Ely Sussman

You know the saying about one man's trash. To be blunt, Chris Paddack was a trash signing for the Miami Marlins last offseason. Penciled into their starting rotation from the get-go, the veteran right-hander lasted barely a month into the 2026 regular season. He posted a 7.63 ERA and 4.96 FIP in 30 ⅔ innings pitched, with the Marlins losing all six of his starts. The notoriously thrifty Fish reluctantly flushed $4 million down the drain. After brief stints with the Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers, Paddack made the unorthodox midseason move overseas. He debuted with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on July 18. As humbling as it must have been for Paddack to drop down to a lower level of competition, the fit proved to be fantastic. He had a 2.95 ERA and 3.05 FIP in 13 games (12 starts) during the second half of the KBO campaign. His strikeout rate spiked from 15.0% to 26.4% and he allowed home runs half as often. The Lions finished second in the KBO League standings. On Wednesday in Game 2 of the Korean Series, Paddack pitched admirably (7.0 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K). He recorded a no-decision as the Lions won in extra innings. He returned to the mound on short rest during Sunday's Game 5, tossing four perfect innings of relief to clinch the league championship. The Lion roster featured another former Marlins player. Although a lousy hitter in the big leagues from 2020-22, Lewin Díaz is a KBO superstar. This season, he slashed .305/.384/.510 with 26 home runs, two stolen bases and a 134 wRC+. Since his arrival to the league in August 2024, no KBO player has driven in more total runs (306). The Dominican first baseman went 7-for-22 at the plate during the Korean Series. The Lions have a proud history, ranking second among all KBO teams with nine championships since entering the league in 1982. However, this victory snapped a 12-year title drought. View full article

On Friday, Miami Marlins outfield prospect Max Williams had one of his most productive games of the Arizona Fall League season. In his only plate appearance, he reached base safely because a 95 mph fastball plunked him on the left foot. Unable to put his full weight on the foot without discomfort, he was removed for a pinch-runner. Yes, that qualified as a successful day at the office as Williams wraps up a historically poor showing in the desert. With two games remaining for the Glendale Desert Dogs, Fish On First's 22nd-ranked prospect is slashing .157/.214/.157 while striking out 30.3% of the time in what is a notoriously hitter-friendly league. His .371 OPS is second-lowest among all qualified AFL hitters. No extra-base hits. No balls that even reached the warning track. That is despite having the platoon advantage against 82.1% of opposing pitchers. For position players, being selected to participate in the AFL is typically a significant career milestone. It means your MLB organization has made it a priority for you to get additional game reps. On the heels of a brilliant but abbreviated 2026 minor league season, has this AFL stint actually stunted Williams' growth rather than accelerated it? Prior to this year, we have comprehensive public data from 20 other AFL seasons (2005-19 and 2021-25). Only 15 players from that period accrued at least 50 plate appearances while posting a lower OPS than Williams. Of those 15, ten reached the major leagues, but of those ten, just one went on to have any seasons as a qualified MLB hitter (Joc Pederson). Being lenient due to the volatility of small sample sizes, let's also consider the 15 AFL players since 2005 directly ahead of Williams in terms of OPS. Unfortunately, their MLB debut rate was even lower and the most notable career of the bunch belongs to Owen Miller (0.7 fWAR in 304 games across parts of six seasons). Adding more context does not brighten Williams' outlook. At 22 years old, he's approximately the same age as the average AFL hitter. He already had some experience at the Double-A level prior to this. Although the 2025 draft pick was sidelined for most of this year coming off shoulder surgery, he was injury-free from July 9 onward. There was still rust to shake off as a fielder— Marlins affiliates mainly used him as a designated hitter upon his return from the IL—but not at the plate. Entering Friday, Williams had been swinging at 61.1% of total pitches, according to TJ Stats, placing him in the 98th percentile among AFL hitters. That extremely aggressive approach is failing him in part because a lot of those swings are chases outside the strike zone, but more concerningly, he's frequently whiffing inside the zone (sixth percentile in Z-Contact%). For all of the doom and gloom in this article so far, I'll remind you that Williams' primary problem in the fall league has been the absence of power. His amateur and professional track record strongly suggests that is an anomaly. He slugged .582 as a college sophomore in 2024, followed by .598 in 2025. This past summer, he bumped it up further to .620. That distinguishes him from fellow Marlins prospect PJ Morlando, who similarly stunk in the AFL last year and has done little before or since to show he's capable of handling an eventual major league role. Williams is a guess hitter, and when he guesses right, he sends balls out of sight to all fields. With such simple, repeatable swing mechanics, he can rebound by seeing the ball more clearly and making better decisions. This past month has unquestionably been a disappointment, but it doesn't disqualify him from contributing to the Marlins in the coming years. View full article

Thomas White has topped Marlins prospect lists for years, but Baseball America's Jacob Rudner explains why there's now a strong case to be made for Cam Cannarella coming off his terrific 2026 season. View full video

Here is what made Cam Cannarella the easy pick for Marlins Minor League Player of the Year. View full video

With the 2026 World Series wrapped up, Fish On First staffers prepare you for what comes next. Thursday's show was hosted by Ely Sussman and featured panelists Kevin Barral and Jeremiah Geiger. This podcast is brought to you by Jet Ski Rentals of South Florida—offering Miami’s best jet ski and boat adventures. With six jet ski locations and over 120 boats, there’s something for every style and every budget. They’re reservation-based only. To inquire, call 305-990-2192, or check them out online at SFJetskiRentals.com. Make sure to use promo code FISHONFIRST to receive 10% off your next booking. You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. On Friday morning, the exercising of Sandy Alcantara's club option became official. View full article

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins news and rumors and prepare you for what lies ahead. Tuesday's show was hosted by Ely Sussman and featured panelist Kevin Barral. This podcast is brought to you by Jet Ski Rentals of South Florida—offering Miami’s best jet ski and boat adventures. With six jet ski locations and over 120 boats, there’s something for every style and every budget. They’re reservation-based only. To inquire, call 305-990-2192, or check them out online at SFJetskiRentals.com. Make sure to use promo code FISHONFIRST to receive 10% off your next booking. You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. Following the release of Bradley Blalock on Tuesday, the Marlins 40-man roster is down to 35 players. View full article

Following the World Series, the Miami Marlins had to trim from their 40-man roster, with 38 players occupying spots and five others waiting to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Catchers Logan Driscoll and Brian Navarreto and right-handers Zach Brzykcy, Wikelman González and Tyler Zuber were the odd men out. All five of them cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville. Re-signed by the Marlins to minor league deals last offseason, Navarreto and Zuber spent the majority of 2026 on the club's active roster. However, Navarreto was utterly useless with a bat in his hands (19 wRC+ in 32 games), while Zuber underwent elbow surgery earlier this month that is expected to sideline him for the majority of next season. They can both elect free agency once again, but Driscoll, Brzykcy and González will remain under the Marlins' control. After the rest of the 60-day IL guys are reinstated, there will be two open spots on Miami's 40-man. View full rumor

Over the last calendar year, the Miami Marlins not only traded from all of the position groups on their roster, but from nearly all levels of their farm system. Following the conclusion of the World Series, let's check in on how each of those players have done with their new organizations. In addition to covering every Marlins trade of 2026, I'm including a couple that were finalized in the final days of 2025. They've been put in chronological order below. Dane Myers Traded to Cincinnati Reds on December 27 Marlins received Ethan O'Donnell in return Myers received almost precisely the same amount of playing time with the Reds (334 plate appearances) as he did during his final Marlins season (333 PA). His results were much better, vaulting from 0.0 fWAR to 1.2 fWAR. The combination of an increased walk rate and better baserunning decisions accounted for a lot of his improvement. Also worth noting, the Reds used him exclusively in center field. The right-handed-hitting Myers was carefully platooned early on, but his role expanded during the second half of the year. He's a virtual lock to crack Cincinnati's 2027 Opening Day roster. Adriano Marrero Traded to Los Angeles Dodgers on December 30 Marlins received Esteury Ruiz in return Marrero was dealt by Miami less than a year after signing with the organization as an international free agent. His ability to spin the ball and induce ground balls stood out during his solid minor league debut season in the Dominican Summer League. As an 18-year-old, he moved up to the Arizona Complex League in 2026, though his workload in official MiLB games actually went down. The Cuban right-hander posted a 4.56 ERA and 5.37 FIP in 25 ⅔ innings pitched, which included one Low-A appearance at the end of the summer. Eric Wagaman Traded to Minnesota Twins on January 2 Marlins received Kade Bragg in return Less than a month after the regular season began, Wagaman was designated for assignment again. He spent most of 2026 with the New York Mets organization, constantly shuttling back and forth between Queens and Triple-A Syracuse. In 26 games with the Mets, Wagaman slashed .191/.269/.319 with two home runs and a 67 wRC+. Edward Cabrera Traded to Chicago Cubs on January 7 Marlins received Owen Caissie, Edgardo De Leon and Cristian Hernández in return Coming off a career year, Cabrera began his Cubs tenure with back-to-back scoreless starts. It was all downhill from there. The enigmatic right-hander made 13 more starts after that, allowing multiple runs in each of them. Cabrera landed on the injured list with hamstring and blister issues, limiting him to 7 ⅔ innings during the second half of the season. He posted a career-worst 5.96 ERA and his underlying numbers weren't much prettier (5.35 FIP and 5.40 xERA). The Cubs will probably tender him a contract for 2027, but for there to be any doubt about that speaks to how much his value has plummeted since the trade. Ryan Weathers Traded to New York Yankees on January 13 Marlins received Dylan Jasso, Brendan Jones, Dillon Lewis and Juan Matheus in return It was a career year for Weathers, who posted a 3.60 ERA in 137 ⅓ innings pitched. He made himself difficult for opposing hitters to predict by utilizing his full pitch mix. Weathers' changeup, slider, sweeper and four-seam fastball each accounted for at least 30 strikeouts. Weathers made 25 uninterrupted starts to begin the season before suffering a forearm flexor strain in late August. Even with the IL stint, he ranked third on the Yankees pitching staff in innings and strikeouts. He made two scoreless relief appearances in October. Jake Brooks Traded to Colorado Rockies on January 20 Marlins received Bradley Blalock in return Splitting his season between Double-A and Triple-A, Brooks was durable and efficient. He ranked second among all minor league pitchers with 158 ⅔ innings. He finished with a flourish, posting a 1.05 ERA and .169 batting average against in September. Brooks' fastball velocity only sits in the low 90s, but he gets about seven feet of extension during his delivery and commands his secondary pitches well. He'll get a taste of the majors next season barring injury. Victor Mesa Jr. Traded to Tampa Bay Rays on February 6 Marlins received Angel Brachi in return None of these ex-Marlins exceeded expectations by a larger margin post-trade than Mesa. His .498 slugging percentage led all American League rookies with a minimum of 200 plate appearances. VMJ was one of MLB's worst hitters during the postseason (.140/.229/.209 slash line in 14 games), but he still made a contribution to Tampa Bay's AL pennant run with excellent defense. Dub Gleed Traded to Toronto Blue Jays on March 29 Marlins received Leo Jiménez in return Gleed powered up in his second MiLB season. After homering only twice in 71 games as a Marlins farmhand, he amassed 19 bombs in 114 games in 2026. He ranked second among Blue Jays prospects with 121 hits and slashed .282/.363/.480. With a passable glove at third base, Gleed is on his way to having more major league usefulness than Jiménez did. Liam Hicks Traded to Tampa Bay Rays on August 3 Marlins received Jacob Kisting, Adrian Santana and Brayden Taylor in return Hicks was enjoying a breakout year prior to the trade and there was no slippage in his production upon joining the Rays. He slashed .288/.379/.440 with a 130 wRC+ in 41 regular season games after the deadline. Overall, he was one of only four qualified MLB hitters to have more walks than strikeouts. The Rays leaned heavily on Hicks behind the plate in October. He started all but two of their postseason games. Under the brightest of lights, Tampa Bay pitchers combined for a 2.91 ERA with him as their catcher. Braxton Garrett Traded to Chicago Cubs on August 3 Marlins received Jace Beck and Jonathon Long in return With nothing at stake for the Cubs in their regular season finale, Garrett pitched five innings in relief in picked up a win. That would turn out to be his only major league action with his new organization. He spent the rest of August and September as an unremarkable Triple-A starter. Lake Bachar Traded to Pittsburgh Pirates on August 3 Marlins received Brandan Bidois, Hyun Seung Lee and Brian Sanchez in return Bachar was throwing six different pitches with regularity at the time of the trade. The Pirates advised him to simplify his attack plan, phasing out his sinker and splitter. The results were largely positive as the right-hander posted a 2.57 ERA in 28 innings down the stretch. He recorded strikeouts in each of his 15 Pirates outings. The Marlins had dabbled with using Bachar as an opener, but the Pirates wholeheartedly embraced the concept. More than half of the right-hander's post-trade appearances came at the start of games. Aiden May and Connor Norby Traded to Colorado Rockies on August 3 Marlins received Victor Vodnik in return May was in High-A Beloit's starting rotation at the time of the trade. He remained at the same level and in the same role with the Spokane Indians. He made five post-trade starts, pitching to a 4.43 ERA and 4.22 FIP in 22 ⅓ innings. May's walk rate dropped a lot from year to year, but his overall command is still subpar and he is heavily reliant on breaking balls. A conversion to the bullpen seems inevitable long term. Reminiscent of 2024, when he was dealt by the Baltimore Orioles to the Marlins, Norby acclimated himself well to a rebuilding team. Even with home games at high altitude, there's no scoffing at a .302/.387/.457 slash line, which included a career-high 12-game hitting streak. The Rockies mainly deployed him at second base. Jacob Berry Traded to Kansas City Royals on August Marlins received cash considerations in return The Marlins practically gave away their 2022 first-round draft pick. Berry changed his plate approach upon joining the Royals org, swinging much more often and hitting more balls over the fence. The bottomline results were the same, though (104 wRC+ with Triple-A Jacksonville and 103 wRC+ with Triple-A Omaha). The Storm Chasers used Berry most often at right field, followed by third base and second base. After totaling 250 games against AAA competition, he's still waiting to be called up to the majors. View full article

Here is the best of Dillon Lewis' season with the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos, with some bonus clips from the Arizona Fall League. View full video

A young, relatively inexperienced team like the Miami Marlins has hardly any players on fully guaranteed contracts, which can make their roster overview confusing. This article simplifies the status of every player on Miami's 40-man roster. You will find 45 players below because I've included members of the 60-day injured list. After the conclusion of the World Series, those players must be reinstated from the IL. This list will be updated at that time and there'll be subsequent updates throughout the 2026-27 offseason following any major league transactions. All arbitration projections are courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors. Pre-arbitration players typically earn within a few thousand dollars of the MLB minimum salary, which was $780,000 for 2026. Players have been listed in alphabetical order. Maximo Acosta: Pre-arbitration Sandy Alcantara: Club option for 2027 at $21 million ($2M buyout) Anthony Bender: Fourth year of arbitration eligibility ($3.4M projection) Brandan Bidois: Pre-arbitration Bradley Blalock: Pre-arbitration Zach Brzykcy: Pre-arbitration Owen Caissie: Pre-arbitration Griffin Conine: Pre-arbitration Deyvison De Los Santos: Pre-arbitration Logan Driscoll: Pre-arbitration Xavier Edwards: First year of arbitration eligibility ($3.5M projection) Josh Ekness: Pre-arbitration Pete Fairbanks: Free agent Calvin Faucher: Second year of arbitration eligibility ($2.9M projection) Dax Fulton: Pre-arbitration Wikelman González: Pre-arbitration Ryan Gusto: Pre-arbitration Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL): Pre-arbitration Heriberto Hernández: Pre-arbitration Janson Junk: Pre-arbitration William Kempner (60-day IL): Pre-arbitration Otto Lopez: First year of arbitration eligibility ($5.4M projection) Joe Mack: Pre-arbitration Jakob Marsee: Pre-arbitration Adam Mazur (60-day IL): Pre-arbitration Max Meyer: Second year of arbitration eligibility ($2.7M projection) Patrick Monteverde: Pre-arbitration Andrew Nardi (60-day IL): Second year of arbitration eligibility ($1.1M projection) Brian Navarreto: Pre-arbitration Graham Pauley: Pre-arbitration Eury Pérez: First year of arbitration eligibility ($3.2M projection) Michael Petersen: Pre-arbitration Tyler Phillips: Pre-arbitration Jack Ralston: Pre-arbitration Agustín Ramírez: Pre-arbitration Esteury Ruiz: First year of arbitration eligibility ($1.3M projection) Javier Sanoja: Pre-arbitration Jared Serna: Pre-arbitration Robby Snelling (60-day IL): Pre-arbitration Kyle Stowers: First year of arbitration eligibility ($3.2M projection) Victor Vodnik: First year of arbitration eligibility ($1.4M projection) Josh White: Pre-arbitration Tyler Zuber: First year of arbitration eligibility ($900k projection) View full article

Miguel Rojas said this spring that he planned on making the 2026 season the final one of his playing career. He stuck to his word Thursday night when his Los Angeles Dodgers were swept out of the National League Championship Series, telling reporters postgame that "this is it." Always dismissed during his minor league days as a low-ceiling player, Rojas remarkably spent parts of 13 seasons in the majors. He debuted with the Dodgers in 2014 and didn't hit a lick during his 85-game rookie campaign, but his production perked up after an offseason trade to the Miami Marlins. He played eight seasons with them and spent most of 2018-22 as the club's starting shortstop. Rojas ranks seventh in franchise history with 870 games played and second with 27 outs above average (the latter erat has only been tracked since 2016, but still). In addition to his contact ability and steady glovework, the Marlins valued Rojas' intangibles. He twice signed contract extensions with the Fish. No other position player has been extended since then. The Marlins sent Rojas to the Dodgers in January 2023 in exchange for Jacob Amaya. That proved to be a lopsided deal, as even though Rojas' role shrank in LA, he was perfectly suited for it. The Dodgers used Rojas as utility player, finding reps for him all around their infield, particularly against left-handed pitching. The signature moment of Rojas' career came during the 2025 World Series when the then-36-year-old stepped to the plate in the ninth inning of Game 7, with the Dodgers trailing the Toronto Blue Jays by a run. He saved their season by hitting a game-tying solo home run off Jeff Hoffman. The Dodgers took the lead in extras and clinched back-to-back championships. Overall, Rojas accrued 15.3 fWAR in his career and earned more than $40 million. Fish On First wishes “Miggy Ro” all the best in the next phase of his life. View full article