Why former Marlins target Eddie Rosario could be a fit again

Is the third time the charm? The Miami Marlins reportedly showed interest in Eddie Rosario during trade talks with the Minnesota Twins in the 2019-20 offseason, then again two years later when he previously hit free agency. The Puerto Rican outfielder, who most recently played for the Atlanta Braves, is once again available.

Rosario joined the Braves at the 2021 trade deadline. He helped them to a World Series title that year by winning NLCS MVP.

In 2023, Rosario slashed .255/.305/.450/.755 with 21 home runs, 74 RBIs and a 100 wRC+ in 142 games played. It was a nice bounce back to his career averages after eye problems ruined his 2022 campaign. He was platooned, with 87.0% of his plate appearances coming against right-handed pitching.

Defensively, the Braves used Rosario only in left field where he posted three outs above average (ranking in the 80th percentile) and three defensive runs saved. His glove was terrible in 2022, but if we overlook that because of his injury situation, he seems to be a defensive upgrade over Bryan De La Cruz.

Rosario used to be a good contact hitter, but that has changed recently. His whiff rate ranked in the 23rd percentile among MLB hitters this season. Although he had a career-high 9.5% barrel rate, he has always struggled when it comes to hard-hit rate (19th percentile in 2023).

Rosario consistently homers more than you would expect thanks to his ability to hit fly balls and pull pitches to right field. He usually keeps his groundball rate below 40%.

Rosario was set to earn $9M on his 2024 club option, but Atlanta declined the option. The AAV of his new contract will likely be less than that, though he might land one last multi-year deal (like $10M over two years).

It's not a perfect fit between Rosario and the Marlins. Current Miami outfielders Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jesús Sánchez already struggle against lefties, and De La Cruz doesn't have good production against them either. However, if Jorge Soler and Teoscar Hernández are out of their price range, adding him would be better than doing nothing.

Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves