Miami Marlins must justify weak 2026 playoff push with strong offseason

[Sean Millerick]

Was there anything the Miami Marlins could have realistically done this summer to make them a contender this October? 

Probably not. 

Not after giving up every inch of ground they gained thanks to that franchise worst twelve-game losing streak. Not after the San Diego Padres remembered they had one of the most talented rosters in baseball. Not after former Marlins manager Don Mattingly reminded the Philadelphia Phillies of the same thing. 

And yet...it's hard to shake the sense that the Marlins could have done more at the trade deadline.

That they left opportunities on the table. In short, that they completely punted on the chance to make the playoffs for the third time in the Bruce Sherman era. Would they have been a long shot to do so? Absolutely. Would it have been a breath of fresh air for the team to make the attempt? You bet. Keeping the band together was enough in 2025. However, this 2026 club flashed more talent while also being in more dire need of a boost. Especially when you factor in how unstoppable Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez were looking at the time and the tantalizing prospect of putting them in a playoff series. Twelve-game losing streak or not, this really seemed like a squad that had earned more faith than the front office demonstrated in it come deadline time. 

Unfortunately, there's also no denying what a mistake it would have been to really push the chips in. This team wasn't ready, and the primary reason for that was lack of depth. When depth is your biggest issue, at least until baseball gets that salary cap, teams like Miami can't go crazy selling off young talent for rental pieces. Plus, once Tariq Skubal went, it's not as if there were a ton of available options worth the price tag. The Marlins weren't even one piece away from a title when they were firing on all cylinders, and were in far worse shape when August arrived. Being responsible made sense, and if we're all being honest with ourselves, it isn't exactly hard to see the wisdom in the uber-frugal approach Miami ultimately took.  

Which is all fine. Pragmatic, savvy, smart stuff from the Marlins front office, which continues to be a breath of fresh air in its own right. On one condition though: 

That that same smart front office do everything they can to build on this foundation in 2027. 

Sign free agents, and good ones. No dealing multiple pieces away from the MLB roster for pieces that might help three years from now. Spend the money on the field that wasn't spent there last winter. Past years have seen the Marlins fill holes by creating new ones, and just betting the ranch on the 90% outcome happening. That has to change. 

For again, the big issue this season was depth. After a few months of covering that up with smoke and mirrors, the Marlins ran out of bodies and gas. Of course, at a couple positions, the tricks never worked at all. Far too much time was given to Christopher Morel and Leo Jimenez to make it work. Far too often when Miami played platoon games and pulled pitchers down the stretch, they did so with players that simply weren't capable of consistently delivering the desired outcome. Those moves are clearly going to be part of how the Marlins operate, and that too is fine, pragmatic, savvy, smart stuff. Yet the talent level of Miami's bench and bullpen must be much higher next time around to make that work, and the easiest way to do that is to inject talent into the MLB roster without needing to take talent away from it. 

Basically, for three offseasons in a row, the Marlins have made it too easy for fans to argue that the team made the big league roster worse during the offseason, not better. That can't happen again, not now that there are real expectations associated with this group.  

Otherwise, the Marlins just wasted a chance for a month of much more meaningful baseball, and all the goodwill and memories that come with that. 

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[Hippyboi]

Pretty much agree.