry with all of the off the court stuff that occurred, but Bam Adebayo continued to have moments of interior dominance just due to the fact he had more energy than anyone else on the floor. He looked like an alpha. But the issue is that he only has moments as that alpha. If both him and this team want to jump to that next tier, they simply need alpha Adebayo. Can they get that? Yes. Will they? I have no idea.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to the 76ers

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The Miami Heat faced a short handed Philadelphia 76ers without Joel Embiid and James Harden, yet couldn’t slow them down.

Tyler Herro continued to get hunted late for all of Philly’s offensive possessions, and Tyrese Maxey couldn’t be stopped.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: So, about this group’s energy in this one…

We often talk about this Heat team in a bright light of high energy and not taking defensive possessions off. Yet, in this one, I couldn’t give this team those adjectives. We’ve seen a trend where less talented teams catch Miami off guard through playing with more energy or purpose, and that was the case in this one with no Joel Embiid or James Harden. The only guy on this roster that was playing with his usual energy was Caleb Martin, since his close-outs and off-ball sticking wasn’t down by any means. And speaking of those close-outs, that’s the easiest way to judge a team’s energy in the game of basketball. We saw that picture the last time against Philly where Embiid was surrounded by 3 Heat jerseys, which clearly means there’s a mental step back when reading that injury report.

#2: Jimmy Butler keeping Miami alive early offensively.

Jimmy Butler finished the first half with 15 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds, which seemed like he was the only guy able to efficiently dissect this Philly defense and keep Miami’s offense alive. A lot of that refers back to past points about rim pressure, since 7 of his 15 came from the free throw line. When guys like Tyrese Maxey would switch onto him, he would take advantage, which is the only thing you could ask. Big picture, this defense looks a lot different without Embiid, which changes up the usual Herro PnR dissection that we’re used to, but it kicks right back in Butler’s facor with constant switching and inside presence. In this one, he was it in that first half.

#3: For future reference, a key exploitable element against Philly in the post-season.

To zoom out a bit more, and away from the Butler dominance against switching, it should be mentioned that won’t be a Philly post-season wrinkle. Most lineups will consist of drop with the occasional blitz, which is why guys like Herro are mentioned often in this match-up. But along those same lines, Duncan Robinson is a big piece to this match-up. Looking at this game tonight, there’s been a trend whenever Philly faces him that they’re going to overplay him a ton. They will double out, push him away from the 3 point line, and have Mattisee Thybulle trail him all night. And that type of stuff opens up the back-side actions a ton. Miami wants that focus to be on him in that way, so others can counter, which happened in moments in this one, referring back to Butler’s first half attack. But if there’s a playoff match-up for Robinson, he can really open things up in a potential second round series against the 76ers.

#4: Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo: the need for consistency in shot profile.

As Philadelphia got in a rhythm defensively by stopping Miami’s primary attacks, something was noticed. It consisted of a lot of funneling inside the lane, which is usually a formula for big time rim protectors. In this case, it was just altering Miami’s looks. That blended into a Kyle Lowry realization, where he all of a sudden began pulling that three-ball as they would go under on screens. Nobody is worried about that shot dropping, but it’s just about taking it so Miami can open up their main sets. The other guy who works into the convo of shot profile consistency is Bam Adebayo. He got on a roll in the third quarter, and he did it in one simple way: using his body around the rim. When he takes contact, it gets him in a rhythm to go up and score, which gave him 10 points in half the quarter. But like I said, the ability to consistently go to it just wasn’t there. It’s situational.

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#5: A reference point to rotation questions.

If you want to know what the Heat’s nine man rotation may look like in the post-season, it felt like this game would be a great reference point. For starters, there are many advantages to playing with Markieff Morris as your back-up big, but it’s also not a consistent thing they’re going to lean toward. With that said, it fits perfectly with what’s been said about Dewayne Dedmon and him switching off as the back-up 5, not only series by series, but game by game. The reason we’re comparing Morris and Dedmon, and not Morris and Martin, is because that isn’t a conversation at this stage. Martin is a complete lock, and it’s for reasons that can go unsaid. The final evaluation includes the hot and cold nature of Max Strus. The reason I’ve been calling him a situation piece who can plug in when needing a boost, is due to the ups and downs that we’ve seen. When he’s cold, it’s hard to stick with that move, since it bleeds into defensive problems heavily. He will still be used, but not as a rotation lock in a series.

 

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Marlins Jorge Soler

Marlins Add Impact Bat with Jorge Soler

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The Miami Marlins continued to add proven bats to their lineup for 2022. Over the weekend, the club came to an agreement with veteran slugger Jorge Soler on a three-year, $36 million deal. The eight-year, Cuban-born corner outfielder comes to Miami following his World Series MVP run with the Atlanta Braves.

The 2021 season found Miami mired near the bottom in most impact offensive categories. This offseason spending spree (by Marlins’ standards) goes a long way to addressing some of those failings. The addition of Soler, as well as those of Avisail Garcia, Jacob Stallings, and Joey Wendle, provides Marlins’ manager Don Mattingly options to consistently field a competent lineup.

 

Soler Provides Power to Marlins Lineup

Jorge Soler provides the punchless Marlins offense with some real power. The 30-year-old led the American League in home runs (48) in 2019 while playing with the Kansas City Royals. He helped propel the Braves to their World Series title last season, connecting on three blasts during the six-game series.

Soler struggled to start last season in Kansas City, but once he made it to the Braves, he broke out. With Atlanta, Soler slashed .269/.358/.524, with 14 homers and 33 RBI. In the World Series, he slashed .300/.391/.800 with those three homers. His performance earned him MVP, joining Marlins pitcher Livan Hernandez (1997) as the only Cuban-born winners of the honor.

His addition to the lineup can only improve last year’s results. Miami languished near the bottom in most offensive metrics. The Marlins ranked 29th in RBI (594), Runs (623), Slugging Percentage (.372), and OPS (.670). Miami finished 28th in Home Runs (158) and 27th in Doubles (226).

The Marlins signing of Jorge Soler continues an offseason push to add more pop at the plate. Prior to the lockout, Miami inked Garcia to a four-year, $53 million deal. Since the start of 2019, those two have combined to hit over 150 home runs.

Miami wasn’t the only team in on Soler, either. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand noted more than a half dozen teams showed interest, including the Braves, Padres, and Rockies. Soler becomes the 11th Cuban-born player in Marlins history and first outfielder. (10th, if don’t count RHP Yoan López who the team claimed off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies last week.)

Marlins Might Not Be Done

Last Friday, Marlins general manager Kim Ng said the team still sought “a center fielder who is an offensive threat.” Ng called it the team’s “primary objective.” She noted they were ready to pivot toward “Plan B,” which apparently was the signing of Jorge Soler.

Jesus Sanchez now looks like the potential Opening Day centerfielder, flanked defensively by Soler in left and Garcia in right. That’s not to say the Marlins are done dealing, though.

Efforts to acquire Pirates centerfielder Bryan Reynolds seem to have stalled, with the Marlins balking at Pittsburgh’s asking price. According to Man On Second’s Joe Frisaro, the Marlins “weren’t planning on” trading either J.J. Bleday or Max Meyer in a package for Reynolds.

The teams could still circle around toward a deal, especially since Reynolds has reportedly turned down multiple extension offers from the Pirates. The Marlins have already made a trade with Pittsburgh this offseason, acquiring catcher Jacob Stallings in exchange for RHP Zach Thompson, and two of Miami’s Top-30 Prospects, RHP Kyle Nicolas (No. 16) and OF Connor Scott (No. 23).

With the lineup seemingly set, the Marlins should look to secure another high-leverage arm for the bullpen. At present, Dylan Floro and Anthony Bender stand as Miami’s primary options at closer.

Floro pitched well last season, posting a 2.81 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, with 15 saves (all coming after the July trade of Yimi Garcia). He did have six blown saves, though. Bender posted a 2.79 ERA and 1.06 WHIP, with three saves and two blown saves as a rookie.

Some interesting names remain among free-agent relievers, including several former Marlins. Miami could turn to the trade market here once again, maybe for someone like White Sox reliever Craig Kimbrel, who’s in a suddenly crowded bullpen in Chicago.

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