Bruce Sherman: Success means 'getting to the playoffs consistently'

JUPITER, FL—On a beautiful Monday morning in Jupiter, 72 Miami Marlins players (32 non-roster invitees) reported to camp ready to make their mark and build on a very encouraging 2025 season in which the club won 79 games—a 17-win improvement from the year before.

Principal owner and chairman Bruce Sherman, standing in front of the newly renovated Jupiter Academy, addressed the media prior to the team’s first full-squad workout. The 2026 season will be the ninth under Sherman’s ownership.

“Our expectations are to be extremely competitive and to continue on this path of being successful every single year,” Sherman said. “We measure it by getting to the playoffs consistently, and that will be the standard for our organization and our front office. That’s what the Miami Marlins are going to be all about.”

Ownership’s message to players early Monday morning differed from last spring, when patience and development were emphasized. As exciting as the 2025 season was for a team with limited big league experience and modest expectations, this year’s message was clear: it wasn’t enough, and expectations are higher following investments in both payroll and infrastructure.

“This investment we made in free agency—four players and over $20 million—was done with extraordinary care by Peter Bendix and his entire staff,” Sherman said.

For the first time since 2016–17, the Marlins signed at least four major league free agents in a single offseason. Despite those additions, Miami’s payroll for 2026, according to Roster Resource, is projected to be approximately $73 million, the lowest in Major League Baseball. Sherman feels that he's spending an appropriate percentage of the franchise's revenue, particularly when accounting for the aforementioned facility renovations.

“I’m not in this for profit at all. We haven’t taken a nickel out of this in eight years; we just keep putting money in, and ownership is pleased to do that. We want to win. W-I-N. Period.”

How do the Marlins plan to compete against division rivals such as the Phillies, Mets, and Braves, whose player payrolls are several times the size?

“We don’t care what other teams are doing—we’re trying to beat them,” president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said. 

That message was reiterated to both established major leaguers and top prospects expected to contribute this season.

“We were told to have faith in ourselves and in each other, and that we’re going to prove a lot of people wrong again,” No. 1 prospect Thomas White told Fish On First. “We’re not worried about what other teams are doing. We’re focused on what’s happening in our clubhouse and trying to do something none of us have done before—reach the playoffs.”

When asked about the overall goal for the upcoming season, manager Clayton McCullough emphasized development and culture.

“Seeing growth across the board from players and coaches,” McCullough said. “We want to create a culture here and a group that puts us in position every year to compete for a championship.”

The 34th season of Marlins baseball begins March 27 at home against the Colorado Rockies. Before that, the club opens Grapefruit League play this Saturday in Port St. Lucie against the Mets.