Report: Marlins not attaching other high salaries to Yelich, Realmuto trade
The Miami Marlins' quest to shed payroll may now be complete.
While the rebuilding Marlins are reportedly listening to teams who are interested in their two remaining stars, outfielder Christian Yelich and catcher J.T. Realmuto, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that the Marlins are not attempting to attach any other high-priced players remaining on their roster as part of a Yelich and/or Realmuto trade.
According to Rosenthal, the Marlins don't have a need to attach any high salaries to the team-friendly contracts of Yelich and Realmuto because their once-cloudy financial situation has apparently become a bit clearer.
Miami's payroll currently sits at $96.8 million, according to Cot's Contracts, a figure that's slightly above the $90-million mark that new CEO Derek Jeter was reportedly aiming for as part of his winter payroll purge.
Much of that payroll relief can likely be traced to having dealt Giancarlo Stanton and most of the $295 million left on his contract to the New York Yankees in December. Second baesman Starlin Castro joined the Marlins as part of the return for Stanton, and despite some speculation that he'd be flipped (and at least one report suggesting a rival team was ready to ask the Marlins about a deal) he's remained with the team.
Besides Castro and veteran third baseman Martin Prado - who are owed a combined $49.5 million over the next two seasons - other high salaries still on the Marlins' books for 2018 and beyond include injured left-hander Wei-Yin Chen and reliever Brad Ziegler.
| Player | Remaining Contract |
|---|---|
| Starlin Castro | 2 Yrs; $21M |
| Martin Prado | 2 Yrs; $28.5M |
| Wei-Yin Chen | 3 Yrs; $52M |
| Brad Ziegler | 1 Yr; $9M |
| Junichi Tazawa | 1 Yr;$7M |
(Salaries courtesy: Cot's Contracts)
Right-hander Edinson Volquez, who was released in November following Tommy John surgery, will also be paid $13 million by Miami in 2018.
Yelich and Realmuto are drawing interest from multiple teams thanks to their team-friendly salaries: Yelich is owed $43.25-million over the next four years; Realmuto is entering his first year of arbitration. It's because of those years of control that the Marlins are not entirely sold on trading either player; the team is reportedly only interested in dealing them for what would be a "huge overpay" of a return.