Agustín Ramírez now under Marlins' control through at least 2031

[Ely Sussman]

By having Ramírez spend the first 15 days of the MLB season at Triple-A, the Marlins have ensured that he will not reach free agency until he's 30 years old.

A call-up is not imminent, but the possibility should now be on everybody's radars, because as of Friday, it's no longer possible for minor leaguers to debut and accrue a full year of MLB service time in 2025. There are 171 days left in the MLB regular season and players need at least 172 to be credited with a full year of service.

Among all players in the Miami Marlins organization, the passage of this "deadline" is most applicable to Agustín Ramírez, Fish On First's third-ranked prospect. Ramírez performed great in spring training, slashing .235/.381/.647 (158 wRC+) with two home runs and only two strikeouts in 21 plate appearances. With a week remaining in big league camp, the Marlins optioned him to Triple-A Jacksonville, where he has since slashed .279/.333/.488 (123 wRC+) with one home run and 14 strikeouts in 48 plate appearances.

It was a straightforward decision for the Marlins to have Ramírez begin this season in the minors considering his great offensive upside and the lack of pressure on Miami to win games at the major league level in 2025. He is crucial to their long-term success, and now, his earliest opportunity to test free agency won't come until after the 2031 season.

That does not mean this is an example of "service time manipulation." Ramírez is currently the 40th overall MLB prospect on FanGraphs, but outside of the Top 100 in the eyes of Baseball America and MLB Pipeline due to his defensive shortcomings. When the Marlins acquired Ramírez last summer in the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade, they hoped that he would eventually develop into a usable part-time catcher in the majors. The 23-year-old is making some progress, but still has a lot to prove in terms of receiving and controlling the running game.

Ramírez has already been charged with five passed balls this season in Jacksonville, which leads all of Minor League Baseball. He has thrown out only two runners on stolen base attempts so far.

Sending Ramírez to Jacksonville has given the Marlins an opportunity to evaluate Rule 5 Draft pick Liam Hicks. He has caught nearly half of the team's innings so far while showing some promise with the bat as well. They're in no hurry to get rid of him.

Barring a significant injury to Hicks or Nick Fortes, Ramírez is an awkward fit with the current Marlins roster because all of his appearances have been at catcher or designated hitter dating back to spring training. As fate would have it, hours after this article was originally published, Fortes was placed on the 10-day IL with a left oblique strain. Veteran journeyman Rob Brantly was selected from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Would it be that farfetched to add Ramírez as a third active catcher? If he were to replace the slumping Jonah Bride or Eric Wagaman on the roster, there'd be plenty of plate appearances available at the DH spot on days when Hicks or Brantly are behind the plate. Maybe the Marlins simply want to see more defensive improvement before calling Ramírez up.

The projected Super Two cut-off also has to be on the Marlins' mind. Holding off until mid-June would push back Ramírez's arbitration eligibility until 2029. Unless he truly forces the issue with stellar Triple-A performance, the front office is likely to prioritize those future cost savings over getting him immediate big league experience.

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[THOMAS JOSEPH]

A good bet that we will see him soon in the Bigs. 

[1993 fan from start]

i still see him part time first baseman and catcher.  will we see him soon no.  if so you are asking for injury player.  i say after all-star break at best .  good change we won't see him, cause minor legue numbers and d. till next year.. if marlins dont trust his defense . he will be spending 80% of his time at dh and filling in for injury catcher at best.   

[Guest]

Poor guy to be stuck in this organization. If he makes it to the pros, they will nickle and dime him until he is eligible for big money in arbitration, then dump him so as not to have to pay. As for him being "crucial to the team's long term success", I have no idea how you say something like that with a straight face, Ely. This franchise is a joke and MLB and the Players Association should force Sherman to sell it. Look at the moron we hired as manager.

[Miami Italiano]

bring him up now

[Ely Sussman]

This article has been updated with the news of Nick Fortes' oblique strain. Fascinating plot twist!