Peter Bendix noncommittal about contract extensions

The Miami Marlins front office is keeping things close to the vest when it comes to contract extensions. 

When Marlins owner Bruce Sherman and general manager Peter Bendix spoke to media Tuesday afternoon in Jupiter, Bendix was asked about what boxes need to be checked before he approaches a player about an extension.

“It's really a case-by-case situation,” Bendix said. "We have a lot of young talented players. So there's always going to be that discussion. And whenever there's questions about that, whenever it's something we're thinking about, that's what we're aiming for. It means we have a really talented player who wants to be here.”

When asked the day before, one of those extension candidates, Luis Arraez, said he still hasn’t been approached for those talks. He said he is “100 percent” interested in staying in Miami.

“I love Miami,” Arraez said. “My family is here. Everybody lives in Miami. I love the fans.”

Turning 27 on April 9, Arraez is under team control for the next two seasons before he becomes a free agent after the 2025 season.

“I love that he wants to stay here,” Bendix said. “I would much prefer players want to stay here than not. That's the kind of culture that we're building. And those conversations happen in due time. That's something that we're going to keep internal. But it's meaningful when you have really good players who want to be here.”

Just prior to this year’s spring training, Arraez lost his arbitration case to the Marlins, being awarded a $10.6 million salary instead of the $12 million he filed for.

The Venezuelan second baseman was traded to Miami just before the 2023 season in exchange for right-handed pitcher Pablo López. Arraez won the National League batting title, hitting .354 with 30 doubles and 10 home runs. He became the first player in major league history to win batting titles in consecutive years in both leagues. 

“We love Luis Arraez,” Sherman said. “We congratulated him in front of his teammates on winning the batting title. I look forward to giving him that Silver Slugger award.”

Jesús Luzardo, another extension candidate, is under team control through 2026, on track to reach the open market at 29 years old. 

The Parkland native and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School graduate pitched a career-high 178 ⅔ innings in 2023 and recorded a 3.58 ERA. After ace Sandy Alcantara suffered a UCL sprain in September last year, Luzardo started Game 1 for the Marlins in the National League Wild Card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The lefty gave up three runs in four innings in Miami’s first playoff game since 2003.

With Alcantara set to miss the entire 2024 season, it’s very likely Luzardo will get the ball on Opening Day against the Pittsburgh Pirates at loanDepot park on March 28 and be the Marlins ace the rest of the way.

The last Marlins player to agree to an extension was left-handed relief pitcher Richard Bleier—the club gave him two years and $6 million in 2022. Midway through that deal, Bleier was traded to the Boston Red Sox prior to the 2023 season in exchange for reliever Matt Barnes.

Prior to Bleier, the Marlins extended starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara. Entering his first season of arbitration eligibility, Alcantara and the Marlins agreed to a five-year, $56 million extension with a club option for 2027.

During his two years as general manager of the Tampa Bay Rays from 2021-2023, Bendix was involved in negotiating a few extensions that secured additional years of club control, such as those for infielder Yandy Díaz and relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks. 

Bendix also signed infielder Wander Franco to an 11-year extension worth $182 million, which was the largest in Rays franchise history.