One week ago, Ely started this fun exercise where everyone can see what the wish list looks like for the Marlins this offseason, and I promised my own version of it. Last week, I was away on holiday and didn't have the time to write it down. During the week, many roster moves happened, the most commented - and probably unpopular - was Troy Johnston claimed off waivers by the Rockies. Yesterday, I found that M.J.S. posted his own Blueprint. Now it's my turn, and once again, I do this with my wishes, but always hand in hand with what I think is realistic, both when it comes to trade proposals and budget spending.

40-man roster crunch:
For the most part, this already happened. But let's recap the roster moves:

Roster Transactions:
- The Baltimore Orioles claimed RHP George Soriano off waivers from the Miami Marlins. The Colorado Rockies claimed 1B/OF Troy Johnston off waivers from the Miami Marlins.
- RHP Zach Brzykcy was claimed off waivers from the Washington Nationals.
- RHP Christian Roa, 2B Jack Winkler, RHP Tyler Zuber, RHP Jesús Tinoco, C Brian Navarreto, RHP Valente Bellozo, and RHP Freddy Tarnok were outrighted to Jacksonville. All of them elected free agency and can now sign with any club.
- Miami Marlins activated RHP Max Meyer, LHP Andrew Nardi, RHP Anthony Bender, and LHP Braxton Garrett from the 60-day injured list.

The 40-man roster as of today, Monday, 10th Nov 2025:
Pitchers:
Alcántara, Bachar, Bender, Brzykcy, Cabrera, Faucher, Fulton, Garrett, Gibson, Gusto, Henríquez, Junk, Mazur, Meyer, Nardi, Pérez, Petersen, Phillips, Simpson, Weathers.
Position Players:
Hicks, Ramírez, Acosta, De Los Santos, Edwards, López, Norby, Pauley, Sanoja, Serna, Wagaman, Conine, Hernández, Marsee, Mesa Jr., Myers, Stowers, Wiemer.

That's 38 players. The next important date for the Marlins' roster is the 21st of November, which is the Non-tender deadline. This one is tricky because of health concerns; Nardi is a non-tender candidate. On the other hand, his salary projection is barely above the minimum ($800k), and given his past success and the lack of lefties in the bullpen, it might be worth taking the shot. It all depends on his health, and the organisation is quite adamant about sharing his status. I would not tender him. The roster goes down to 37 players.

Rule-5 draft:
Select C Joe Mack, RHPs Josh White, and William Kempner to the 40-man roster. Near-obvious moves given the quality displayed in AAA last year, both Mr Sussman and DJS agreed here. The roster is full now. Here is where things get interesting.

It's Trade Season:
- LHP Braxton Garrett and INF Connor Norby for RHP Juan Mejía and LHP Michael Prosecky from Colorado. Makes sense for both sides because the Rockies need all the SPs they can get, even with the huge health concerns that come with Garrett. They also need corner infielders, and after grabbing Johnston last week, Norby would be a good complement. Mejia is a high-octane reliever with only one year of service, with a FB-SL combo, and Prosecky is an AA lefty who has starting experience, but projects as a bullpen arm and can make the big leagues as soon as next season. Given the projected heavy-lefty lineup, the roster would need a RH bat...

- LHP Ryan Weathers and Anthony Bender for 3B/1B Coby Mayo and OF Austin Overn from Baltimore. How about giving another shot to this recently successful trade partnership? It should be pretty much the same trade as the win-win Norby-and-Stowers-for-Rogers trade. Baltimore will be hesitant to part ways with Mayo, but their roster already features a solid infield, and they have to give Basallo most reps at 1B. Mayo has always projected a higher ceiling than Norby, even at the expense of more swing-and-miss, but also more plate discipline. He is a below-average defender at 3B, but has a great arm, and the glove can improve (I bet he would be better than Norby anyway). Despite Baltimore's depth chart featuring eight starters, only Dean Kremer threw more than 120 innings last year, and he is more of a 5th starter. Overn is a glove-first CF playing double AA, and is basically a throw-in. Alternative: A trade for 3B Sal Stewart from CIN.

The roster sits now at 38 players.

For the love of god, can we sign a couple of free agents?
- Sign RHP Ryan Helsley at the same contract, but probably a couple more million the first year.

- Sign 1B Lewin Diaz to an incentive-loaded 2-year MLB guarantee contract ($5M the first year with up to $2M in incentives based on HRs, $7M second for the second year), with an opt-out option after the 1^st year. This is basically replacing Johnston’s spot for a Gold Glove-calibre 1B, who just hit 50 HRs in Korea. If he can translate at least 20 of those against MLB pitching, the sign will be a bargain. One can dream about a Mack-Diaz-Edwards-Mayo/Pauley-López infield that would be very much appreciated by the entire pitching staff.

- Sign LHP José Quintana to a $5M one-year deal. This signing makes sense from many perspectives. After trading both lefties in the rotation, one veteran southpaw could be useful. Also, the contract is basically the same money as the projected arbitration salaries for Bender, Garrett, and Weathers. On top of that, Quintana can be a trade chip mid-season, pretty much the same as Quantrill was this year. Alternative: LHP Anthony Kay (Yokohama BayStars).

The roster reaches 40 players once again. I have not addressed one problem: this roster is missing a LH reliever. I think the approach here would be "finding a hidden gem" via Rule 5 claims or several minor league deals, with invitations to Spring Training. Speaking of which:

Minor League Free Agents:
Sign RHP Bellozo, LHP Nardi, and C Navarreto to minor league deals with an invitation to Spring Training. Contracts with incentives if they make the MLB roster, luring them to stay in the organisation. Other proposed minor league deals: LHP Génesis Cabrera, LHP Cionel Pérez, LHP John Rooney, LHP Matt Krook, LHP Drew Rom, LHP Ethan Small, RHP Nabil Crismatt, RHP Alexis Díaz, INF Kevin Newman, 1B/OH Nick Pratto, OF/DH Eloy Jiménez, and C Elias Díaz.

Contract Extensions:
Same as Ely, plus Marsee this mid-season, depending on how he performs before the All-Star break.

Projected 26-man to start the season:

Catchers: Hicks, Ramírez (with Mack eventually joining in late April or May, at the expense of Myers)
Infielders: Díaz, Edwards, Mayo, López, Pauley, Sanoja
Outfielders: Stowers, Marsee, Conine, Hernández, Myers
Starters: Alcántara, Cabrera, Pérez, Quintana, Junk
Relievers: Helsley (CL), Mejia (SU), Henriquez (SU), Faucher, Bachar, Phillips, Gibson, and Meyer
Rest of the 40-man: Acosta, Serna, Wagaman, Wiemer, Mesa Jr., De Los Santos, Mack, Kempner, White, Brzykcy, Mazur, Petersen, Gusto, Fulton

Opening Day Lineup (vs RHP):
Edwards 2B
Marsee CF
Stowers LF
Ramirez DH
Diaz 1B
Mayo 3B
Conine RF
Lopez SS
Hicks C

Lineup vs LHP:
Edwards 2B
Hernandez RF
Ramirez C
Stowers DH
Mayo 3B
Diaz 1B
Lopez SS
Myers CF
Sanoja LF

When Mack arrives, and if he performs as expected (around .240/.310/.400), the lineup will get a lot closer to a contender. There will be some more work still to be done, but that will depend on how the first half of the season develops. Roster pieces like Petersen, Josh White, Gusto, Wagaman, DLS, and minor league pieces like Snelling, Thomas White, and Alderman can be impactful down the stretch.

Most of the roster moves will not make the farm system, but the cost of the free agents might be a long shot, given the always-frugal ownership. As always, let me know what you think.