Gabe Kapler joining Marlins as assistant general manager

Just in time for the MLB Winter Meetings, the Miami Marlins added more firepower to their front office on Friday by agreeing to hire Gabe Kapler, per Craig Mish of SportsGrid. Kapler will serve as assistant general manager with an emphasis on player development, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

The hiring is "not yet official," Mish clarifies.

You probably know Kapler primarily from his stints managing the Philadelphia Phillies (2018-2019) and San Francisco Giants (2020-2023). His clubs combined for a .526 winning percentage (456-411 record) and one postseason berth. Kapler also played 12 seasons in the majors as an outfielder, concluding with the 2009-2010 Tampa Bay Rays where he may have crossed paths with a young Peter Bendix.

In between, Kapler spent three seasons as director of player development for the Los Angeles Dodgers. His tenure there (2015-2017) overlapped with the minor league careers of future like stars Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler and Julio Urías. Marlins principal owner Bruce Sherman has been blunt about the need for his organization to do a better job producing homegrown impact players.

The 48-year-old Kapler gets the same title as Brian Chattin, Dan Greenlee and Oz Ocampo, the assistant GMs who Bendix inherited from the previous Marlins front office. This news comes just a few days after the hiring of Vinesh Kanthan as director of baseball operations. Kanthan will report to Chattin, Greenlee and Ocampo (and presumably Kapler as well).

It must be mentioned: Skip Schumaker has only one guaranteed year remaining on his contract. The reigning NL Manager of the Year told Fish On First that he and Bendix have "had a lot of really good conversations" and communicate daily, but it's not uncommon for a new front office boss to handpick their own manager. If the Marlins take a significant step backwards competitively in 2024, I wouldn't be shocked if Schumaker leaves the organization and Kapler replaces him in the dugout.

Photo courtesy of gabekapler/Instagram