The Morning Report 5.18.2015 | Marlins Fire Mike Redmond, Flores Being Flores, Murphy on the Trade Block?, Campbell Provides a Spark

David Wright Injury Tracker | Scheduled to Resume Baseball Activities Today

Adam Rubin | ESPN New York- The Miami Marlins fired manager Mike Redmond on Sunday and plan to announce his replacement Monday at 11 a.m. ET. But they have not contacted the New York Mets about hiring Triple-A Las Vegas manager Wally Backman as Redmond's successor, two Mets officials told ESPN.com. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria reportedly was asking about Backman in April, when Miami was playing at Citi Field and the Marlins were stumbling to open the season. Las Vegas entered Sunday with a 25-12 record under Backman.

(Chris Soto: Boy...the favorites to win the 2nd Wild Card this season are really having a tough time so far this year. Honestly though, Can't really say I'm surprised by it. All off-season while the Marlins were getting so much love...pundits were quick to point out that the club's SP was probably the weakest in the division. With no Jose Fernandez until late June, damaged goods in Mat Latos, and injuries to Henderson Alvarez, who's periphals pointed to regression anyway, the Marlins were always pegged to struggle to limit runs.)

{UPDATE: The Marlins have hired their General Manager Dan Jennings as the club's new Field Manager.}

(Chris Soto: Huh.....ok.....talk about a shocker to top all shockers. Jennings has zero professional managerial experience and is coming into a situations were the Marlins need to turn it around and quick or else risks losing too much ground on the Wild Card race.)

Matt Turner | RantSports- When Wilmer Flores was chosen as the starting shortstop of 2015, the New York Mets knew exactly what type of player he was: one who could give you offensive production, while simultaneously giving you sub-par play in the field. Nearly a quarter of the way through the season, he’s fit the script perfectly. Although his .250 average isn’t quite what the Mets would like, he does lead the team with six home runs. In fact, he’s the only shortstop to be leading his team in home runs. It says something about the Mets’ offensive production, yes, but it also shows that Flores is no slouch at the plate. If he continues at this pace, 20 home runs by the end of the season is more than probable — it’s likely.

(Chris Soto: Thank you for pointing out what should've been pointed out weeks ago. This is Wilmer Flores folks. Anyone who was expecting anything different was kidding themselves. Flores currently T-1st in HR, 10th in Runs, RBI, K rate, and 5th in Isolated Power. The odd thing is that Flores still has a +2.0 defensive value.....but how? Well put simply, WAR stands for Wins ABOVE replacement. Surprisingly, SS around the entire MLB seem to be struggling defensively. Flores' +/- 0 Defensive Runs Saved is still good for an 11th place tie. The guys behind him, Didi Gregorius & Jhonny Peralta [-1], Starlin Castro, Alexei Ramirez, & Everth Cabrera [-3], Ian Desmond [-4], Elvis Andrus [-5], and Danny Santana [-8]. Be aware folks.....this is a problem not just affecting the Mets.)


Joe D. | MetsMerized Online- The Mets could eventually trade Daniel Murphy so that they could promote infielder Matt Reynolds to play shortstop and then have Wilmer Flores slide over to second base. Any change would not happen right away until a market for Murphy developed. Additionally it would all hinge on having a healthy  David Wright back in the lineup. The Mets have resisted promoting Matt Reynolds, mostly because they want to ensure he plays everyday, and with Murphy on the team it’s unlikely he would get enough playing time. One other potential concern is a divided feeling in the front office on whether Reynolds can be an everyday shortstop.

(Chris Soto: At this current point in time....I don't know how you can afford to trade Murphy with Wright and d'Arnaud still on the shelf. That said, if both guys come back healthy and producing...it becomes far more likely. I too though have heard the concerns about Reynolds as a full time SS. The difference between concerns for him and Flores though is that, Flores is defensive liability with the glove and his footwork. The concern with Reynolds is around his arm strength and whether he is able to gun down the speedier guys in the league from deep in the whole. )


J.P. Pelzman | NJ Advance Media- Eric Campbell got on a red-eye flight Friday night in Las Vegas and landed at LaGuardia Airport at 6 a.m. Saturday. But as you might imagine, he really didn’t mind the trip. "It’s better coming this way than going that way," Campbell said with a smile Saturday afternoon after being recalled by the Mets from Class AAA Las Vegas for the second time this season. Campbell said he made some "minor adjustments" to his stance during his stay in Vegas, but didn’t change his swing.

(Chris Soto: I was saying last week that the Mets needed to bring someone who was HOT down in AAA to provide a short term spark in the line-up. Campbell was cruising along with a .367 AVG and a 1.203 OPS during his latest stint in AAA so he was about as HOT as you can be. The Mets bring him up and what happens? How about 4 for 9, 3 runs scored, 2 doubles and 2 RBIs in his first 2 games back. Total Mets runs scored....19. Hang with em Soup!)