Ely Sussman

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers.

These notes apply to the second game of Miami's road series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Starting Lineup

2B Xavier Edwards (S)

DH Agustín Ramírez

SS Otto Lopez

RF Heriberto Hernandez

1B Eric Wagaman

LF Kyle Stowers (L)

CF Dane Myers

C Nick Fortes

3B Javier Sanoja

P Janson Junk

Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

There won't be room for everybody, and that's the way Major League Baseball likes it. The purpose of the annual MLB Rule 5 Draft is to prevent organizations from hoarding talent in the minors. Players who are at least four seasons removed from being drafted out of college and five seasons removed from being drafted out of high school or signed internationally are eligible to be whisked away by other teams unless they are protected on the 40-man roster.

At first glance, you may think that there are plenty of expendable pieces on the Miami Marlins' 40-man, removing the drama from this year's roster crunch. Keep in mind, however, that six injured players will have to be reinstated from the 60-day IL following the season. The "easy" decisions will get made then. The deadline to protect eligible prospects is in mid-November.

Catcher Joe Mack (a 2021 amateur draft pick) is in a tier of his own—he is certain to receive a 40-man spot, with the only question being whether or not he'll make his Marlins debut before season's end.

Let's update the progress of seven lesser-hyped prospects who could be considered for Rule 5 protection depending on how the rest of their 2025 campaign goes. Their current MiLB level is in parentheses.

OF Andrew Pintar (AAA)

Andrew Pintar slipped off of our Fish On First Top 30 list over the weekend. He's still an intriguing prospect who leads all Triple-A Jacksonville players this season in Sprint Speed and has been successful on 15 consecutive stolen base attempts. The former Arizona Diamondbacks farmhand—he was acquired in the 2024 A.J. Puk trade—plays a smooth center field.

Since coming off the injured list at the start of August, Pintar has slashed .265/.375/.471.

The main concern with Pintar is that he might not be able to hit right-handed pitching. He has posted a 32% strikeout rate against Triple-A righties this season. Significant improvement in that area moving forward may persuade the Marlins to select him. 

RHP Josh White (AAA)

I could definitely see Josh White being a Marlins September call-up. All of the relievers covered below have practically the same earned run average, but White has been the most impressive of the bunch, with a 1.61 FIP that's even better than his ERA. In fact, it's the lowest FIP across all of Minor League Baseball among pitchers who have thrown at least 50 innings.

It doesn't get much redder than this (courtesy of Prospect Savant):

White's fastball velocity (93.6 mph) is actually a tick below the average for MLB righty relievers, but his over-the-top delivery is tough to adjust to and his slider dominates batters on either side of the plate.

If White is somehow left unprotected by the Marlins, he is the likeliest player here to depart in the Rule 5.

RHP William Kempner (AA)

Oh look, another under-the-radar Peter Bendix transaction that's paying dividends. Earlier this year, the Marlins traded $250,000 in international bonus pool money to acquire William Kempner from the San Francisco Giants. He had been injured for practically the entire 2024 season with the exception of a couple weeks in the Arizona Fall League.

Kempner has stayed healthy throughout his age-24 campaign, throwing the ball better than ever as we enter the home stretch. As of this writing, he's in the midst of 12 straight scoreless appearances with only three earned runs allowed over his last 35 ⅔ innings pitched. Nobody has homered off of him since joining the Marlins org.

Unlike White, Kempner releases the ball from a very low arm slot, generating a ton of horizontal break on his sweeper running away from right-handers. He uses his mid-90s sinker to get ahead in counts against lefties by stealing inside strikes.

There are some similarities to the Marlins' own Anthony Bender, though Kempner's control is well below average for the time being.

LHP Dale Stanavich (AAA)

After overpowering lefties a season ago, Dale Stanavich actually has reverse platoon splits in 2025. He's throwing only 52% of his pitches for strikes with Jacksonville, otherwise he might have reached the majors already given the Marlins' lack of reliable southpaws.

Although a 15% walk rate is obviously a red flag, Stanavich mitigates the damage by controlling the running game. No base-stealers have been successful against him all year (and only two of them were last year).

RHP Jesse Bergin (AA)

Jesse Bergin was Rule 5-eligible in 2024, but there were no takers. That was understandable for a relief-only prospect with a mere three innings of experience at the High-A level.

Spending the vast majority of this season in Pensacola, Bergin is reliably inducing soft contact while striking out a quarter of opposing batters. Here's a good example of how his fastball/curveball/slider arsenal works:

1B Nathan Martorella (AAA)

Nathan Martorella possesses a promising combination of pull-side power and contact. It just has not been translating to much overall production since he was acquired in early 2024. In the San Diego Padres system, he had a 129 wRC+; in a near-identical sample size with the Marlins, he's down to a 95 wRC+. Additionally, it's rare for any player who is limited to first base defensively to get plucked in the major league phase of the Rule 5.

For what it's worth, Martorella caught fire around this time last year with 11 homers over his final 30 games.

DH Jacob Berry (AAA)

Former Marlins first-rounder Jacob Berry has never come close to justifying his 2022 draft position.

To his credit, this is shaping up to be his best professional season yet. If you were to generously give Berry a mulligan for the months of April and May (he is a notoriously slow starter), his slash line would be .292/.395/.458 with a 135 wRC+ and nearly as many walks as strikeouts. If he keeps that up, maybe another team rolls the dice? 

View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers.

These notes apply to the first game of Miami's road series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Starting Lineup

2B Xavier Edwards (S)

RF Jesús Sánchez (L)

DH Agustín Ramírez

LF Kyle Stowers (L)

SS Otto Lopez

C Liam Hicks (L)

1B Eric Wagaman

3B Graham Pauley (L)

CF Dane Myers

P Cal Quantrill

Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

This reporter has a mixed track record of sometimes getting big scoops/sometimes making s*** up, so not reliable enough to feature in the article, but for what it's worth...

The Arizona Diamondbacks, who are a game ahead of the Miami Marlins, have officially declared themselves trade deadline sellers. On Thursday, they dealt first baseman Josh Naylor to the Seattle Mariners for prospects Tristin English and Brandyn García. 

The concern from Miami's perspective is that the D-backs will continue to shop their pending free agents, including starting pitchers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. That saturates the market. Needless to say, those right-handers will be more attractive to contenders than Marlins trade chip Cal Quantrill because of their superior MLB track records. Also, the asking prices for them should be significantly lower than what the Marlins have assigned to Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera, both of whom have multiple years of club control left beyond 2025. It will be harder to convince contenders to give up their elite young talent for Alcantara or Cabrera when there are solid rental alternatives.

The deadline is six days away.

Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 4-2. Jacob Berry drilled the game-winning home run, which was also his longest one at the Triple-A level (estimated at 436 feet). Double-A Pensacola won, 10-7. They bailed out Dax Fulton, who retired only four of the 13 batters he faced (1.1 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 60 pitches/34 strikes). Eight different Blue Wahoos players drove in runs. High-A Beloit lost, 9-2. Garret Forrester sneakily has a .408 on-base percentage this season. Low-A Jupiter lost, 3-2. Andrew Salas hit his first career minor league homer. DSL Marlins won, 4-2. DSL Miami lost, 7-6.

More Marlins news and content below:

🔷 I wrote about every angle that the Marlins need to consider before pulling the trigger on an Alcantara trade.

🔷 The FCL Marlins season ended with a rainout. The team lost 15 of their final 16 games. It was frankly an uninteresting summer for stateside rookie ball prospects. No hitter with significant playing time slugged above .382 (Breyias Dean). Rotation anchors and 2024 draft picks Nate Payne and Grant Shepardson were bright spots—they should get moved up to Jupiter soon. The career of Jun-Seok Shim (10.80 ERA and 29.5 BB% in 13.1 IP) has been fully derailed.

🔷 On this day in 1995, the Marlins set a franchise record by tripling over times in a win over the San Francisco Giants.

🔷 Griffin Conine and Just Baseball's Aram Leighton will be opening packs of 2025 Topps Chrome baseball cards at Lids in Boca Raton on Saturday.

🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Detroit Tigers have lost 10 of their last 11, though still enjoy the largest cushion of any MLB division leader (eight games). Nick Kurtz had two more extra-base hits on Thursday, upping his July slash line to .373/.455/.896. He has seized the lead in the American League Rookie of the Year race.

🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins begin a three-game series against the team with the best record in the majors, the Milwaukee Brewers (probable starters RHP Cal Quantrill and RHP Freddy Peralta). The Brewers are celebrating their 25th season at American Family Field by bringing in a bunch of alumni. The Marlins have a 34.9% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 4:10 p.m. ET.

🔷 Prior to the game, Fish On First LIVE will preview the Brewers series beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. FOF LIVE is presented by About The Fans. Check out our new merchandise collection (coupon code fof10 for 10% off).

Marlins podcast episodes

View full article

The Miami Marlins need to get this right. They did on December 14, 2017, shipping Marcell Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals for a package headlined by Sandy Alcantara. Things have come full circle—leading up to next Thursday's MLB trade deadline, the Fish will be listening intently as suitors inquire about Alcantara.

What should the Marlins do with the revered right-hander? It depends on the following factors.

Who could you get in return?

Alcantara is under club control through the 2027 season, content with living in South Florida and proud to serve as a veteran presence on a very young team. There is zero pressure on the Marlins to trade him now unless they deem it to be an efficient baseball move.

There really isn't any precedent for a pitcher with such poor recent results getting traded for a rich prospect haul. On the other hand, front office thinking has rapidly evolved. Alcantara's appalling 6.66 ERA this year is not a deal-breaker. Opposing teams are unbothered by how much the Marlins have struggled to prevent runs with him on the mound—it's solely about what they forecast him to do moving forward with their own infrastructure. Therefore, his 4.48 FIP and 5.00 xERA are more relevant to his valuation, and the Marlins can point to how much his control has improved since the beginning of June, which has dropped his FIP to 3.60 over his last nine starts.

The dream scenario would be emulating the 2017 José Quintana trade in which the Chicago White Sox acquired both Eloy Jiménez and Dylan Cease from the Cubs (along with two lesser prospects) despite the durable Quintana being in the midst of an uneven season. The Marlins simply wouldn't be able to refuse upside like that—Jiménez and Cease were considered 60-grade and 55-grade prospects, respectively.

But what if Alcantara only entices offers akin to last winter's Jesús Luzardo deal? The Marlins made a bold bet on Starlyn Caba, a far-from-the-majors, defense-first, 55-grade talent. That should be the bare minimum they consider taking back for a former Cy Young Award winner who has established he's healthy again.

The risk of standing pat

There is more to Alcantara's ineffectiveness than bad luck and a small sample size. He has allowed more hard contact and induced fewer swinging strikes than ever before. Also, pitcher health is notoriously unpredictable. There are countless examples of guys who had "workhorse" reputations in their 20s, only to fade fast in their 30s (Sandy turns 30 in September).

I laid out the "dream scenario" above. What about the worst-case scenario: Are the Marlins prepared to potentially get nothing in return for Alcantara?

Externally, their farm system quality is regarded as above-average, but not elite. There is sufficient interest in Alcantara to make a deal prior to the deadline that significantly closes that gap. It would be irresponsible to assume that will still be the case next offseason. We simply don't know what the rest of the 2025 holds for him.

What is the Marlins' window of contention?

The Marlins have been a genuinely competitive team since Eury Pérez rejoined their starting rotation—they have the fourth-best record in MLB during that span (.632 winning percentage). But can they sustain that elite play for the remainder of the season? That's literally what it would take to maybe sneak into October with 87 wins. 

There is an important distinction between being competitive and being contenders. The Marlins would need to leapfrog five National League teams to qualify for October baseball, and most of those teams will be upgrading their personnel prior to the deadline. Aside from Alcantara, you can count on one hand the number of players on this roster who have even experienced a full-length season at the major league level. Accounting for their brief and spotty track records and the club's minus-54 run differential, both FanGraphs and PECOTA currently estimate Miami's playoff odds at less than 1%. A potential Detroit Tigers-esque run this year is so improbable, it isn't part of the Alcantara trade calculus.

This is about how the organization views 2026. Integrating top prospects Joe Mack and Jakob Marsee should elevate their defense, and you could be looking at the deepest rotation in the league with the additions of Thomas White and Robby Snelling. With Alcantara still in the fold and the investment in a veteran corner infielder, maybe that would be enough to win consistently from the get-go.

How would you reallocate Alcantara's money?

It's fair to wonder if the Marlins would be fine relying on a combination of Eury Pérez, Edward Cabrera, Ryan Weathers, Braxton Garrett, Janson Junk, Max Meyer, Adam Mazur, Robby Snelling, Thomas White and Valente Bellozo to start games for them next season. All of their 2026 salaries combined would be less than the $17.3 million that Alcantara is guaranteed. "A little spending could go a long way" to supplement those young arms, as Aram Leighton of Just Baseball wrote last week.

An Alcantara trade is unacceptable unless every cent he was owed (and then some) goes toward reinforcing other areas of the Marlins roster. Given the franchise's low hit rate on free agents, perhaps that money facilitates contract extensions or veteran trade acquisitions instead. President of baseball operations Peter Bendix must have a plan for this and the cooperation of principal owner Bruce Sherman beforehand.

How would you explain it to the fanbase?

Bendix's biggest issue since taking over the Marlins front office has been public messaging. He has asked for fans to trust him without divulging the specifics of his long-term strategy. He has inflated expectations for newly acquired players while showing little affection toward those who have already produced at the highest level.

Bendix has traded popular Marlins before, but this is different. Alcantara peaked as the best pitcher in the world and his name is near the top of numerous all-time franchise leaderboards. While it was clear in 2024 that a shake-up was needed, the Fish are firing on all cylinders as this year's deadline approaches. Trading Alcantara multiple years in advance of free agency to a team with championship ambitions and only getting back players with little-to-no MLB experience—that would be challenging to navigate.

Sherman's cheapness is inexcusable, but the reality is that the Marlins are struggling to keep up with most other organizations in terms of local revenue. The baseball ops department is partially responsible—through their actions and explanations—for motivating people to spend on their fandom (season ticket plans, merchandise, etc.). If Bendix pulls the trigger on this, some uncharacteristic transparency could go a long way.

View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers.

These notes apply to the third and final game of Miami's home series against the San Diego Padres.

Starting Lineup

2B Xavier Edwards (S)

RF Jesús Sánchez (L)

SS Otto Lopez

LF Kyle Stowers (L)

DH Agustín Ramírez

1B Liam Hicks (L)

C Nick Fortes

3B Graham Pauley (L)

CF Javier Sanoja

P Sandy Alcantara

Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

The Miami Marlins aren't going to part with him easily, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports, but starting center fielder Dane Myers is a potential trade candidate leading up to next Thursday's deadline. Contending teams have shown interest in the toolsy 29-year-old.

From Opening Day through mid-June, Myers was the best all-around player on the Marlins. Even in the midst of a deep slump at the plate, his .264/.309/.355 slash line this season is comparable to what he posted as a part-time player from 2023-24. In line with his career norms, he continues to have large platoon splits (146 wRC+ vs. LHP, 55 wRC+ vs. RHP).

Myers has been excellent defensively, accruing seven defensive runs saved, four outs above average and seven outfield assists (tied for fifth among MLB outfielders). He's been Miami's starting center fielder in 53 of their first 100 games. Gifted with plus speed, he was also responsible for arguably the consequential baserunning play of this Marlins season.

Rosenthal describes Triple-A Jacksonville standout Jakob Marsee as a "potential replacement" for Myers. I wrote recently about Marsee sliding into Jesús Sánchez's role in the event of a trade, and still think that is the more likely outcome with Sánchez being two years closer to free agency than Myers is.

View full rumor

The MLB trade deadline is eight days away. Here's how the Miami Marlins' main trade chips did in Tuesday's win.

Edward Cabrera (5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 86 pitches/56 strikes) put his elbow injury scare behind him and picked up his fourth W of the season. Jesús Sánchez went 1-for-4 with two batted balls that had 110 mph exit velocities. Anthony Bender retired the side in order in the eighth inning. It was his 12th consecutive scoreless appearance, lowering his ERA to 1.91.

Going a bit deeper on Bender, his value probably is not as high as his career-best run-prevention numbers would suggest. His FIP (3.80) is doubled his ERA as he's striking out both right-handed and left-handed batters less than 20% of the time. Bender has been allowing more hard-hit balls than he did in any previous season, yet his .186 batting average on balls in play is second-lowest among all qualified MLB relievers.

I could see Bender drawing interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers, among others.

Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 8-4. Deyvison De Los Santos, Maximo Acosta and Matt Mervis each homered. Double-A Pensacola won, 6-4. The Blue Wahoos were scoreless until Ryan Ignoffo hit a two-run triple with two outs in the top of the ninth inning. Kemp Alderman returned from a two-week absence by going 1-for-4. The only run allowed by starter Alex Williams was unearned. Williams quietly has a 1.83 ERA in 39 ⅓ innings since being promoted to Pensacola. High-A Beloit lost, 7-4. Wilfredo Lara has had back-to-back three-hit games and is slashing .353/.400/.559 in July. FCL Marlins lost, 7-3. Grant Shepardson finished the complex league season with a 3.67 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 41 ⅔ innings pitched. DSL Marlins won, 9-1. Luis Porfirio, Alejandro De La Cruz and Albert Ortiz combined to throw a no-hitter! The Marlins stole nine bases, including four for Luis Cova and three for Almen Tolentino. DSL Miami won, 10-3. Pedro Montero (3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 2 K) lowered his ERA to 1.19.

More Marlins news and content below:

🔷 Derek Hill (left middle finger sprain) has been placed on the injured list for the third time this season. Jack Winkler was recalled from Jacksonville to fill out the active roster, but he'll rarely play, as we saw during his previous stint in the majors. Heriberto Hernandez is the main beneficiary of Hill's absence—Hernandez has started three straight games.

🔷 Kevin Barral interviewed several of the 2025 Marlins draftees during their visit to loanDepot park on Monday.

🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers' 11-game winning streak was snapped by the Seattle Mariners. Cal Raleigh's solo homer accounted for the only run of the game. Old friend Tanner Scott was placed on the 15-day IL with left elbow inflammation. The Los Angeles Dodgers closer has a 4.14 ERA, 4.03 FIP and MLB-leading seven blown saves this season.

🔷 Today's MLB game: it is a getaway day matinee between the Marlins and San Diego Padres (probable starters RHP Sandy Alcantara and RHP Dylan Cease). Final game in Miami before the trade deadline. Alcantara will be looking to avenge his May 28 stinker in San Diego where he allowed six runs (all earned) and failed to record a single strikeout. The Marlins have a 45.9% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 12:10 p.m. ET.

Marlins podcast episodes

View full article

The Chicago Cubs had a scouting presence at loanDepot park on Tuesday night to get a first-hand look at Miami Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera, according to Matt Cozzi of Locked On Cubs. Fish On First can confirm the report.

The Cubs are certain to be buyers leading up to the July 31 MLB trade deadline. They entered the day with 95.2% playoff odds, per FanGraphs, occupying the National League's top wild-card spot and only one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL Central lead. Their rotation is anchored by Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga, but outside of them, they're lacking clear playoff-caliber starters.

Facing a deep San Diego Padres lineup, Cabrera continued to impress, just as he has for the majority of 2025 (5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 86 pitches/56 strikes). Coming off an elbow injury scare before the All-Star break, the 27-year-old's velocity was slightly up on all of his pitches relative to his full-season averages.

Through 88 innings pitched this season, Cabrera has a 3.48 ERA and 3.56 FIP. He is in his first year of arbitration and under club control through 2028. Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN estimate that there's only a 30% chance of him being moved this summer.

Cabrera is projected to pitch one more time before the deadline during Miami's upcoming road series in St. Louis.

View full rumor

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers.

These notes apply to the second game of Miami's home series against the San Diego Padres.

Starting Lineup

2B Xavier Edwards (S)

RF Jesús Sánchez (L)

SS Otto Lopez

C Agustín Ramírez

DH Kyle Stowers (L)

LF Heriberto Hernandez

1B Eric Wagaman

3B Graham Pauley (L)

CF Dane Myers

P Edward Cabrera

Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

On 7/19/2025 at 5:21 PM, Casey Marika said:

Typically at the deadline the buying team overpays by about $10M-15M. The Marlins trade candidates value are as follows:

Sandy - $17.6M, Deadline Overpay: $27M-$32M

Eddy - $44.2M, Deadline Overpay: $54M-$59M

Sanchy - $28.9M, Deadline Overpay: $39-$44M

The historical trend of deadline overpays is undeniable, yes. I still would be shocked if Sanchy is being valued that way right now. 

He would be a modest upgrade for a handful of teams, but the overall upside isn't too compelling when he is an automatic out vs. lefties. It's also a player profile that frequently gets non-tendered before their final year of arbitration because of the large supply of platoon corner outfielders, so I'm treating him like somebody with 1.5 years of control.

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers.

These notes apply to the first game of Miami's home series against the San Diego Padres.

Starting Lineup

2B Xavier Edwards (S)

RF Jesús Sánchez (L)

SS Otto Lopez

C Agustín Ramírez

LF Kyle Stowers (L)

1B Liam Hicks (L)

DH Heriberto Hernandez

3B Graham Pauley (L)

CF Dane Myers

P Eury Pérez

Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Miami Marlins ownership has deservedly taken flak for their cheapness. No MLB team is investing less in player payroll this season. To be fair, there historically has been a weak correlation between the Marlins' payroll and on-field success. Particularly since Bruce Sherman took over as principal owner, his baseball decision-makers have repeatedly whiffed in their attempts to supplement the roster via major league free agent signings, with those veterans often performing worse than in-house alternatives.

For $3.5 million, Cal Quantrill has been usable. That's enough to clear the extremely low bar set by his predecessors.

First and foremost, the Marlins were counting on Quantrill to be durable—that became even more important after Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers suffered spring training injuries. His availability has been immaculate, making 19 straight starts without injuries or other interruptions to his throwing schedule. The team has won more of his starts (11) than anybody else's this season.

Following Saturday's scoreless outing, Quantrill has posted a 5.24 ERA, 4.23 FIP and .281 BAA in 87 ⅔ innings pitched. He's been underwhelming overall from a run prevention standpoint, though his deepest struggles were early in the season; in 13 starts since the beginning of May, his ERA is 3.98.

Quantrill was inexpensive to sign in the first place because his control deteriorated with the Colorado Rockies in 2024, ranking in the 19th percentile among MLB pitchers in walk rate. The veteran right-hander has bounced back to the 77th percentile in that category.

Quantrill still has obvious limitations. His effectiveness plummets when facing a lineup for the third time and he's getting hit hard by same-handed batters. However, looking back at other free agent pitchers who signed for comparable money, the Fish have gotten solid bang for their buck.

As a refresher, Tim Anderson ($5 million guaranteed) was the lone major league FA signing made by Miami during the 2023-24 offseason. He was arguably the worst player in the league prior to getting released midway through the summer. The year before that, the Marlins made a stunning run to the postseason despite the regretful deals bestowed upon Johnny Cueto ($8.5 million) and Jean Segura ($17 million). Cueto was buried on the bench by the time October arrived, while Segura departed in a salary dump long before that.

When's the last time that the Marlins were truly content with one of their free agent acquisitions? Maybe Jorge Soler? Expectations were much higher for the reigning World Series MVP, hence the three-year, $36 million contract terms. He missed half of the 2022 campaign due to injury, then rebounded to All-Star status in 2023 while swatting 36 home runs. He was productive enough to opt out of the deal's final season and get paid even more by the San Francisco Giants. 

Quantrill has more in common with Adam Duvall and Anthony Bass, both of whom received $5 million guarantees entering the 2021 season. Duvall and Bass were later traded in deadline deals when it turned out that the Marlins weren't ready to contend themselves.

Quantrill is peaking at the perfect time as the 2025 deadline looms next week. If the Marlins are able to extract at least a 40-grade prospect in exchange for him, that would be a satisfactory outcome.

View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers.

These notes apply to the third and final game of Miami's home series against the Kansas City Royals.

Starting Lineup

2B Xavier Edwards (S)

C Agustín Ramírez

SS Otto Lopez

1B Eric Wagaman

LF Kyle Stowers (L)

DH Heriberto Hernandez

CF Dane Myers

RF Jesús Sánchez (L)

3B Javier Sanoja

P Janson Junk

Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

The Miami Marlins and Oregon State star Aiva Arquette have agreed to terms on a $7,149,900 signing bonus, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reports. That is full slot value for the seventh overall pick and 47.1% of the club's $15,187,400 bonus pool. It's the most money that the Marlins have ever committed to an amateur player.

“We were exceptionally excited to get him into the organization as quickly as possible,” said Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix at Arquette's introductory press conference on Saturday afternoon at loanDepot park. “We have a draft camp coming up that we think Aiva is really going to enjoy, and I’m personally just very excited to go watch him play.”

The franchise record previously belonged to Max Meyer, who banked $6.7 million as the third pick of the 2020 draft.

Here are the five largest bonuses that the Marlins have paid to draftees. Each of these players were top-10 overall selections:

• Aiva Arquette, $7.15M (2025)
• Max Meyer, $6.7M (2020)
• JJ Bleday, $6.67M (2019)
• Jacob Berry, $6M (2022)
• Tyler Kolek, $6M (2014)

The signing bonus was negotiated by Arquette's representatives at Boras Corp.

The Marlins’ commitment to the Hawaii native was evident long before draft day. According to Arquette’s agent, Scott Boras, Miami’s front office made more than 20 trips to Hawaii to scout the promising shortstop. One such visit took place the day after Christmas, when Marlins officials flew in to watch him hit.

Arquette said the draft-day experience moved quickly, especially knowing how much interest the Marlins had shown. “Everything happened so fast, you know?” he recalled. “I was being patient with my family and friends, and then I finally got the call—I just became so grateful and pumped.”

Arquette was ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2025 draft class by MLB Pipeline. Their scouting grades for him are 50 hit, 55 power, 50 run, 60 arm and 50 field.

It’s still unclear which minor league affiliate Arquette will join to begin his professional career.

View full article

Sal Stewart in particular makes a lot of sense to me. More natural at 3B than Norby.

Depending on how the rest of the season goes for both of them, could enter next spring with Stewart and Norby in an straightforward competition for the starting job, or trade Norby and bring in a one-year free agent stopgap at the position while Stewart finishes off his development.

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers.

These notes apply to the second game of Miami's home series against the Kansas City Royals.

Starting Lineup

2B Xavier Edwards (S)

RF Jesús Sánchez (L)

SS Otto Lopez

DH Agustín Ramírez

LF Kyle Stowers (L)

1B Eric Wagaman

C Liam Hicks (L)

CF Dane Myers

3B Graham Pauley (L)

P Cal Quantrill

Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers.

These notes apply to the first game of Miami's home series against the Kansas City Royals.

Starting Lineup

2B Xavier Edwards (S)

RF Jesús Sánchez (L)

SS Otto Lopez

DH Agustín Ramírez

LF Kyle Stowers (L)

1B Liam Hicks (L)

CF Dane Myers

3B Graham Pauley (L)

C Nick Fortes

P Sandy Alcantara

Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

1 hour ago, 1993 fan from start said:

if you listen to Blue Jays. are nearing a Trade lol.  they think they would be able to get him cheap.     due to the poor season he is having and they would have him locked down until 2027.. it would be a steal.  he should be able to settle down and get back to where he was, they would be acquiring once of the best pitchers in the MLB.

And that's why we have to think about a potential deal from both sides. No pressure on the Marlins to trade him now unless they are getting a strong return. They will hold onto him into the offseason if they aren't happy with the offers currently on the table.

So many spots on the diamond were unsettled for the Miami Marlins entering the 2025 season. Third base actually looked like one of the few exceptions—Connor Norby showed a lot of upside offensively after being acquired at last year's trade deadline and had the strong work ethic to gradually improve his defense at the hot corner. Instead, the 25-year-old has been among the weakest links on Miami's roster.

Norby will have limited reps to rebound from a mediocre first half. As initially reported by FanDuel Sports Network Florida's Craig Mish, he underwent surgery Wednesday on a broken left hamate bone. The procedure will keep him out for 6-8 weeks.

In 72 games this season, Norby is slashing .241/.289/.364 with a 81 wRC+, six home runs and seven stolen bases. Combined with below-average defense, he's been essentially a replacement-level player (0.2 fWAR/0.1 bWAR). In particular, his production against secondary stuff has plummeted—Norby has homered only once off of breaking pitches and offspeed pitches, slugging .250 and .242 against them, respectively.

On the bright side, Norby is making about as much hard, in-the-air contact as he previously did. His expected weight on-base average is practically unchanged from last season and he had recorded hits in five straight games prior to landing on the injured list. Better results were likely right around the corner.

Still, Norby's long-term fit with the Marlins is hazy. Even in a best-case scenario where he is reinstated in late August, he'd have 100 plate appearances or so to impress. His natural position, second base, is occupied by Xavier Edwards. "Norby is expected to be given a chance to compete for the starting third base job next season, though the Marlins likely will bring in competition," according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Graham Pauley filled in at third for the first three weeks of the season while Norby recovered from an oblique strain. He'll get a more extended runway this time around. Pauley had a .260/.340/.496 slash line (123 wRC+) in 34 games with Triple-A Jacksonville, but a meager .200/.258/.271 slash line (47 wRC+) in 29 games for the Fish. Pauley brings better defense and plate discipline then Norby—this is his chance to show enough aptitude as a run producer to be taken seriously as a potential big league regular.

Expect to see Javier Sanoja make starts at third against most left-handed pitchers. Elsewhere on Miami's active roster, Eric Wagaman and Otto Lopez can play the position in emergency situations.

View full article

Agustín Ramírez began his Miami Marlins career with an extra-base hit binge. Three months later, nobody's been able to stop the "Gus Bus" from driving in runs.

In collaboration with About The Fans, we have designed a Gus Bus t-shirt! Save 10% when you enter coupon code fof10 at checkout.

The "50" above the windshield refers to Ramírez's uniform number and the "042125" license plate is for his April 21 debut date.

Acquired from the New York Yankees last season as the centerpiece of the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade package, Ramírez made his major league debut on April 21. Since then, he leads all Marlins players in extra-base hits (35), runs scored (40) and plate appearances (301). He has also recorded three of the club's top four exit velocities during that span. Gus has the potential to serve as Miami's primary designated hitter for years to come.

The FOF merch collection also includes products inspired by Xavier Edwards, Ichiro Suzuki and Jeff and Griffin Conine.

Feel free to comment with any additional design ideas that you believe Marlins fans would be interested in. Those submitted by our loyal SuperSubs will be prioritized.

View full article

The Miami Marlins were a last-place team in early June. They've been one of the best MLB teams since then. What changed? By far the biggest difference-maker has been the quality of their starting pitching.

That's what has made this Houston Astros series so out of character. In getting hit hard on Monday, at least Sandy Alcantara saved the bullpen by continuing to attack the strike zone and completing seven innings. But following that up with Cal Quantrill's terrible showing the next night—lasting just 4 ⅓ frames—was deflating. By Game Score, Quantrill (16) had the worst outing by any Marlins starter since April.

Trailing both the New York Mets and San Diego Padres by seven games with 50 left to play, the Marlins have barely any margin for error. Scheduled to play 28 of those games in the next 29 days, they need both run prevention and volume from their SPs to be playing meaningful games in September.

Down on the farm, 2025 MLB Draft picks Aiva Arquette (Round 1 pick), Brandon Compton (2), Max Williams (3), Drew Faurot (4), Chris Arroyo (5), Carson Laws (14) and Cannon Pickell (20) played their first official games as members of the Marlins organization. Arquette and Compton debuted with High-A Beloit, while the others did so with Low-A Jupiter.

Emilio Barreras (8), Wilson Weber (12) and Chase Renner (13) are likely to debut tonight.

In addition to the previously mentioned Brock Vradenburg, minor leaguers Matt Mervis, Rob Brantly, Jun-Seok Shim, Jake Thompson, Harrison Spohn, Josh Zamora, Ricky DeVito, Jorge Mercedes and Wilfredo Henriquez were released, creating room for the draft picks to be activated. Their MiLB stats from this season are posted below. Also, Wilfredo Lara was suspended, presumably for his role in this benches-clearing incident last Saturday.

More Marlins news and content below:

🔷 Jakob Marsee is exceeding even the most optimistic projections thus far. His 359 wRC+ since debuting on Friday is third-best in the majors (min. 10 PA), plus he's doing well defensively in center field. His 0.7 fWAR through five games this season matches Luis Arraez's output through 108 games! Marsee was part of the prospect package that the Marlins received for Arraez last year.

🔷 Alex Krutchik updates where Agustín Ramírez stands in the National League Rookie of the Year race.

🔷 Kyle Stowers was named the 2025 Miami Marlins Heart and Hustle Award winner by the MLBPAA. Previous Marlins winners include Jon Berti (2022), Luis Arraez (2023) and Jake Burger (2024).

🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Nathan Eovaldi has been MLB's best starting pitcher this season when healthy. Eight more scoreless innings on Tuesday lowered his ERA to 1.38. Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández each had multi-homer games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 12-6 win. It had been more than a month since they previously topped seven runs in a game. Shea Langeliers tied a modern era record for most total bases by a catcher in a game with 15.

🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins will try to salvage the finale of their series against the Astros (probable starters RHP Janson Junk and RHP Spencer Arrighetti). Jose Altuve is having another big series. He has a lifetime 1.008 OPS in 23 games against the Fish, his best vs. any opposing team. The Marlins have a 48.7% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 4:40 p.m. ET.

Marlins podcast episodes

View full article

Everywhere you look around Major League Baseball, you see former college position players excelling. MLB's top two hitters so far this season, Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh, were drafted out of Fresno State and Florida State, respectively. The 2025 All-Star Game MVP, Kyle Schwarber, is an Indiana University alum. Even the Miami Marlins' All-Star representative, Kyle Stowers, attended Stanford to further his academic career.

Stowers, of course, was not drafted directly by the Marlins. On the heels of the franchise's first-ever all-college draft class, I was straining to come up with examples of Miami draftees out of four-year universities who developed into productive MLB regulars. Formal research confirmed that their track record has been awful in this area.

The Marlins hit a home run with their first-ever amateur draft pick, selecting University of Miami catcher Charles Johnson in 1992. CJ was an elite defender and key cog on the 1997 World Series team who is still the Marlins' all-time leader in games caught. Their 1996 first-rounder, Cal State Fullerton's Mark Kotsay, accrued 20.5 fWAR across 17 MLB seasons, the vast majority of which came with other clubs. Very good players, but far from generational talents.

Decades later, those two are still the most successful college bats to come through the Marlins organization. 

Josh Willingham (North Alabama, 2000) was a sweet find in the 17th round—never an All-Star, but he slashed .266/.361/.472 as a Marlin and amassed nearly 200 total home runs in the majors. They didn't recognize what they had in Mark Canha (Cal State Berkeley, 2010). Plucked from the Fish via the Rule 5 Draft more than a decade ago, Canha is still bouncing around as a defensively versatile steady source of on-base percentage. Brian Anderson (Arkansas, 2014) had a few above-average seasons before shoulder issues accelerated his decline.

Everybody else from this demographic had—with all due respect—inconsequential careers.

The Marlins' long-running problem has been whiffing on the "safest" and most expensive college bats. Since Johnson and Kotsay, the only other times they've gone back to this approach with their first-round pick were Colin Moran in 2013, JJ Bleday in 2019 and Jacob Berry in 2022. Those mistakes are debilitating for a franchise.

This season, the Marlins have used 19 position players. The only one of them to be drafted out of college and developed by them is 2018 fourth-rounder Nick Fortes. He has value, but it's marginal.

Unbothered by this history, the Marlins went with back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back college bats atop their 2025 draft class, headlined by Oregon State's Aiva Arquette. 

The Marlins are operating differently under president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and director of amateur scouting Frankie Piliere. Time will tell whether or not "different" is actually better.

View full article

Even after his challenge was deemed unsuccessful, Kyle Stowers was wearing a big smile, and that's what mattered most, right? He had just taken a called third strike on the epitome of a borderline pitch to end the bottom of the eighth inning, striking out for the second straight plate appearance in his MLB All-Star Game debut, but at least he was enjoying himself. Stowers belonged on that field among baseball's best players and he wasn't letting the results damper the final moments of the experience.

Little did Stowers know, there was another chapter still to be written.

The National League team blew its 6-4 lead and went down quietly in the ninth. In lieu of traditional extra innings, the Midsummer Classic would be decided via a "swing-off"—a mini home run derby featuring three participants from each roster. Representing the AL, Brent Rooker, Randy Arozarena and Jonathan Aranda. Representing the NL, Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber and Eugenio Suárez.

Earlier in the night, Suárez was hit by a pitch on the left pinky. X-Rays came back negative, but out of caution, the NL's second-leading home run hitter was understandably scratched from the swing-off. That opened up a spot for Stowers, which happened to be the leadoff spot.

After Rooker gave the AL a 2-0 advantage, Stowers stepped to the plate for his round, with NL third base coach Dino Ebel throwing the balls. Allotted three swings, Stowers popped up the first, snuck the second over Truist's brick wall in right-center field and popped up the third. Although the official box score won't credit him for it, he joined Gary Sheffield (1993) and Jeff Conine (1995) as the only Marlins to ever homer in an All-Star Game.

The real hero of the swing-off was Schwarber, who went a perfect 3-for-3 to put the AL ahead. A homerless round from Aranda ended the contest before Alonso's services were required. Schwarber received All-Star Game MVP honors.

Down on the farm, FCL Marlins won, 10-3, snapping the affiliate's nine-game losing streak. They drew a season-high 14 walks. Fenwick Trimble resurfaced to begin a rehab assignment nearly two months after suffering a hamstring strain. He went 1-for-4 and played seven innings in center field. Aiden May retired all six batters he faced as he continues stretching out as a starter following arthroscopic elbow surgery. Grant Shepardson threw five scoreless innings in relief of him. DSL Marlins won, 7-4. Luis Cova homered and stole two bases. Deivis Mosquera had a career-high 4 RBI. DSL Miami won, 8-3. Pedro Montero lowered his ERA to 1.37. Opponents are slugging .185 against Montero through six career starts. 

More Marlins news and content below: 

🔷 Vote here on which Marlin (with the exception of Stowers) has the best shot of making the 2026 All-Star Game.

🔷 SuperSub Ron Cox assessed the state of the Marlins organization on his View From Left Field blog.

🔷 Another one of our SuperSubs, @Casey Marika, created these interactive charts illustrating how each Marlins position player has accumulated wins above replacement this season.

View full article