Eric Wagaman looks to bring offensive consistency, defensive versatility to Marlins

MIAMI, FL—As the MLB offseason wraps up, the Miami Marlins are one of three teams who have yet to sign a free agent to a major league deal. That doesn't mean there aren't new players in the organization. On December 20, the Miami Marlins signed infielder Eric Wagaman to a split contract—he is on the 40-man roster, but still needs to fight for an active roster spot.

If Wagaman makes the big league team, he will earn a salary of $770k, which is slightly above the standard MLB minimum of $760k. If optioned to the minors, his salary will be $200k.

Wagaman, 27, was selected by the New York Yankees in the 13th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. After spending six seasons with the Yankees organization, he was picked by the Los Angeles Angels in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Between Double-A and Triple-A, he slashed .274/.339/.469/.808 with 17 home runs, 60 RBI and a 129 wRC+. That led to a brief taste of the majors where he slashed .250/.270/.403/.673 with two home runs, 10 RBI and an 86 wRC+ through 18 games played. After his stint in Anaheim, Wagaman was DFA'd and signed by the Marlins in free agency.

"Hopefully there is some opportunity here," said Wagaman about Miami. "That's not really my call. All I can do is go out there and perform, whether it's here or just be ready to come up here and help this team win. I am definitely looking forward to getting to know the coaching staff a little more and all the players. It should be an exciting time."

Wagaman made changes to his swing this offseason in order to find more consistency at the plate.

"It was kinda hard during the middle of the season," Wagaman said. "I was having success, but then the Angels definitely mentioned it, but it was something already in my head. It was nothing really major, just kind of not getting stuck and stuff."

Defensively, the California native has played primarily first base in the minors, but when called up to the majors, he made all 17 of his starts at third base. He began feeling "a lot more comfortable" at the hot corner during the last two games of the season. He's also able to play the corner outfield spots if necessary.

Wagaman could be valuable to the Marlins because of his ability to hit left-handed pitching well. In the minor leagues, he had a 1.036 OPS in 114 plate appearances. In a much smaller sample with the big league club, he only had 18 plate appearances, posting a .222 OPS. Aside from the Chicago White Sox, the Marlins were MLB's worst offense in 2024 against lefties.

Wagaman's fit on the Marlins Opening Day roster will depend on how well he hits this spring and how much the club believes in his defensive versatility. The first full-squad workout is set to take place on February 17.