Miami Marlins

If history holds, the Miami Marlins are going to win the World Series this year.

After all, the Marlins have won the World Series every time they have made the playoffs in franchise history. While they have made the playoffs just twice in their 28 years (1997 and 2003), they will have an opportunity to add a third championship to the trophy case in 2020.

That is because Miami clinched its spot in the postseason with a 4-3 extra-innings win over the New York Yankees on Friday coupled with a Philadelphia Phillies loss.

The Marlins fell short of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East race, but they are one of the most pleasant surprises in all of Major League Baseball this season. There were not many expectations heading into the campaign considering they were 57-105 last year, and things didn't get much easier when eight games were postponed in the opening two weeks because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the team.

Manager Don Mattingly said, "This is an easy club to be proud of."

There are a number of talented players in the lineup who have helped propel Miami to success, including Miguel Rojas, Brian Anderson, Jon Berti, Jesus Aguilar, Corey Dickerson and Garrett Cooper, among others.

Miami also added a veteran leader in Starling Marte via trade in August, signaling it was making a push toward the playoffs when it acquired him from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Marte has been excellent this season and entered Friday's action slashing .287/.342/.781 with six home runs, 27 RBI and 10 stolen bases all while anchoring the outfield defense in center field. He brings playoff experience to the middle of the team's order and is someone who will likely be asked to deliver in key moments against the National League's best teams in the playoffs.

There will also be plenty of pressure on the shoulders of the starting pitching trio of Pablo Lopez, Sixto Sanchez and Sandy Alcantara, although all three have thrived at times this season.

Miami has already surpassed all expectations just making the playoffs, but it has the pieces in place to potentially make a run just like it did the other two times it qualified for the postseason.

Do you love the New York Yankees, live in Tampa, Florida, and have $29 million burning a hole in your pocket? Then today is your day.

The New York Times' Sydney Franklin reported Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter and wife Hannah are selling their mansion in Florida.

The entire property totals 30,875 square feet, while the home features seven bedrooms, eight full bathrooms and eight half-baths. Jeter also oversaw the construction of a six-foot wall surrounding the estate to provide him with added privacy.

With Jeter in Miami to perform his duties as Miami Marlins CEO, his house has another notable tenant: Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen.

According to Franklin, Brady and Bundchen rented the mansion with the knowledge Jeter would later look to make it available. Unfortunately for NFL fans, presenting yourself as a prospective buyer won't work as a means to meet Brady away from the field.

The Miami Marlins acquired outfielder Starling Marte from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Caleb Smith, Humberto Mejia and a player to be named ahead of Monday's trade deadline.

The Marlins have been busy on Monday, also reportedly trading infielder Jonathan Villar to the Toronto Blue Jays, per Craig Mish of SportsGrid:

Marte, 31, was acquired by the Diamondbacks in an offseason trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates and has played well in 2020, hitting .311 with two homers, 14 RBI, 23 runs and five stolen bases. He also has an affordable $12.5 million club option for 2021, making him more than a rental for the Marlins. 

Miami has been one of the pleasant surprises of the MLB's 60-game shortened season in 2020, currently at 14-15 and tied for second in the NL East with the Philadelphia Phillies. A playoff berth is a legitimate possibility. 

As for the Diamondbacks return, the 29-year-old Smith has gone 15-17 in the past two seasons with a 4.41 ERA in 44 starts. Mejia, 23, has made three starts for the Marlins this year, going 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.90 WHIP. Frias, 22, went 5-4 in 14 starts for the Batavia Muckdogs (class A-) last year, posting a 2.83 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. 

The Diamondbacks have entered sell mode, also dealing pitchers Robbie Ray and Archie Bradley Monday in separate deals. Andrew Chafin was also reportedly dealt to the Chicago Cubs.

Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter said Monday that the organization's breakout of COVID-19 cases—at least 18 players on the team have tested positive—was not the result of "salacious activity." 

"There is no way to identify how this got into our clubhouse," he told reporters. "Our guys were not running around town in Atlanta. We did have a couple individuals leave the hotel. We had guys leave to get coffee, get clothes. No salacious activity."

"No hanging out at bars," he added. "No clubs."

Jeter said that some of the members of the team's traveling party had a "false sense of security" but that he wasn't laying blame on anybody in particular. 

"I'm not mad. I'm not a medical expert, either," he said. "Hindsight is 20/20. You look back and say, 'Oh, well you know, we shouldn't have played,' but it's important to point out the fact that you don't know where it came from. You don't how quickly it spread."

As for whether the league's testing and safety protocols were sufficient, Jeter noted that it "would be hard to say that the protocols weren't good because we made our own fair share of mistakes."

And Jeter denied that Marlins players made the decision to play on against the Phillies last week when positive test cases started coming in:

Nonetheless, the rash of positive cases in Miami, Philadelphia and St. Louis have threatened to upend the 2020 season. All three teams have already seen a number of games postponed, putting strain on an already-compacted 60-game schedule. 

MLB's approach to its season—namely in not utilizing a bubble environment like the NBA and NHL, both of which have seen no coronavirus cases in their latest rounds of testing—is surely being scrutinized closely by the NFL, which also will not operate within a bubble and will have teams traveling around the country. 

Miami Marlins second baseman Isan Diaz announced Saturday that he is opting out of the remainder of the 2020 MLB season.

Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extrabase tweeted the statement Diaz released on Instagram:

As of Friday, 18 of the 30 players on the Marlins' active roster had tested positive for COVID-19. Major League Baseball paused the Marlins' season through at least Sunday, and the team hasn't played since beating the Philadelphia Phillies last Sunday.

The 24-year-old Diaz appeared in two of the Marlins three games this season, hitting .222 with two runs scored. He also appeared in 49 games last season and hit .173 with five home runs, 23 RBI and 17 runs scored.

While Diaz wasn't necessarily expected to be a big-time difference maker for the Marlins this season, losing any player at this juncture is significant for the team since the majority of its roster is currently out because of COVID-19.

It remains unclear when the Marlins will be allowed to return to action, but it seems likely that the pause of their season will last beyond Sunday, as they are scheduled to host the Phillies for a three-game set beginning Tuesday.

The Phillies shut down operations at Citizens Bank Park this week after a coach and a home clubhouse staffer tested positive for COVID-19. Although no Phillies players have tested positive, they haven't played since Sunday and all of their games are postponed through Monday as well.

If and when the Marlins receive clearance, they will likely have to call up several players from their alternate training site and may even have to sign some veteran free agents in order to avoid starting the service time clock for some of their prospects.

Getting all 60 games in will be a challenge for the Marlins even if several doubleheaders are scheduled. Teams were given a limited amount of scheduled days off in order to fit 60 games into a small window.

If the Marlins are not able to complete 60 games, it is possible MLB could look into basing the standings off winning percentage rather than record.

There is no guarantee that the entire MLB season will be played, however, as MLB commissioner Rob Manfred reportedly told MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark on Friday that the season could be shut down if the COVID-19 situation isn't handled better.

Members of the Miami Marlins who have tested positive for the coronavirus this week are reportedly going to travel back to Miami by bus.  

Per ESPN's Jesse Rogers, the Marlins are going to use "multiple sleeper buses" to send players and coaches from Philadelphia to Miami. 

Per Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base, 18 Marlins players have tested positive for the coronavirus this week. 

That brings the total number of positive tests for the Marlins up to 20, including two coaches. 

According to Jordan McPherson and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the bus trip is pending final approval from MLB's health officials and the remaining healthy players on the roster, 15 total, "are tentatively set to stay on the road to play the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, the New York Mets at Citi Field and then the Toronto Blue Jays in Buffalo."

McPherson and Jackson added that the Marlins are likely to bring in a "new batch of players" to fill out their roster for those games, assuming they are able to be played. 

The Phillies announced on Thursday they have closed their facilities and postponed a weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays after two staff members tested positive for COVID-19. 

The Marlins took two of three games against the Philadelphia Phillies in their season-opening series last weekend, but have remained in Philadelphia ever since in an attempt to contain the spread and undergo daily testing. 

Another Miami Marlins player has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total to 18 players.

According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, all 18 positive tests are for players on the Marlins' 30-man roster, meaning 60 percent of their players have contracted COVID-19.

Major League Baseball announced this week that it was pausing the Marlins' season through at least Sunday, so its previously scheduled series against the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals have been postponed.

The Marlins' positive tests have also impacted other teams, most notably the Philadelphia Phillies. The Marlins took two out of three games from the Phils in a season-opening series held in Philadelphia, but the Phillies haven't played since.

Their scheduled home-and-home series against the New York Yankees was postponed this week due to concerns that Phillies players and personnel were exposed to COVID-19.

On Thursday, the Phillies announced that while no players tested positive for COVID-19, one coach and one member of the home clubhouse staff did:

As a result of the positive tests, the Phillies shut down all activities at Citizens Bank Ballpark and their scheduled weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays was postponed.

While the Marlins' season is only officially paused through Monday as of now, it is difficult to envision their scheduled series against the Phillies taking place next week with both teams working through coronavirus-related issues.

If and when the Marlins do get back to playing, they will likely have to pull several players from their alternate training site due to the fact that such a large percentage of their active roster has COVID-19. The Marlins could look to sign some veteran free agents as well so as not to use up service time on some of their prospects.

The biggest issue related to Miami's postponements is the fact that there are very few off days scheduled for MLB teams this season during a condensed 60-game schedule. As a result, it will be difficult to make up games.

It may be possible through doubleheaders, but another option MLB may have to consider is basing the standings off winning percentage rather than record if not every team is able to play a full 60-game slate.

Bleacher Report's David Gardner interviews athletes and other sports figures for the podcast How to Survive Without Sports.

Another Miami Marlins player has tested positive for COVID-19 amid the team's coronavirus outbreak following its season-opening series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the update Thursday as the club's total cases reached 19 (17 players and two coaches):

All Marlins games through Sunday have been postponed. It's a stretch that included four games against the Baltimore Orioles and three with the Washington Nationals.

Their next scheduled contest is Tuesday, which will start a three-game home series against the Phillies.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia has also been sidelined since the Marlins' string of positive tests. The latest update came earlier Thursday from Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo, who told reporters the team's weekend series in Philly has been postponed.

The Phillies four-game, home-and-home set with the New York Yankees this week was also postponed.

MLB hasn't provided a timetable for the clubs' return, and it's unclear whether the condensed 60-game schedule will have enough flexibility to make up all of the postponements.

Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a Monday interview on the MLB Network it's possible a team could be forced out of the season if it can no longer field a competitive lineup:

"I think that a team losing a number of players that rendered it completely non-competitive would be an issue that we would have to address and have to think about making a change. Whether that was shutting down a part of the season, the whole season, that depends on the circumstances. Same thing with respect to league-wide; you get to a certain point league-wide where it does become a health threat and we certainly would shut down at that point."

MLB play, which began last week, has otherwise continued leaguewide with 10 games scheduled for Thursday night.

MLB officials have begun investigating the source of the Miami Marlins' COVID-19 outbreak, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. 

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported another Marlins player tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the organization's number of positive tests to 18 (16 players and two coaches). MLB suspended Miami's season through at least Sunday because of the outbreak.

Nightengale reported officials are now determining whether the Marlins violated any of the health and safety protocols laid out prior to the start of the regular season.

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Matt Breen reported that Marlins players were alerted Sunday that their teammates had tested positive for COVID-19. They proceeded with their series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies, winning 11-6.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said shortstop Miguel Rojas helped organize a group chat on the matter, and Rojas explained that they never seriously considered not playing.

"That was never the mentality," Rojas said. "We knew that this would happen at some point. We came to the ballpark and we were ready to play. That was never our thought that we weren't going to play."

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported Rojas is among the Marlins to test positive.

The Miami Herald's Jordan McPherson reported that Marlins players weren't solely responsible for the decision and a determination was made "through multiple factors, starting with Major League Baseball and trickling down to the teams."

Commissioner Rob Manfred also has the ability to unilaterally cancel or postpone a team's game or season in the event of an outbreak.

Other leagues have utilized restricted "bubbles" to house the necessary personnel and stage games.

Two teams pulled out of the MLS is Back tournament after multiple positive coronavirus tests. The approach has otherwise worked for the most part. The NBA announced Wednesday that none of the 344 players tested in Orlando, Florida, yielded a positive result.

MLB explored a "bubble" plan in the spring, which would have called for teams to be stationed in Phoenix and play their games in stadiums throughout the area.

Manfred told MLB Network on Monday (via ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr.) the league determined it presented too large a challenge: "The duration would have been much longer—the longer you go, the more people you have, the less likely it is that you can make the bubble work...I'm just not sure it was workable for us."

The potential problems with not adhering to the "bubble" blueprint were evident when MLB found itself combating its first COVID-19 outbreak less than a week after it opened the 2020 season.

The Miami Marlins are reportedly up to 16 positive COVID-19 cases among players in an outbreak that's temporarily halted their 2020 season.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the update Wednesday after the latest round of testing amid the coronavirus pandemic. Two coaches had also previously tested positive:

All Marlins games through Sunday were postponed. The club was scheduled for a four-game, home-and-home series with the Baltimore Orioles followed by hosting the reigning World Series champion Washington Nationals for a three-game set beginning Friday.

Miami could resume play Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Marlins CEO Derek Jeter released a statement Monday after the team's home opener was called off:

"The health of our players and staff has been and will continue to be our primary focus as we navigate through these unchartered waters. After a successful Spring 2.0, we have now experienced challenges once we went on the road and left Miami. Postponing tonight’s home opener was the correct decision to ensure we take a collective pause and try to properly grasp the totality of this situation. We have conducted another round of testing for our players and staff, and our team will all remain in Philadelphia pending the results of those tests, which we expect later today. We will provide additional information as soon as it becomes available."

Along with games involving the Marlins, the Philadelphia Phillies will be sidelined until at least Saturday after facing Miami in a season-opening series last weekend, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred appeared on the MLB Network on Monday to discuss the outbreak. He said the protocols "allow us to continue to play through those positives," but he added there could be a point where a certain team or the league as a whole could have to shut down:

"I think that a team losing a number of players that rendered it completely non-competitive would be an issue that we would have to address and have to think about making a change. Whether that was shutting down a part of the season, the whole season, that depends on the circumstances. Same thing with respect to league-wide; you get to a certain point league-wide where it does become a health threat and we certainly would shut down at that point."

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported no team other than the Marlins has registered a positive COVID-19 test since last Thursday, though.

The MLB season moves forward with 14 games on the Wednesday night schedule.