How will new Marlins front office approach international free agent market?

Towards the end of the 2023 season, even before Kim Ng's departure as general manager, the Miami Marlins lost a key executive in a surprising way. Senior director of international operations Adrian Lorenzo did not renew his contract, choosing instead to pursue an art career on a full-time basis.

"I'm a learner," said Lorenzo. "I like when I get my mind on something, I like to really learn it from as many angles as possible. That's what it's been about for the last couple of years and really exciting. I think Miami is a really, really good place to be for (art)."

Lorenzo combined his passions by customizing cleats for Marlins players including Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jesús Luzardo.

Now, the Marlins have to find a replacement. When president of baseball operations Peter Bendix last addressed the media during the Winter Meetings, he mentioned that the organization was still in the interview process.

A key date to keep in mind is January 15—that marks the beginning of the 2024 international signing period. Typically, most of the top international prospects finalize their contracts on the 15th, which is only two weeks away.

Under Lorenzo and director of international scouting Roman Ocumarez, the Marlins spread out their international bonus pool to sign a large amount of players. The organization moved away from "big-name" prospects, instead going for enough quantity to fill out two Dominican Summer League rosters (DSL Marlins and DSL Miami). None of their signings in 2022 or 2023 received more than $1M.

This recent strategy has had some success, most notably with Mexican infielder Marco Vargas. The under-the-radar 2022 acquisition went to the DSL All-Star Game and continued to produce in the FCL before being flipped to the New York Mets in exchange for reliever David Robertson last July.

Another pattern has been the Marlins investing in players from the Bahamas. The 2023 class included outfielder Daniel Gaitor and infielder/

The reality of the international market is that teams reach agreements to sign players long before they are actually eligible to sign. Even with Lorenzo out of the picture, many of Miami's 2024 signings are going to be players that he helped recruit.

"Sharing what I can, I think that it is our best work," said Lorenzo about the Marlins' upcoming free agent class. "I think you're just gonna see the caliber of player, the type of player, the physicality, the athleticism, really strong pitching class, but really strong position players throughout. You got good catching in this group. We got a couple centerfield type profiles that are really going to jump out from the tools and physicality standpoint."

Whoever is ultimately hired to lead international operations will have a big say in how the Marlins adjust their approach for 2025 and beyond.

Photo Credit: Kevin Barral/Fish On First