Ely Sussman

The Miami Marlins are "progressing in their efforts" to trade right-hander Edward Cabrera, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported Tuesday night. They identify the Baltimore Orioles as one of Cabrera's suitors, with Jon Heyman of the New York Post adding that "numerous teams" are involved in the bidding. Cabrera enjoyed the best season of his career in 2025. The 27-year-old posted a 3.53 ERA, 3.99 xERA with 150 strikeouts and 2.8 bWAR in 137 ⅔ innings pitched. As always, though, his workload was limited by injury—he suffered a right middle finger blister in spring training and a right elbow sprain in late August. He's under club control for three more seasons via arbitration. MLB Trade Rumors projects him for a $3.7 million salary in 2026. The Orioles' reported interest is unsurprising considering that these teams collaborated on a win-win trade at the 2024 trade deadline when the Fish exchanged Trevor Rogers for Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby. Rogers was Baltimore's best starter last season, but he will be eligible for free agency next winter, and regardless, the O's need more rotation depth behind him to realistically contend during this upcoming campaign. With the Marlins in need of upgrades at the corner infield spots, Jordan Westburg and Coby Mayo are among the names they could be seeking in return. Catcher Samuel Basallo is Baltimore's top-ranked prospect, but he has already been signed to an eight-year contract extension, making it highly unlikely that he'd be available. "Some teams believe (Cabrera) will not be traded" due to an exorbitantly high asking price, Rosenthal and Sammon noted. View full rumor

Using a built-in off-day from their original 2026 regular season schedule, the Miami Marlins announced on Tuesday that their Opening Day matchup against the Colorado Rockies has been moved from March 26 to March 27. Just like all of the club's other Friday home games, first pitch will be at 7:10 p.m. The dates and start times for the other two games of the series remain the same. This news comes nearly a month after the Marlins began selling single-game tickets. They had to wait for approval from Major League Baseball before finalizing the change. Opening Day always draws one of the Marlins' largest crowds of the season. The team anticipates less congestion around loanDepot park for a 7:10 p.m. game compared to a 4:10 p.m. game; each of the past three years, they have hosted 4:10 p.m. openers. Another byproduct of the later start time is the game will end long after the sun sets, allowing for a postgame fireworks show. The biggest benefit to the Marlins is maximizing attendance and local television viewership. Needless to say, a higher percentage of people will be available for a Friday night game than a Thursday afternoon game. The Marlins have an awful 2-9 record over their last 11 Opening Day games, though they defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in walk-off fashion on March 27, 2025. Perhaps superstitious folks can appreciate that this date change perfectly aligns the 2026 opener with that fond memory. View full article

In separate MLB Network interviews, Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and manager Clayton McCullough addressed some frequently asked questions about why the team wants coaches to make pitch-calling decisions instead of catchers. View full video

During his Winter Meetings media availability, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough discusses his optimism for Ryan Weathers, Otto Lopez, Sandy Alcantara and Connor Norby in 2026. View full video

On Sunday, the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee voted Jeff Kent into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. An extraordinary offensive second baseman best remembered for his tenure with the San Francisco Giants, Kent was a late-bloomer—each of the top nine seasons of his career in terms of fWAR came between ages 29 and 37. This was his first opportunity to be evaluated by the committee after having fallen off the writers' ballot three years earlier. Prior to the announcement, there had been rumblings from the baseball media that former Miami Marlins manger Don Mattingly was well-positioned to get the nod. Mattingly was the best first baseman in Major League Baseball during his first four full seasons (1985-1988). Unfortunately, back problems shortened his peak and he retired at the relatively young age of 34. In parts of 14 MLB seasons, "Donnie Baseball" slashed .307/.358/.471 with 222 home runs, 14 stolen bases and 40.7 fWAR. The six-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove Award winner spent his entire career with the New York Yankees. Alas, Mattingly ultimately received only half of the votes needed for election. Another former Fish, first baseman Carlos Delgado, actually came closer to garnering the necessary support. The other candidates who had their cases reviewed were Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela. In winter ball, Deyvison De Los Santos (Dominican Republic) went 1-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season. Jared Serna (Mexico) went 1-for-4. During a doubleheader, Jacob Berry (Puerto Rico) went 3-for-6 with a walk while Orlando Ortiz-Mayr pitched solidly en route to a no-decision (4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K). Berry's .452 on-base percentage would rank second in the Puerto Rican Winter League if he had enough playing time to qualify. Only 108 days away from Marlins Opening Day. 🔷 The Winter Meetings are underway and Fish On First has two credentialed reporters there this year: Isaac Azout and Kevin Barral. They'll have thorough coverage today as Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and Marlins manager Clayton McCullough are each scheduled to speak with the media. 🔷 While making his trip north, Kevin stopped at the Marlins' spring training facility to provide updates on the ongoing construction. 🔷 Insiders from The Athletic, ESPN and USA Today each have different interpretations of Sandy Alcantara's availability on the trade market. Personally, I would be shocked if he's moved this offseason. 🔷 Now that the Marlins have reduced their 40-man roster count to 39, here is another plug for last month's list of notable Rule 5 draft possibilities for the Marlins. The draft takes place on Wednesday. 🔷 Last week, Jet Ski Rentals of South Florida launched a sponsorship of the FOF podcast! They offer 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. With Christmas and New Year’s around the corner, boats fill up fast—everyone wants that view of the fireworks from the water. They’re reservation-based only. To inquire, call 305-990-2192, or check them out online. 🔷 Speaking of podcasts, congratulations to Jeremiah Geiger on surpassing 200 episodes as host of Locked On Marlins. View full article

We have reached that stage of the MLB offseason where you can believe whichever version of reality you want. There have been a handful of major moves, but the dam hasn't fully burst yet. In the meantime, league sources are attempting to manipulate insiders to steer negotiations toward whichever outcome will ultimately benefit their team/client. At the end of the 2025 season, Miami Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix was non-committal about whether the organization would be retaining veteran rotation leader Sandy Alcantara. That has opened the door for rampant speculation. According to reporting from Jeff Passan of ESPN, "teams aren't clamoring to give Miami the return it would need to give him up." He added in a separate article later in the week that "Miami is almost certain to move a starting pitcher this winter, and Edward Cabrera has generated the most interest." Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic did not distinguish between the availability of the Dominican right-handers: "There’s a strong possibility that the Marlins end up moving one of their starters, league sources said. Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera have continued to attract serious attention from other teams." Most recently, we have this from Bob Nightengale of USA Today as of early Sunday morning: "The Marlins have told teams that ace Sandy Alcantara is staying, but starter Edward Cabrera is available." The general consensus is that Cabrera—who's two and a half years younger than Alcantara, coming off a much more consistent season and considerably cheaper—would bring back more talent in return if traded this winter. View full rumor

The Miami Marlins front office operates very deliberately. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but in two-plus years under the direction of Peter Bendix, the pattern is undeniable. They wait and wait and wait to extract what they deem to be appropriate value—this was exemplified most clearly at the 2024 MLB trade deadline, when the Marlins made six separate trades on deadline day itself. Covering a deliberate front office during the offseason is, frankly, not fun. So I'm going to make it fun by inviting you to an alternate universe in which the Marlins' approach is flipped upside down. What if all of Miami's significant 2025-26 offseason moves were already completed? This exercise does not require too much imagination because the activity of other MLB teams lets us know approximately what it would've cost the Marlins in terms of money and talent to upgrade their roster. Let's say that the Marlins did the following: Signed Josh Naylor to a five-year, $92.5 million deal Signed Ryan Helsley to a two-year, $28 million deal Traded Ryan Weathers, William Kempner and Chris Arroyo to the Boston Red Sox for Jhostynxon García and Jesús Travieso Traded Joe Mack to the Washington Nationals for Jose A. Ferrer and Hunter Hines Signed Will Banfield to a minor league deal Each of these hypothetical moves is based on an official transaction that we have seen around the league over the past month. Naylor, Helsley and Banfield received identical contracts from the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds, respectively. The Weathers/Kempner/Arroyo package is meant to mimic the package of Johan Oviedo, Tyler Samaniego and Adonys Guzman that the Pittsburgh Pirates sent to Boston for García and Travieso. Mack is taking the place of Harry Ford. In addition to Ford, the Mariners gave up their 2025 10th-round draft pick, right-hander Isaac Lyon, in the Ferrer trade. Seattle lacked leverage in negotiations because of the universal understanding that Ford was being "blocked" by the top catcher on the planet, Cal Raleigh, for the foreseeable future. Without that variable influencing the Marlins, I strongly believe Mack's current value is slightly higher than Ford's and it would be the Nationals including their 10th-rounder to balance the scales. Would you have been satisfied if this was what the Marlins had actually done? All-Star-caliber first baseman in the prime of his career, two high-leverage relievers (one of whom is not even arbitration-eligible yet) and a powerful rookie outfielder. In exchange, however, they'd be parting with a controllable starting pitcher who has mid-rotation upside and a major league-ready catcher with brilliant defensive ability. Here is an Opening Day roster projection to demonstrate how the pieces might've fit together: Projected starting lineup—C Agustín Ramírez, 1B Josh Naylor, 2B Xavier Edwards, 3B Graham Pauley, SS Otto Lopez, LF Kyle Stowers, CF Jakob Marsee, RF Jhostynxon García, DH Heriberto Hernández Projected bench—Liam Hicks, Connor Norby, Griffin Conine, Javier Sanoja Projected starting rotation—RHP Sandy Alcantara, RHP Edward Cabrera, RHP Eury Pérez, RHP Janson Junk, LHP Braxton Garrett Projected bullpen—RHP Ryan Helsley, RHP Ronny Henriquez, LHP Jose A. Ferrer, RHP Anthony Bender, RHP Tyler Phillips, LHP Cade Gibson, RHP Calvin Faucher, LHP Andrew Nardi I think these Marlins would probably surpass the club's 79-83 record from last season, but their odds of earning a postseason berth would be a coin flip at best. A few months from now once the dust settles, I'll be circling back to this as well as my original offseason blueprint and compare them to Bendix's real-life maneuvers. View full article

Any player left unprotected for the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft is an extreme longshot. It means they are at least four years into their professional career, yet still don't occupy a spot on their team's 40-man roster or Triple-A roster. There is something—usually, multiple things—holding them back from being viable major league contributors. Following the third Rule 5 draft of the Peter Bendix era, I have spotted a trend: the Miami Marlins like to roll the dice on pitchers with control issues. In 2023, it was Julio Dilone, who they selected from the Seattle Mariners organization. In 2024, it was Texas Rangers farmhand Ricky DeVito. Then this past Wednesday, the Marlins double-dipped with this player profile by picking right-handers Jake Smith (Los Angeles Angels) and Livan Reinoso (Los Angeles Dodgers). I'm talking about pitchers who often don't have a clue where the ball is going—at best 30-grade control on the 20-80 scale. During his pre-draft season, Dilone walked 20.2% of opposing batters compared to the Arizona Complex League average of 13.1%. DeVito was issuing free passes at more than doubled his league's average (21.5% vs. 10.0% for all Texas League pitchers). Smith and Reinoso were both in that neighborhood in 2025 and had the same deficiency in previous campaigns, as documented below: The Dilone and DeVito projects were unsuccessful—both of them were released less than a year after joining the Marlins org. Why might this new erratic duo be any different? Smith's arsenal consists of a sinker, slider, curveball and changeup. Locating the sinker is his primary problem with frequent horizontal misses to both the glove side and arm side. jake smith miss.mp4 The 26-year-old's walk rate was particularly high toward the end of last season following a promotion to Double-A (23.5 BB% in 15.1 IP). However, there were still some impressive sequences from him at that level. Check out these paint jobs: jake smith paint.mp4 The low-hanging fruit with Smith is his wiry frame—he packs only 189 pounds onto his 6'4" frame. Adding strength to his lower body could help with repeating his delivery more consistently. He pretty reliably lands his breaking balls for strikes. If the Marlins can help him reshape those pitches to miss more bats, then he can utilize them to put away batters rather than relying so much on his volatile heater. Reinoso, 27, is still relatively raw as a pitcher considering that most of his focus was devoted to being a position player prior to entering pro ball in 2022. The Dodgers moved him to the mound on a full-time basis. Reinoso's appeal to the Marlins is obvious. He throws gas, sitting 97-99 mph with his four-seam fastball (he touched 100 in the clip below), complemented by a sweeper. His most common mistakes are four-seamers that sail high for easy takes. tstssx.mp4 Only 53.8% of Reinoso's pitches last season were strikes. For context, the worst strike rate by a qualified MLB reliever was Brendon Little at 56.8%. The likelihood of him sticking at the highest level is lower than Smith, but I can see why the Marlins deemed him worthy of the $24,500 draft fee as they dream on his upside. Expect Smith and Reinoso to begin the 2026 season in the Double-A Pensacola bullpen. View full article

Right-hander Zach Brzykcy lasted about a month on the Miami Marlins 40-man roster. The 26-year-old reliever was outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville early Friday evening. Brzykcy was claimed off waivers from the Washington Nationals on November 6. He's coming off a miserable season against both Triple-A competition (9.39 ERA and 6.24 FIP in 23.0 IP) and MLB competition (9.00 ERA and 6.27 FIP in 23.0 IP). That being said, he showed a propensity for striking out righty batters at lower minor league levels. His arsenal includes a four-seam fastball, curveball and changeup. Because Brzykcy entered professional baseball in 2020 and has never previously been outrighted, he must accept the outright assignment and remain with the Marlins organization. If they went through the trouble of claiming him in the first place, it stands to reason that he'll be a non-roster invitee at big league spring training. Here is the updated Marlins roster, which is down to 39 players: The Marlins have expressed interest in a variety of MLB free agents, particularly relievers, corner infielders and corner outfielders. Now, they can make a signing without the need for a corresponding move. If no signing is imminent and their 40-man count remains at 39 entering Wednesday, they can participate in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft. Here are some notable unprotected prospects from other organizations who may appeal to the Fish. View full rumor

I'm guilty of overlooking it myself, but Norby did play a decent amount of OF before getting traded over. As I wrote in a separate article today, he honestly wasn't bad at it in the past and the shortcomings he did have seem more fixable than the ones he has as a third baseman.

Earlier this week on the Marlins Hot Stove Show, Miami Marlins Clayton McCullough revealed that Connor Norby could be utilized as an outfielder next season. That's notable considering the organization has previously been so adamant about Norby devoting all of his energy to third base. Every defensive appearance he's made since mid-August of 2024—minor league and major league, including rehab assignments and even spring training—has been at the hot corner. Norby's conversion to third base has been unsuccessful. He lacks the dexterity to adjust to in-between hops and the reaction time to get in front of extremely hard-hit balls. As a result, he has totaled minus-9 outs above average and minus-10 defensive runs saved in less than a full season's worth of action. His primary focus is continuing to develop there, per McCullough, but it's no longer sensible for that to be his sole focus, especially when the Marlins have another in-house option, Graham Pauley, who has shown himself to be a great third baseman. The Marlins will attempt to increase Norby's defensive versatility by revisiting positions he used to play as a prospect in the Baltimore Orioles organization. During his MiLB career, he spent 497 innings in left field and 206 ⅔ innings in right field, with the vast majority of those reps coming at the Triple-A level. Grinding tape from the 2023 and 2024 seasons, I was encouraged by Norby's performance, even though it was a bit rough around the edges. The ceiling for his defense is higher in the outfield corners than at third base. Norby definitely has enough athleticism to be an outfielder. His 28.8 ft/sec Sprint Speed from 2025 is right on par with the typical center fielder and comfortably above most corner guys. He runs well enough to compensate for poor initial reads and overcome circuitous routes. His arm strength is also an asset. Here is the top highlight that I've come across from Norby's outfield days, approximately 230 feet on the fly directly to the catcher's facemask despite his momentum taking him into foul territory: nn0sm5_1.mp4 In this next scenario, there was no chance at a double play, but he flaunted the upper limit of his throwing range from more than 300 feet away: norby of_arm strength (309 ft).mp4 Norby's main weakness in the outfield was his overzealousness. He would occasionally attempt desperation throws to the plate like the one above even when it meant gifting the trail runner(s) a free 90 feet. I saw him misplay balls when rushing to field them off the ground, and turn singles into extra-base hits with ill-advised dives. But his communication with teammates on fly balls was fine and he demonstrated an understanding of who had priority in each situation. Although he didn't look particularly smooth when navigating around outfield walls, he made all the plays that he was supposed to make. Regardless of which moves the Marlins make over the course of this offseason, I'd like to see Norby get reacquainted with the outfield in spring training. Ultimately, the 25-year-old's playing time will be influenced most of all by his offensive adjustments (.251/.300/.389 slash line in 88 games last season). He'll need to be more selective against right-handed pitching and more of a power threat against lefties to stake his claim to an everyday role. View full article

On Thursday in winter ball, Deyvison De Los Santos (Dominican Republic) went 1-for-4 with a game-winning two-run triple. Jared Serna (Mexico) went 1-for-4. Jacob Berry (Puerto Rico) went 0-for-3 with a walk. Eric Rataczak (Australia) went 2-for-5. Only 111 days away from Marlins Opening Day. 🔷 Add Cedric Mullins to the growing list of free agents who the Marlins reportedly pursued before getting outbid. The Fish are gradually running out of excuses for their inactivity as 19 of the 29 other MLB clubs have completed at least one major league free agent signing this offseason. 🔷 I watched clips of Connor Norby's outfield defense from the 2023 and 2024 seasons and came away optimistic that he could become more effective there than he has at third base. Marlins manager Clayton McCullough insists that Norby's "focus" is still on playing third. 🔷 Louis Addeo-Weiss reflects on the career of Baseball Hall of Fame candidate Carlos Delgado, whose 2005 season was as impressive as any we've ever seen from a Marlins first baseman. 🔷 Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp executive vice president and general manager Harold Craw has been hired by the Tampa Bay Rays. The Jumbo Shrimp elevated Matt Goudreau to fill his shoes while promoting Noel Blaha to senior vice president. Jacksonville's hitting coach, Mike Marjama, announced that he'll be working for the San Francisco Giants (his childhood team). 🔷 This week, the Marlins added job postings for part-time guest experience staff, a senior software engineer, a coordinator of partnerships and a pro scouting internship. 🔷 Every year, I enjoy passing along historical comps for all players on the Marlins 40-man roster courtesy of Dan Szymborski's ZiPS projections. 🔷 Tyler Boronski interviewed former Marlins great Dontrelle Willis about his playing career and becoming a broadcaster. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, old friend Miguel Rojas re-signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a one-year, $5.5 million deal. He will retire after the 2026 season and transition to a player development role within the organization. The Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a five-player trade centered around outfielder Jhostynxon García and Johan Oviedo. loanDepot park will host the La Gente del Barrio Celebrity Softball Game & Home Run Derby on Saturday. On Sunday night, we'll find out who (if anybody) the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee has picked to join the 2026 Hall of Fame class. View full article

The Miami Marlins were among the teams in pursuit of free agent outfielder Cedric Mullins before he reached a one-year, $7 million agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Fish On First heard the same from a source familiar with the club's thinking. The 31-year-old Mullins would have been a potential bounce-back candidate after posting 1.3 fWAR in 2025, his lowest ever in a full-length season. Even without starting on a daily basis, he continued to provide an intriguing combination of power (17 HR) and speed (22 SB) while also drawing walks at a career-high 10% rate. However, the quality of his defense in center field has slipped. It's unclear whether the Marlins intended to use Mullins in center or transition the former All-Star to a corner spot in deference to Jakob Marsee. It caught FOF off-guard last month when the Marlins were linked to Mike Yastrzemski (who remains available). Although they aren't targeting left-handed outfielders per se to add to a group that already includes Marsee, Kyle Stowers and Griffin Conine, they are open-minded to veterans with good offensive track records and a willingness to accept short-term deals. Entering Thursday, the Marlins' only acquisitions through the first month-plus of the MLB offseason have been waiver claims and minor league signings. View full rumor