Barely a year removed from postseason berth, Marlins roster is unrecognizable

[Ely Sussman]

As we flip the calendar to 2025, there are only a few remnants left behind from Kim Ng's tenure.

Just because there is a method to the madness doesn't mean you have to embrace every aspect of it. In 2023, the Miami Marlins had one of their most successful seasons in franchise history, yet as we close out 2024, the majority of players who made that postseason berth possible are gone.

Generally speaking, new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix has gotten fair value in return for those who've been traded. It's still been an uncomfortable process with the Marlins seemingly eager to ship off so many players who accomplished something notable together, especially when it leaves the club with little chance of having the same kind of success in the near-term future.

Only eight of the 26 Marlins included on the National League Wild Card Series roster remain in Miami: Edward Cabrera, Xavier Edwards, Nick Fortes, Braxton Garrett, Andrew Nardi, Jesús Sánchez, George Soriano and Ryan Weathers.

The Washington Nationals' recent signing of Josh Bell means that every NL East team has a member of that postseason roster under contract entering 2025. Depending on how the rest of free agency plays out, former Fish could be scattered across half of all MLB organizations.

 

Here is another way of looking at. Only the highlighted names below were part of the Marlins organization when Kim Ng departed as general manager. That means 22 members (55%) of the current 40-man roster have been acquired since then.

 

Fast-forward another year, it's reasonable to assume that several more 2023 Marlins will have new homes. Bendix sees relievers as fungible, so those who perform well in 2025 should garner trade interest. The biggest question is what happens with Sandy Alcantara. Unavailable to contribute during the recent playoff run due to injury, he has completed his Tommy John surgery rehab...just in time for his salary to spike (he'll make $17.3 million each of the next two seasons, followed by a $21 million club option for 2027). Unless the Marlins intend to extend their ace again so that his contract aligns with their realistic competitive window, the end of his tenure could be nearing.

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[rurrusuno]

Even Sandy isn't considered untouchable anymore. I wouldn't give it a 50/50 chance yet, but I think it's probable he could get traded next summer if he's on a hot stretch leading up to the trade deadline. Anthony Bender, 30, is the reliever I see most likely getting traded in the future if he can carry on his performance from last season while lowering his ERA. 

[PearsonsRBI]

Even if it makes the most strategic sense (which I am not always convinced by) this high turnover is also devastating for a fanbase. Is the proximal gain of trading away fun-but-not-excellent players like Jazz or Jake Burger worth the cost to the team's identity? How are fans supposed to root for players they barely even know, and don't have any positive memories of?

[Slacker Mills]

I couldn't put Burger anywhere near Jazz, who brings speed and an excellent glove (at least at 2b) to the table.. I feel certain that the Marlins will deeply regret trading Jazz (and hiring Bendix). Parting with Luzardo will prove to be another boondoggle I believe.

[97and03WorldSeriesChamps]

I've been watching the Marlins since day one. I can't count the number of rebuilds I've seen. As a 30 something year old fan, it was disappointing but not devastating. Today, I'm just on the wrong side of 60. Only God knows how many fruitless rebuilds I have left. In '23, the starting pitching was the envy of the league &, in every game, the Fish had a chance to win. It was fun & entertaining! Now, we need to trade nearly all of the team's legit major league players, that took years to acquire, for lottery tickets. All prospects are lottery tickets. Even if Bendix is eventually as successful as the recent Rays teams have been, it's a soulless brand of baseball. A never ending revolving door & the Marlins will be feeding the league. We will never have our Mantle, Bench, Ripken, Jeter, etc... I only own one Marlins jersey, Jose Fernandez's #16. Get off my lawn Bendix!