Offishial News: Max Meyer wins rotation spot; Luis Arraez on fire

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🔷 On Sunday, the Marlins concluded their 2024 Grapefruit League schedule with a 5-1 win against the New York Mets. Nick Gordon and Jesús Sánchez drove in two runs apiece. Two more scoreless innings of relief for Sixto Sánchez. The pitching staff totaled 14 strikeouts, one shy of their single-game best this spring.

 🔷 Luis Arraez ended the spring on a 10-game hitting streak and was the Marlins' leader in hits (17) and total bases (26). Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Dane Myers each had three home runs. George Soriano was nearly flawless across seven appearances (9.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K). Grapefruit League and Cactus League combined, the Marlins ranked last among all MLB teams in OPS (.662) and runs scored per game (3.70).

 🔷 Max Meyer enters the regular season as Miami's No. 5 starter. I frankly have no clue what to expect from him. This spring, he looked very similar to the pitcher we saw in 2022, the one who had little else to prove in the minors, but lacks exceptional traits outside of his slider and athleticism.

 🔷 The latest from our Marlins injury/rehab tracker: Braxton Garrett and Edward Cabrera are both scheduled to face live batters this week, while Eury Pérez has resumed playing catch after his elbow inflammation scare. If all goes well for Garrett on Thursday, I could see him joining Triple-A Jacksonville for a rehab assignment next week. Minor league affiliates have begun placing players on the 60-day IL. LHP Dax Fulton (elbow surgery) is the most notable Marlins prospect who's been put on there so far.

  🔷 Where are they now? With Opening Day fast approaching, I count seven members of the 2023 Marlins who remain unsigned in free agency.

 🔷 Hector Rodriguez annually publishes a series of MLB Draft prospect profiles for Fish On First. First up in the 2024 draft class: Cal catcher Caleb Lomavita.

 🔷 A panel of MLB.com "experts" voted Luis Arraez as their favorite to repeat as NL batting champ.

 🔷 MLB.com's Christina De Nicola predicts that Sixto Sánchez and Tim Anderson will both be candidates for the Comeback Player of the Year award.

 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Rockies signed Ezequiel Tovar to a seven-year, $63.5M contract extension and the Phillies extended Matt Strahm through 2025 with a vesting option for 2026.