My 2026-27 Marlins offseason blueprint

The tradition continues, even under unorthodox conditions. This is how I would navigate the MLB offseason if put in charge of the Miami Marlins front office.

There is no new reporting in here, to be clear. I have devised a blueprint based on my understanding of the organization's roster construction philosophy, current strengths and weaknesses, minor league depth and broad goals moving forward.

We are coming off a year in which the Marlins ranked dead last among MLB teams in payroll. I loosened the purse strings for this hypothetical, but not too much (I've kept the projected cash spending below $100 million).

MLB owners will lock out the players on the evening of December 1 following the expiration of the league's collective bargaining agreement. Nobody knows for sure what will happen next in terms of the pace of negotiations and potential rule changes. For the sake of simplicity and good vibes, I made decisions that assume we'll have a resolution in time to proceed with a full 162-game season.

40-man roster selections

Marlins select OF/1B Kemp Alderman, 1B/OF Jonathon Long and RHP Karson Milbrandt to 40-man roster

The last time that an MLB offseason was interrupted by a lockout, the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft never took place. I expect it to be cancelled again this year. Even in a realistic best-case scenario, CBA negotiations will drag on deep into February, inevitably condensing spring training and create transactional chaos on the other side of the lockout. I think teams will agree to prioritize other business, in part because it's difficult to determine what you really have in a Rule 5 pick if there are limited opportunities to evaluate them in the preseason.

Just to cover my ass, I'll protect Alderman, Long and Milbrandt with 40-man spots. All three spent considerable time at the Triple-A level last season. They are likely to debut in 2027 barring severe injuries.

The Marlins' best Rule-5 eligible prospect is actually right-hander Eliazar Dishmey, but he requires a bit more developmental time. If a normal draft was likely to take place, I would protect him out of an abundance of caution. However, in this situation, I'll take the calculated risk, preserving all of his option years for 2028 and beyond.

These 40-man moves would coincide with non-tendering Andrew Nardi.

Free agency

Marlins sign LHP Matthew Boyd (2 YR/$26M)

Boyd earned $29 million over the course of his previous two-year deal with the Chicago Cubs and fully met expectations. But the combination of his age—he turns 36 in February—injured list stints during his walk year and below-average velocity should make him slightly cheaper this time around.

Since completing his comeback from elbow surgery late in the 2024 season, Boyd has pitched to a 3.41 ERA (20% better than league average) and 3.81 FIP in 61 starts. There was an All-Star selection right in the middle of that stretch and he's been trusted to make starts in each of the last three postseasons.

Boyd throws a four-seam fastball, changeup, slider, curveball and occasional sinker. The breaking balls combined to yield a .152 batting average against and only one home run in 109 plate appearances in 2026.

Boyd is also brilliant at controlling the running game, tallying an MLB-best 11 pickoffs in 2025 and not allowing a single stolen base in 2026. He and Joe Mack would form a nearly impenetrable battery from that standpoint.

There must be some kind of external starting rotation acquisition to fill the void until the likes of Thomas White and Robby Snelling are ready. I think Boyd is good enough to hold onto a starting spot even when they're back, giving the Marlins a deeper rotation than they've had in many years.

Marlins sign LHP Sean Newcomb (2 YR/$16M)

Our own Kevin Barral linked the Marlins to Newcomb earlier this week.

Similar to Boyd, Newcomb has had an inconsistent career, but we now have nearly two full seasons of strong production from him out of the bullpen (2.69 ERA and 3.03 FIP since being removed from the Boston Red Sox rotation). He was used heavily in 2026, and just when it seemed like he was wearing down in early September, the 33-year-old locked back in. 

The Marlins would be able to go to Newcomb in high-leverage spots against imposing left-handed batters and stick with him for multiple innings at a time. Their pitching staff sorely missed having that sort of arm this past year.

Marlins sign OF Myles Straw (1 YR/$3M with $4M club option for 2028)

It's questionable whether Jakob Marsee will be ready for Opening Day. Even if he's on the active roster, expect some of his initial reps to come as a designated hitter while he rebuilds his arm strength following elbow surgery.

Straw would be most useful to the Marlins early on in 2027. He should provide enough defense, speed and contact ability to continue being a complementary piece throughout the season.

Marlins sign C Jake Rogers, 1B Rhys Hoskins, LHP Jeffrey Springs and RHP Albert Abreu to minor league deals

Rogers, Hoskins and Springs are all buy-low veterans coming off ineffective seasons. Abreu was a sub-replacement level MLB reliever from 2020-23 who has since gone to Japan and is currently working as a starter in the Dominican Winter League. The right-hander's slider is looking pretty nasty and his fastball tops out at 97 mph, so worth a flier.
 

Trades

Marlins trade RHP Max Meyer to the St. Louis Cardinals for C/DH Iván Herrera and C Juan Rujano

The Marlins faced this conundrum last offseason with Edward Cabrera, another former MLB Top 100 prospect who finally put together a great campaign after years of frustrating them. They haven't regretted selling high on Cabrera, and I won't lose any sleep over following suit with Meyer if it brings back a player with just as much club control and a more consistent track record.

Fans outside of Miami and St. Louis may not realize that Meyer and Herrera were both All-Stars in 2026. It's hard to envision either returning to that stage given the former's durability issues and the latter's defensive limitations. Still, sexy trade given that context.

Herrera owns a lifetime .265/.362/.410 slash line, including .276/.401/.462 against lefties. He would platoon with Joe Mack behind the plate and serve as the Marlins DH most of the time when Mack is catching.

Meyer and Herrera are both in the midst of their arbitration years and on track to hit free agency after the 2029 season. The gap in their projected 2027 salaries is large enough that I believe the Cards would have to include Rujano as well—he'll enter his age-19 season with 57 games of solid rookie ball experience under his belt.

The aforementioned Boyd signing is critical to offsetting the loss of Meyer.

Marlins trade 2B Xavier Edwards to the Texas Rangers for RHP Jack Leiter, C Malcolm Moore and LHP Breyner Figuereo

Edwards has been a nice floor-raiser for the Fish. While there's no urgency to part with him, this would be an efficient way to simultaneously address long-term rotation depth and catching depth.

An ankle injury spoiled most of Leiter's 2026 season, but he's fully recovered now. He'll get every opportunity to win an Opening Day rotation spot and live up to his No. 2 overall draft pick pedigree.

Although the bar is so low following Mack's graduation, Moore would immediately become the top catching prospect in the Marlins org. Splitting time between High-A and Double-A, he slashed .260/.352/.480 with 18 homers and a 113 wRC+ in 97 games.

An outfielder-turned-pitcher, Figuereo struck out a whopping 40% of the batters he faced in the Dominican Summer League.

Marlins trade LHP Nate Payne, OF Dillon Head and DH/C Agustín Ramírez to the San Francisco Giants for UTIL Casey Schmitt and LHP Jack Choate

When composing the 2025-26 blueprint, I remember trying very hard to come up with a logical Casey Schmitt trade. He'll be pricier to acquire now, but I don't mind paying the premium for another impactful right-handed bat.

It was a career year for Schmitt at age 27 (.271/.301/.483, 21 HR, 9 SB, 114 wRC+ and a 1.9 fWAR). That came while playing every infield position as well as left field. I like his defense best at third base. He missed the final two-plus months of the season due to a torn meniscus.

Choate is a deceptive, 6'8" reliever who's ready to be tested at the Triple-A level.

Payne is the main asset going back to the Giants as they gradually turn over their roster after losing 97 games. He ranked second among all Marlins minor leaguers in strikeouts and has plenty of starter traits.

Head has shown elite speed...and not much else. Most concerningly, he slugged only .200 versus lefties at High-A.

Displaced by Iván Herrera and out of options, Ramírez does not fit in Miami's plans anymore. His offensive potential remains tantalizing, but I've given up hope for him becoming serviceable with the glove. 

Marlins trade RHP Ryan Gusto to the Colorado Rockies for UTIL Willi Castro

This is also a case of moving on from a player who couldn't really spread their wings with the Marlins. Gusto was a starter in 2026 only by the loosest possible definition, rarely completing five innings in an outing. What he lacks in pitch quality, he attempts to compensate for with pitch quantity. The rebuilding Rockies can take off his training wheels without worrying too much about the results.

Castro has been almost precisely a league-average hitter dating back to 2023. A pending free agent, his $6.4 million salary is more than fair if he continues executing well with runners in scoring position and bouncing around the diamond based on the team's needs. With the Marlins, Castro would be pinch-hitting more often than he's used to.

Marlins trade INF Carter Johnson to the New York Yankees for RHP Luis Gil

This would have been a much bigger deal two years ago, when Johnson had just received a $2.8 million signing bonus out of the MLB Draft and Gil was the reigning American League Rookie of the Year.

Now, it's hard to imagine Johnson becoming an MLB regular given his shaky hit tool and slide down the defensive spectrum. Gil still boasts a career 3.61 ERA, but he has a lot of difficulty throwing strikes. The mighty Yankees pitching staff wouldn't miss him.

With the Marlins, Gil could at least audition for the fifth starter job. Realistically, he profiles as a low-leverage reliever. He's got the upside to eventually become more than that as he settles into the bullpen routine.

Marlins trade OF Esteury Ruiz to the Cleveland Guardians for LHP Caden Favors

Ruiz was a net positive for most of 2026, but he doesn't belong in center field and I'm discouraged by his high whiff rate. That's why I have replaced him with Myles Straw.

Ultimately, the Marlins come away with a better pitching prospect than the one they originally traded away to acquire Ruiz (Adriano Marrero). The 25-year-old Favors has enjoyed an injury-free professional career to this point. He posted a 2.96 ERA in his last 10 Double-A appearances.

Contract extensions

Marlins extend RHP Sandy Alcantara (4 YR/$90M with $20M vesting option for 2032)

• $22.5M annually from 2028-2031
• Option vests with at least 300 innings pitched from 2030-31

The Marlins have been allergic to continuity. Not on my watch. As the franchise's only Cy Young Award winner approaches the end of his contract, let's leave no doubt that he'll be staying put.

There aren't many direct comps to use for Alcantara when arriving at fair terms for an extension. He was an above-average, incredibly durable starter (and emergency closer) in 2026, but did so with an extremely low strikeout rate. Even if we completely ignore his 2025 first-half catastrophe, he's far removed from being a true ace.

My starting point was Madison Bumgarner's five-year, $85 million free agent deal from the 2019-20 offseason.

Marlins extend OF Jakob Marsee (7 YR/$48M with $15M club option for 2034)

• $1M in 2027, $2.5M in 2028, $4M in 2029, $5.5M in 2030, $8M in 2031, $12M in 2032 and $12M in 2033
• Club option comes with $3M buyout 

There are question marks with Marsee too, as his first and only full MLB season was the epitome of inconsistent. Although capable of sticking in center field, it might not take long for Miami's top hitting prospect, Cam Cannarella, to bump him off that premium position.

I still see awesome value for the team here, paired with an appropriate payout to Marsee considering the risk he'd be taking by going year to year with his contract status. He would collect a total of $60 million if the option is exercised—not too many former sixth-round draft picks sniff that kind of fortune.

Marsee's plate discipline and instincts make him so reliable over any extended period of time. His career upside resembles that of Brandon Nimmo, who's at 29.5 fWAR and counting. However, Ceddanne Rafaela's extension (8 YR/$50M) was the main comp I had in mind during the process.

How the pieces fit together

Here is a before-and-after look at the Marlins 40-man roster once the dust has settled on my offseason moves.

• Players no longer with the organization have been crossed off
• Outside additions to the 40-man roster are highlighted, underlined and italicized
• Up arrows denote players who were already with the organization, but now hold 40-man spots

Overall, this isn't a dramatically different roster from 2026, but it didn't need to be in order to take a meaningful step forward. The Marlins should be improved defensively and match up better against both opposing left-handed pitchers and left-handed batters.

The most likely Opening Day starting rotation would include Alcantara, Pérez, Boyd, Leiter and Junk. The trio of Sanoja, Schmitt and Castro would combine to handle second base and third base, with Sanoja receiving the largest share of playing time.

Several of the 40-man roster guys are on short leashes entering 2027. If they slump early, the likes of Thomas White, Cam Cannarella and Brandon Compton will be breathing down their necks.

Does Sandy Alcantara deserve to be in the Marlins Legends Hall of Fame after he retires?

Does Sandy Alcantara deserve to be in the Marlins Legends Hall of Fame after he retires?

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