Buy or sell, Miami Marlins need to fix Pete Fairbanks ASAP

Maybe the Miami Marlins make a run for an NL Wild Card spot. Maybe they don't. 

One thing is for certain though. The Marlins need to find the Pete Fairbanks they paid for this winter. 

Obviously, the Marlins made this particular $13 million investment with an eye towards building upon last year's success and making a much more realistic playoff push this season. With plenty of June remaining, that remains the club's goal, even with the decimation of Miami's starting pitcher ranks over the past few weeks. Given that starting pitching depletion though, it's easy to see how an All-Star caliber closer would come in handy right about now for the Marlins. 

Unfortunately, Fairbanks has been anything but his All-Star self so far in 2026. The chief culprit? Way too many walks. Fairbanks is being dragged down by a ghastly 1.529 WHIP that would be his worst showing since his 2019 rookie campaign if the season ended today. Paired with what would be career worsts in ground ball rate (22%) and exit velocity (91.8), the story basically writes itself. More balls are getting hit in the air, balls are getting hit harder, more balls are leaving the yard, and the result is a 7.41 ERA that is inspiring very little confidence at the moment. So little, in fact, that two different Marlins pitchers have secured their last two saves, including Tyler Zuber 's career first when he had to bail Fairbanks out of another near disaster this past Saturday. 

And yet...his xERA is a respectable 3.60 number that is just a tick higher than his 3.44 career norm. Balls are getting hit harder, but his hard-hit percentage is at its lowest rate since 2023. K/9? Still pretty good. K minus walk? Strikeout rate? Swinging strike rate? All in line with previous, successful seasons. Then throw in the fact that three of his four worst outings can be hand-waved away as a result of weird usage, a very long layoff, childbirth, and/or injury. If even one of those had gone differently, Marlins fans are probably singing a very different tune right now. It really doesn't seem far fetched to think that things could turn around. 

Which is something the Marlins desperately need to happen. 

Again, that's a pretty self-explanatory take for those of you that still believe the 2026 Miami Marlins can make a run at the postseason. Having an elite closer was supposed to be the difference between the 2025 club and this year's model—the lack of one being a major factor in last year's push coming up short. Fairbanks righting the ship at a time the bullpen is being pushed harder than ever would go a long way in keeping those original 2026 dreams alive. 

However, Fairbanks getting right goes much deeper than just helping the wins outnumber the losses the rest of the way. 

For one, at some point, you have to think Bruce Sherman might start to notice the lack of return on investment Peter Bendix has been getting from his free-agent signings. Bendix has done an excellent job in many respects, but the free-agent track record has been shockingly bad. Now, you could fairly object that good players tend to cost real money. But then again, you (probably) aren't Bruce Sherman. Christopher Morel, Austin Slater...these are minor misses even for the Miami. Chris Paddack? Nobody's perfect.

Fairbanks and his $13 million, though? That was a massive swing for this franchise, and thus far, Sherman would have been better off either setting that money on fire or trying to move from second to first in the race for MLB's biggest weight room. 

If Fairbanks is a bust as well, then it's not hard to imagine Sherman losing confidence in his general manager. No matter how that would play out, it's likely bad for Miami. Be it retightening the purse strings, considering another front office change, or both, it would be a big step back for the organization. Frankly, it's hard to see how this wouldn't negatively impact future Marlins payrolls unless either a salary floor does come to MLB or Sherman really only cared about spending enough this winter to keep MLB revenue sharing investigators happy. 

All of that though is pretty hard to quantify, speculative stuff. What is not hard to quantify is what a blow it would be to the Marlins organization if Fairbanks isn't at least good enough to flip for a more controllable asset this summer. 

Making the playoffs was certainly the hope for the 2026 Marlins, but it can't ever have been the expectation for the front office. Signing a top closer made all the sense in the world this winter in anticipation of eventually flipping him for a shiny new prospect if things didn't work out come trade deadline time. Because you know Bendix is going to be moving someone. There are too many holes on this roster, and that's just not how he operates. 

If it can't be Fairbanks...then it's going to be someone Marlins fans care a lot more about. Which won't be good for anyone. 

Bottom line? No matter how these next couple months go, the Marlins need to see some vintage Fairbanks between now and August.