Selecting the 2024 All-Ex-Marlins Team

In a year without many strong performances from active Miami Marlins, plenty of former Fish produced at a high level for their current clubs. Here is a position-by-position breakdown.

To be eligible, these players must have had previous MLB regular season experience as a Marlin.

Catcher: Jacob Tyler Realmuto 

Marlins tenure: 2014-2018 (11.6 fWAR)

Acquired: Draft

Traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on February 7, 2019 in exchange for Sixto Sánchez, Jorge Alfaro and Will Stewart.

Arguably the best catcher in franchise history, J.T. Realmuto has now spent more seasons with the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies than he ever did in Miami. He has cemented his place as one of the elite catchers in baseball. In an injury-shortened 2024 that fell slightly below his usual standards, he slashed .266/.322/.429 with a 109 wRC+ in only 99 games. Realmuto went hitless in the NLDS as the Phils were upset by the New York Mets. The three-time All-Star has recorded an OPS+ of at least 100 every single season since 2016. He is about to enter the final season of his five-year/$115.5M contract extension. 

First Base: Luis Arraez

Marlins tenure: 2023-2024 (3.2 fWAR)

Acquired: Trade

Traded to the San Diego Padres on May 4, 2024 in exchange for Dillon Head, Nathan Martorella, Jakob Marsee and Woo-Suk Go. 

One of the most popular Marlins in recent memory, Luis Arraez earned his third consecutive batting title in 2024, each with different teams. While his production this past season was a step down from his brilliant 2023 campaign, he still hit .314 and led the league with 200 hits. After scuffling a bit with Miami over the first month of the season, a change of scenery seemed to do him well as his OPS with the Padres increased by 25 points. Since the start of 2022, the three-time All-Star has slashed .328/.371/.426 in 441 games and 576 hits in those three seasons. The Venezuelan native has just one more year of club control. 

Second Base: Enrique "Kiké" Hernández

Acquired: Trade

Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with Chris Hatcher, Austin Barnes and Andrew Heaney on December 10, 2014 in exchange for Dan Haren, Dee Gordon and Miguel Rojas. 

Enrique Hernández continues to be a postseason hero for the consistently competitive Los Angeles Dodgers. While he's been a below-average hitter the last three seasons (76 wRC+), he provides tremendous defensive versatility. Then in October, his bat comes alive. Including his solid start to the 2024 playoffs, he has a 139 wRC+ in 79 career postseason games. He's slugged .546 in those crucial games. After a 2024 season that saw him slash .229/.281/.373, he set to become a free agent in 2025.

Third Base: Jazz Chisholm Jr. 

Marlins tenure: 2020-2024 (7.7 fWAR)

Acquired: Trade

Traded to the New York Yankees on July 27, 2024 in exchange for Agustín Ramírez, Jared Serna and Abrahan Ramírez.

One of the most dynamic talents acquired during the Bruce Sherman era, Jazz Chisholm Jr. put together a 24 HR/40 SB season in 2024. Traded to the New York Yankees at this year's trade deadline, the 26-year-old is now the everyday third baseman for the best team in the American League, currently contributing to their deep playoff push. In 46 regular season games as a Yankee, Chisholm slashed .273/.325/.500 with 11 home runs and 18 stolen bases. He played a career-high 147 games in 2024, easily the most available he's been in season in his Major League career. He won't be a free agent until 2027. 

Shortstop: Miguel Rojas 

Marlins tenure: 2015-2022 (9.5 fWAR)

Acquired: Trade

Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on January 11, 2023 in exchange for Jacob Amaya.

Aside from his incredible COVID-shortened 2020 season, Miguel Rojas just put together the best season of his Major League career as a 35-year-old. The eight-year Marlin veteran slashed .263/.337/.410 with a 111 wRC+ in 103 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers. While continuing to provide Gold Glove-caliber defense at short, Rojas was the sixth-most valuable player (3.4 bWAR) on a star-studded Dodgers team that features three future Hall of Famers. The Dodgers have a team option on Rojas for 2025. 

Left Field: Christian Yelich 

Marlins tenure: 2013-2017 (17.6 fWAR)

Acquired: Draft

Traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on January 25, 2018 in exchange for Lewis Brinson, Monte Harrison, Isan Díaz and Jordan Yamamoto. 

Christian Yelich finally looked like himself again in 2024. After winning the MVP Award in 2018 and finishing second in '19, Yelich scuffled—by his standards—over the next four seasons. He averaged a .768 OPS during that span and struck out a career-high 162 times in 2022. Prior to undergo season-ending back surgery in mid-August, Yelich was thriving in 2024, slashing an absurd .315/.406/.504 with a 153 wRC+. He is expected to be fully healthy by spring training. 

Center Field: JJ Bleday 

Marlins tenure: 2022 (-0.3 fWAR)

Acquired: Draft

Traded to the Oakland Athletics on February 11, 2023 in exchange for A.J. Puk. 

The fourth overall pick of the ultra-talented 2019 MLB Draft, JJ Bleday finally blossomed in 2024. After a couple of rough MLB seasons with sub-.200 batting averages, Bleday broke out in a big way for the Athletics during their final season in Oakland. He finished sixth in MLB with 43 doubles and had a 120 wRC+. He was available all season long as he played in 159 games with 153 of them coming in center field. Additionally, he was able to cut his strikeout rate from 28% as a rookie all the way down to 18%. He figures to be one of the Athletics' cornerstone position players going forward. 

Right Field: Giancarlo Stanton

Marlins tenure: 2010-2017 (33.7 fWAR)

Acquired: Draft

Traded to the New York Yankees on December 11, 2017 in exchange for Starlin Castro, Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers. 

Arguably the greatest Marlin of all-time, Giancarlo's seventh season in pinstripes was solid. He played in 114 games (third-healthiest season as a Yankee) and had a wRC+ of 116. Exclusively a DH, Stanton his 27 home runs and drove in 72 runs. More importantly, the Bronx Bombers are two wins away from their first World Series berth since 2009 thanks to Stanton's otherworldly postseason performance. During his Yankee tenure, he's averaged just 8.7 at-bats per home run in October—second only to Babe Ruth (min. 100 AB). He still has three guaranteed years of his massive $325M contract remaining

Designated Hitter: Marcell Ozuna 

Marlins tenure: 2013-2017 (15.6 fWAR)

Acquired: International FA

Traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on December 14, 2017 in exchange for Sandy Alcantara, Magneuris Sierra, Zac Gallen and Daniel Castano. 

Ozuna from the Braves just continues to mash. In his second full season as a primary DH, Ozuna put together one of the best offensive seasons of his career. While playing in all 162 games, the hard-hitting Dominican slashed .302/.378/.546 with a 154 wRC+. He still produced 4.7 fWAR despite not playing a single inning of defense. He hit 39 home runs and drove in 102 while earning his third career All-Star nod. I predict he will earn his third career Silver Slugger award as well. 

Starting Pitcher 1: Zac Gallen

Marlins tenure: 2019 (0.8 fWAR)

Acquired: Trade

Traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 31, 2019 in exchange for Jazz Chisholm Jr. 

Since going to Arizona in one of the most unique one-for-one trades in Marlins history, Zac Gallen has become a true ace. In his five full seasons in the desert, Gallen is 50-31 with a 3.34 ERA in 735 IP. He's struck out over a batter per inning and has an ERA+ of 127. The New Jersey native didn't quite replicate his 2023 season that led him to finish third in Cy Young voting after throwing 210 innings, but his 3.65 ERA in 2024 was still lowest among all D-backs starters. There was a time where I thought this trade could wind up a win-win for both sides, but I believe Arizona came out well on top here. 

Starting Pitcher 2: Pablo López

Marlins tenure: 2018-2022 (8.9 fWAR)

Acquired: Trade

Traded to the Minnesota Twins along with José Salas and Byron Chourio on January 20, 2023 in exchange for Luis Arraez. 

A year after agreeing to a four-year, $73.5M contract extension, 2024 was a tale of two seasons for Pablo López. He finished the first half with an 8-7 record and 5.11 ERA in 19 starts. Following the All-Star break, López's luck turned around and he was back to being himself. He pitched to a 2.77 ERA the rest of the way, finishing as the sixth-most valuable player on the Twins and is under club control through 2027. This is another trade that I would hand Miami the loss. 

Relief Pitcher 1: A.J. Puk

Marlins tenure: 2023-2024 (1.7 fWAR)

Acquired: Trade

Traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 25, 2024 in exchange for Deyvison De Los Santos and Andrew Pintar. 

What a wild season A.J. Puk had in 2024. In spring training, the Marlins announced they would experiment with Puk in the starting rotation. Once that failed miserably (9.22 ERA in four starts), Puk returned to a high-leverage bullpen role and then put together arguably the best stretch of any reliever in the National League. From May 13 til the end of the season, Puk pitched to a minuscule 1.72 ERA in 57 ⅔ innings pitched and held opponents to a .157 batting average, striking out 11 batters per nine innings. 27 ⅓ of those innings came with the Diamondbacks where he was even more lethal (1.32 ERA). He is under club control through 2027.

Relief Pitcher 2: Tanner Scott

Marlins tenure: 2022-2024 (4.2 fWAR)

Acquired: Trade

Traded to the San Diego Padres along with Bryan Hoeing in exchange for Robby Snelling, Adam Mazur, Graham Pauley and Jay Beshears. 

Arguably the best reliever in franchise history, Tanner Scott will always be remembered fondly by Marlins fans. After an incredible 2023 season (2.8 fWAR), Scott was somehow even better in 2024. After allowing a game-winning home run to Marcell Ozuna on April 15, Scott would only allow two more home runs the rest of the year (65 games!). In those 64 ⅓ innings, he had a 1.40 ERA while converting 21/22 save opportunities. He was elected to his first career All-Star Game in 2024 and will be a free agent this offseason. He is expected to receive a massive payday.