Offishial News: Munetaka Murakami coming stateside; Marlins coach promoted

[Ely Sussman]

Only 164 days away from Miami Marlins Opening Day.

🔷 Here's what new Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker had to say about his Marlins tenure during his introductory press conference on Friday: "The last thing that I ever wanted to be was 'one foot in, one foot out' of anything, even though I had an idea of where that was gonna end up. But I got to learn how different front offices think—how they acquire players, how they try to get players better, learning how different minor league systems are run. I was very grateful for the first regime in Miami and the second regime in Miami because they were both different in how they thought. I'm very grateful. Even though it didn't end like we wanted it to end the second year, they treated me really well and my family well. I can take some of those experiences hopefully and try to make this place as good as it could be."

🔷 Fresh off his second season coaching in the Marlins organization, Royce Carlton has been promoted to minor league pitching coordinator. Carlton spent most of 2025 working with pitchers at the Dominican Academy. Outside of his Marlins duties, he also coaches at PitchWerx, a player development facility in Indiana.

🔷 Tigres del Licey officially announced the signing of Griffin Conine to a 2025-26 winter ball contract. Licey's season opener is on Wednesday. I wrote about the surprising statistical similarities between Conine and his father through their first 54 career games with the Marlins.

🔷 Marlins assistant pitching coach Alon Leichman will serve as Team Israel's pitching coach for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Israel begins the tournament in Pool D, which is being hosted at loanDepot park. Even if they improbably advance beyond pool play, Leichman won't have to leave South Florida.

🔷 Inclement weather wiped out this weekend's Arizona Fall League action, so we're still dealing with microscopic sample sizes. All eight Marlins prospects participating have taken the field at least once. Starlyn Caba has a 1.000 OPS through seven plate appearances.

🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Seattle Mariners pitchers Bryce Miller, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz combined for a two-hitter to take Game 1 of the ALCS from the Toronto Blue Jays. Cal Raleigh homered, his 62nd of the year if you combine the regular season and postseason. Power-hitting corner infielder Munetaka Murakami will be posted by his Japanese team this offseason. Early reporting links Murakami to many of the highest spenders in MLB, so the likelihood of the Marlins getting him are extremely low. Would be an ideal fit for their roster, though. The 25-year-old has a lifetime .951 OPS in Nippon Professional Baseball, including a 1.043 OPS in 56 games this season.

 

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[Hans Herrera]

As much as I love Murakami (I'm also a Tsubame fan), his K% is something to be concerned about. I think Okamoto has a higher floor - also a lower ceiling -, better defense, and maybe can be brought on a shorter deal, since he'll be 30 midway next season.

Last, but certainly not least, #BringBackLewinDiaz

[Guest]

Hilarious. The Marlins won't do anything but what they have done many times in the past: Sign SOMEBODY just to show that they are willing to spend money. The guy they sign will NOT be someone major, but someone who is either a has been or an "almost was" type of player that they can get a "good deal" on. This is what the Marlins have done so many times and the end result is always the same; the guy they sign often winds up blocking and taking playing time away from some deserving young player. Example: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, free agent catcher who wound up blocking JT Realmuto until he finally got hurt and Realmuto got a chance to play. You guys shouldn't even bother writing articles like this about players that we all know have ZERO chance of playing for the Marlins.

[BMK3]

Blocking people is a concern.  Spending for the sake of spending is dumb.  However, spending for a righthanded, power bat to play first and maybe platoon with Johnston makes sense to me. I do not like Wagaman although McCullough seems to, and he is the one who counts.  We will win or lose with pitching, which I feel is playoff potential.  We just need middle of the road hitting for another fun season.

 

 

[Sean Millerick]

Published an article on Marlins and Murakami earlier in weekend on, and am going to follow up this week with a more legit case for his fit. He can play everywhere the team has a clear need, and that strikeout rate of his should make him more affordable than he'd like to be. Then again...that strikeout rate. Woof. 

Would be fun to get some Japanese baseball media love again though, and would lend some added intrigue and merchandise sales to the WBC for Bruce. 

[One Regend]

Everyone is pining for the Marlins to go get a 1B from Free Agency, but fails to realize we already have one on the roster; He's just been miscast as a Catcher this whole time. The moment Joe Mack gets called up (which should be around mid-April to get another year of control), is the moment we no longer need a free agent 1B, because Gus will be playing there instead.

What we really need is 3B. 3B has been a revolving door since Brian Anderson's decline and vacancy. Unless y'all want to keep trotting out the skeletal remains of Connor Norby and Graham Pauley, something has to be done about that.