Ely Sussman

In his latest USA Today column, MLB insider Bob Nightengale insists that the Miami Marlins have modified their stance regarding veteran right-hander Sandy Alcantara. "The Marlins never got the offer they wanted to move their former Cy Young winner," Nightengale writes referring to trade talks that took place during the 2025 season, "but this winter, are set to accept the best offer they receive, believing now is the time." Nightengale continued by noting that Alcantara's salary will be a team-high $17.3 million in 2026 and that his contract includes a $21 million club option for the 2027 season, as if this would be a financially motivated trade. But that's preposterous—the Marlins carried the league's lowest payroll this past year and they're currently projected to do so again. Miami's front office is actually weighing whether Alcantara's overall mediocrity coming off Tommy John surgery (5.36 ERA in 174.2 IP) is indicative of how he'll perform moving forward, or if his substantial improvement during the second half of the season is more relevant. Also, the Fish must factor in the potential that top pitching prospects Thomas White and Robby Snelling have to fill the 30-year-old's shoes. Snelling, in particular, should be making his major league debut by next June, if not sooner. The Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and New York Yankees were among the teams that contacted the Marlins about Alcantara in the days leading up to the 2025 deadline. Edward Cabrera "has never had more trade value than now," Nightengale adds in the same column. Cabrera overcame a late-season elbow injury scare to end his age-27 campaign on a high note. He is two and a half years younger than Alcantara and considerably cheaper (projected for $3.7 million in 2026). View full rumor

Last week, the Miami Marlins parted ways with former international amateur free agent signings George Soriano (2015), Luis Palacios (2016) and Dalvy Rosario (2016). The vast majority of you reading this are familiar with Soriano, who spent parts of three seasons in the Marlins bullpen. Palacios and Rosario both got tastes of the Triple-A level, but their progress stalled there due to a lack of velocity and hit tool, respectively. And then there were two. The only players acquired by the Marlins during Jeffrey Loria's ownership tenure who remain with the organization today are Edward Cabrera (2015 int'l signing) and Braxton Garrett (2016 draft pick). Despite obvious stylistic differences, their MLB production has been remarkably comparable—4.07 ERA in 431 ⅔ innings pitched for Cabrera and 4.03 ERA in 326 ⅓ innings pitched for Garrett. Neither are safe bets to stick with the Marlins for the start of the 2026 season as the front office contemplates potential trades. They may look to "sell high" on Cabrera coming off the best campaign of his career, or cut their losses with Garrett if they don't trust him to vigorously rebound from his second career Tommy John surgery. Both Cabrera and Garrett are entering their second year of arbitration eligibility with club control that extends through 2028. On Sunday in fall/winter ball, Karson Milbrandt pitched a scoreless inning as the National League starter for the AFL Fall Stars Game. Starlyn Caba went 1-for-2. The American League won, 5-4. Deyvison De Los Santos (Dominican Republic) went 0-for-3 with a walk. Maximo Acosta (Venezuela) went 3-for-3 with his fifth home run of the season. Through 21 games, Acosta has a slash line of .345/.417/.571 to go along with eight stolen bases. Jared Serna (Mexico) went 1-for-4 and scored the only run of the game. Serna played left field, the fifth different position he has started at during this winter ball season. Chris Arroyo (Puerto Rico) hit a two-run homer to propel Leones de Ponce to victory. Arroyo continues to make all of his starts in right field. Only 136 days until Marlins Opening Day. 🔷 M.J.S created his own Marlins offseason blueprint in a similar format to my own. Perhaps the most polarizing move? Trading Edward Cabrera and Calvin Faucher to the New York Yankees for Ben Rice. 🔷 Robby Snelling reflected on his awesome 2025 season, which included winning Minor League Baseball's Gold Glove Award for best defensive pitcher (via Christina De Nicola, MLB.com). 🔷 Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium posted more details about the new Jupiter Medical Center Champions Club that's scheduled to open for spring training. Tickets for the field-level "Hot Corner" start at $30, while the upper-level club is a members-only area starting at $85 per ticket. 🔷 Inspired by next year's World Baseball Classic, Son Los Marlins constructed "Marlins Team USA," featuring 18 of the best American players to ever suit up for the Fish. 🔷 In his 2025 season takeaways, Cristian Crespo of Just Baseball wrote about the Marlins' surplus of starting rotation candidates and the need for an additional bat in the lineup. 🔷 Baseball America's Jacob Rudner ranked his top 10 Marlins prospects entering 2026. The list has a lot in common with our own Fish On First rankings, with the exception of outfielder Brandon Compton (#8), who doesn't even crack the FOF Top 30. "The Marlins bet on Compton’s power when they selected him in the second round," Rudner wrote. "For him to meet those expectations, continued refinement of his approach will be key." 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted on charges that they intentionally threw balls in certain counts to win prop bets. They face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges. Regardless of how the legal process plays out, it seems inevitable that they'll receive lifetime bans from MLB. Japanese power hitter Munetaka Murakami was officially posted by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, opening a 45-day negotiating window with MLB teams. View full article

Marlins prospect Karson Milbrandt pitched a scoreless bottom of the first inning in Sunday's AFL Fall Stars Game. His fastball velocity peaked at 99.0 mph. View full video

Next Tuesday is the 2025 Rule 5 draft protection deadline. In my career covering the Miami Marlins, there has never been a more obvious candidate to be protected than Joe Mack. That isn't to say that Mack's development journey has gone perfectly—if that were the case, he would already be in the major leagues. The 2021 MLB Draft pick was sidelined for the majority of the 2022 campaign due to hamstring injuries, then didn't hit a lick the following year despite being fully available (.218/.295/.287 slash line in 120 games at High-A). He briefly slipped off the Fish On First Top 30 prospects list during the 2023-24 offseason. Some highly regarded amateurs never recover from that kind of early-career adversity. Just look at the players selected by the Fish with top-50 overall picks in the 2018, 2019 and 2020 drafts (Mack was the 31st overall pick in his class). As a prep prospect who signed for $2.5 million, Mack was most comparable to Dax Fulton and Nasim Nuñez, both of whom were true borderline cases entering their respective Rule 5 deadlines. Drafted by Marlins with Top-50 Overall Picks, 2018-2020 Name Pick # Draft Year Rule 5 Year Protected? Max Meyer 3 2020 2023 Yes JJ Bleday 4 2019 2022 Yes Connor Scott 13 2018 2022 No Kameron Misner 35 2019 2022 No Dax Fulton 40 2020 2024 Yes Nasim Nuñez 46 2019 2023 No However, Mack sprung himself to prominence by the midpoint of the 2024 season. He hit 10 home runs during the month of June alone while being a 21-year-old at Double-A, and paired that power with MiLB Gold Glove Award-worthy defense behind the plate. It was apparent then that he had a rare skill set and exceptionally high floor. Mack's breakout coincided with dramatic changes to the Marlins front office. Inheriting such a talented catcher did not deter new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix from acquiring more candidates to fill the position long term. Bendix added Agustín Ramírez at the 2024 trade deadline and Liam Hicks during last year's Rule 5 draft. As rookies in 2025, they combined to start 120 MLB games at catcher, producing well enough that Mack wasn't called up to Miami despite excelling against Triple-A competition. But as the season progressed, Ramírez's receiving struggles and Hicks' limited power largely negated their redeeming qualities. Although both can meaningfully contribute to the Marlins in 2026 and beyond, neither of them profile as the primary catcher for a contending team. There is ample room for Mack in Miami. As of this writing, the Marlins 40-man roster consists of 38 players, with Ramírez and Hicks being the only catchers (and there being serious doubt about Ramírez's future at the position). Even if the Marlins don't intend to carry Mack on their Opening Day active roster, every other team with open 40-man spots happily would as part of the Rule 5 requirements. Whenever a consensus Top 100 MLB prospect like Mack winds up in this situation, you need to protect the asset. It is premature to anoint Mack as the Marlins' franchise catcher. Maybe severe injuries derail him, he fails to hit at the highest level or somebody else in the organization improves enough to surpass him on the depth chart. At least in those improbable scenarios, he could still be traded for talent that addresses other areas of the organization. That's preferable to a one-time $100,000 payment, which is all you get as compensation for losing a player in the major league phase of the Rule 5. There is a sizable gap in value between Mack and the rest of the Marlins' Rule 5-eligible players. Keep an eye out for articles analyzing the others who are worth considering for 40-man selections—they'll all be housed in FOF's Fish on the Farm section. View full article

The full schedule for Major League Baseball's 2026 spring training was released on Wednesday. In addition to their 28 Grapefruit League games, the Miami Marlins will face Israel's World Baseball Classic roster in an exhibition and participate in the third annual Spring Breakout, with their top prospects competing against Houston Astros farmhands. As usual, most of the Marlins' spring training games feature opponents whose camps are also located in southeast Florida: the Astros, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals. They'll play six games apiece against them. Slightly more travel will be involved for games against the Clearwater-based Philadelphia Phillies and Dunedin-based Toronto Blue Jays. It all begins Saturday, February 21 with a visit to the Mets in Port St. Lucie. Just like in 2023, Israel has been assigned to loanDepot park's WBC pool. Their exhibition against the Fish in Jupiter is scheduled for March 3, four days before the country begins tournament play in Miami. The Spring Breakout game will be on March 19. Health permitting, Marlins prospects Thomas White, Joe Mack, Robby Snelling, Aiva Arquette, Starlyn Caba and Kemp Alderman should all be participating. Mini plans, season tickets and group ticket packages to games at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium go on sale on November 12. Individual game tickets are available beginning January 10. View full rumor

From Swimming Upstream, Marlins right-hander Karson Milbrandt discusses how he stumbled upon an important adjustment to his delivery midway through this season. View full video

The Miami Marlins will have some continuity at the highest levels of their baseball operations department for the foreseeable future. On Monday, the club announced that three of Peter Bendix's initial hires during the 2023-24 offseason—Gabe Kapler, Frankie Piliere and Vinesh Kanthan—have been promoted. After previously serving as one of the Marlins' assistant general managers, Kapler is now their GM. Piliere has been elevated from director of amateur scouting to vice president of amateur scouting and player evaluation initiatives, while Kanthan goes from director of baseball operations to senior director of baseball operations. "These three leaders have each made a meaningful impact since joining our team, exemplifying the values that define our culture: driving innovation across every area of the team, leading with a forward-thinking mindset, and elevating those around them as great teammates," Bendix said in a press release. "Their advancement is a testament to the caliber of talent and person within our organization and our continued commitment to building a culture of collaboration and excellence." Kim Ng was Miami's general manager from November 2020 to October 2023. Nobody else held that title until now. Kapler, 50, becomes the sixth general manager in franchise history. Since joining the Marlins, Kapler has focused on player, coaching and staff development. A former outfielder for parts of 12 MLB seasons, he also was the manager of the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies and director of player development for the Los Angeles Dodgers. "It is an exciting time to be part of the Marlins organization, and I am ready to continue the great work we are doing here, alongside Peter and our entire Baseball Operations staff," said Kapler. "The growth and momentum we've built are a direct reflection of a clear vision, a strong culture, and an incredible team working together toward a shared goal. I'm proud to help continue that progress and contribute to what's ahead." Both still in their 30s, Piliere and Kanthan were brought over from the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, respectively. Piliere will remain intimately involved in the MLB Draft process moving forward. Under his direction, the Marlins unconventionally used all of their 2025 picks to select college players. Kanthan's role in the front office is more vague—he ensures that the various baseball operations departments efficiently collaborate with one another. View full article

Swimming Upstream—Episode #68 The World Series may be over, but the 2025 baseball season is still ongoing for some notable Miami Marlins prospects out west. Ely Sussman and Kevin Barral are joined by right-hander Karson Milbrandt, who's participating in the Arizona Fall League. Drafted by the Marlins in 2022, Milbrandt reflects on his professional journey thus far, how he adjusted to new levels of competition this year, pitch-calling from the dugout and where he has room for continued growth. Find Swimming Upstream on the Fish On First YouTube channel, our new-look Apple Podcasts channel and wherever else you get your pods. FOF's audio programming also includes Fish On First LIVE, Fish Unfiltered, Big Fish Small Pod and more. The start of Milbrandt's age-21 campaign was delayed due to the inflammation in his throwing arm. High-A Beloit activated him from the injured list on April 17 and it wasn't until June 13 that he completed five innings in an outing. He really found his groove during the final month of the regular season, holding opponents scoreless in three of his last five starts and earning a promotion to Double-A Pensacola. Milbrandt's 3.00 ERA overall was easily a career-best, as was his 29.0% strikeout rate. The addition of a gyro slider to his arsenal made him especially effective against right-handed batters. We've bumped him up to 13th on the Fish On First Top 30. Milbrandt tells Swimming Upstream that his next scheduled AFL appearance is on Thursday, pitching in relief for the Solar Sox. After that, he'll take the mound in Sunday's Fall Stars Game. For updates on more than a dozen Marlins players who are competing in fall/winter ball leagues, bookmark this tracker. Follow Karson (@KarsonMilbrandt), Ely (@RealEly), Kevin (@kevin_barral) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Join the Marlins Discord server! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. View full article

During Bruce Sherman's ownership tenure, the Miami Marlins have never approached an offseason with the explicit purpose of constructing a playoff-caliber team. Given the quality of their performance at the end of 2025 and the opportunities that will be available to reinforce the roster without breaking the bank or mortgaging too much of the future, it's time for that change. In what has become an annual tradition, I'm imagining how the Marlins offseason would go if I were in charge of baseball operations. There is no new reporting in here, to be clear. I have devised this blueprint based on my understanding of the organization's roster construction philosophy, minor league depth and broad goals for next season and beyond. However, Fish On First cannot confirm whether any of the following hypothetical free agent signings, trade acquisitions or contract extensions are being considered by Peter Bendix's front office. Post-World Series roster crunch Within a couple days of this article's publication, the Marlins will make real-life roster moves in order to reinstate players who finished the 2025 season on the 60-day injured list. Their 40-man roster is full before even accounting for these players. Within a couple weeks of that, they will select at least one (likely multiple) prospects to the 40-man to protect them from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. What would Ely do? Marlins waive LHP Andrew Nardi, RHP Christian Roa, LHP Josh Simpson, RHP George Soriano, RHP Jesús Tinoco, 1B Eric Wagaman, OF Joey Wiemer, INF Jack Winkler and RHP Tyler Zuber I previously wrote about these roster cut candidates here. Each of them spent less than half of the 2025 season on the Marlins active roster with the exception of Eric Wagaman, who stunningly stuck around from wire to wire. The other MLB teams would have the opportunity to claim them off waivers. If unclaimed and outrighted to the minor leagues, they are all allowed to elect minor league free agency with the exception of Joey Wiemer, who would remain under the Marlins' control. (To become MiLB FAs, players must have completed seven professional seasons or previously been outrighted.) Marlins select RHP William Kempner, C Joe Mack and RHP Josh White to 40-man roster Joe Mack is the no-brainer of this trio. He has had back-to-back excellent all-around seasons in the upper minors at a premium defensive position, and he's still two months shy of his 23rd birthday. Mack is a critical piece of the Marlins' future. William Kempner and Josh White were damn near unhittable out of the bullpen in 2025. The difference between their arm angles is amusing, with Kempner practically throwing sidearm and White using an outlier over-the-top delivery. Both approaches result in lots of strikeouts and very few barrels. I prefer their upside over any of the aforementioned waived players and worry that they'll be taken in the Rule 5 if left unprotected. Free agency Marlins sign RHP Ryan Helsley (3 YR/$24M) $6M in 2026, $9M in 2027 and $9M in 2028 Annual $500k award bonus for Relief Pitcher of the Year Helsley may opt out following 2026 season The Marlins bullpen was devoid of elite velocity this season, and as much as I believe in Kempner and White, their fastballs don't have that "elite" characteristic. Ryan Helsley's four-seamer does with an average velo of 99.3 mph, which ranked ninth among all individual reliever pitch types in 2025, according to Baseball Savant (min. 100 pitches thrown). His velo held steady even during his brutal second-half slump as a member of the New York Mets. Helsley was a top-five RP in Major League Baseball in 2024. Then, the opponent's slugging percentage against his fastball skyrocketed three hundred points, from .367 to .667 in 2025. As far I can tell, most of that is attributable to falling behind in counts way more often and becoming predictable in those situations—he threw 64.7% fastballs when behind. My bounce-back plan for the 31-year-old would involve using fewer four-seamers to maximize their overall effectiveness. Whether facing lefties or righties, his slider is absolutely lethal. It is a guaranteed three-year contract for Helsley, but both sides would be rooting for him to depart after one. Simply performing up to his career averages in 2026 would justify opting out to test the market again. Along the way, he'd be significantly improving Miami's 'pen. Marlins sign RHP Triston McKenzie, LHP Jordan Montgomery, C Eric Haase, OF Harold Ramírez and 1B Eric Wagaman to minor league deals This is a rare situation where I am so comfortable with the internal rotation options that I feel no need to sign any free agent starting pitchers to guaranteed contracts. Browsing the vast pool of minor league deal candidates, I covet Triston McKenzie for his upside. His performance was only a smidge below All-Star-caliber in 2022, he's squashing injury concerns by pitching right now in the Dominican Winter League and he's entering his age-28 season. Coming off a lost year in which he threw only half of his MLB/Triple-A pitches for strikes, McKenzie's lack of control is the foremost worry. The benefits of a potential career rejuvenation would be realized beyond 2026 because he has at least one more year of arbitration eligibility (waiting until late April to select him to the Marlins roster would make it two years). Jordan Montgomery was a high-end No. 3 starter from 2021-23 before a disastrous stint with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The tall southpaw underwent Tommy John surgery in April, and with that being his second career TJ, I'd be targeting the All-Star break for his return. He's mainly an insurance policy in case this Marlins season goes to s*** and I wind up selling one or more starting pitchers at the trade deadline, leaving behind innings for Montgomery to eat in August/September. There is an extreme amount of swing-and-miss in Eric Haase's game, but that hasn't precluded him from having some great offensive stretches. The eight-year MLB veteran will compete for the backup catcher's job. Haase is a good athlete who can even fake it in left field in emergencies. Am I showing my bias with the Harold Ramírez idea, or respectfully carrying on the annual tradition of reuniting Peter Bendix with players he previously knew from his Tampa Bay Rays tenure? A bit of both. Ramírez is a lifetime .285/.322/.406 hitter in MLB, but he posted a yucky .261/.280/.324 slash line in 2024. He played this past season in the Mexican League. Although Wagaman did not merit a 40-man spot throughout the offseason, there's a path for him to get back up to Miami as a short-side platoon bat. It would require a few injuries and some actualization of his impressive raw power during spring training. Trades Marlins trade INF/OF Andrew Salas, RHP Eliazar Dishmey, OF Victor Mesa Jr. and RHP Adam Mazur to the St. Louis Cardinals for OF/1B Alec Burleson, 3B Nolan Arenado, LHP JoJo Romero and $7 million cash For a complete analysis of this seven-player swap, read here. Alec Burleson would be the centerpiece. He has the potential to be the best first baseman that the Marlins have had in decades—a low bar to clear, but still—and he's under club control through 2028 via arbitration. JoJo Romero would slot in as the top left-handed option in the Marlins bullpen. He's a ground ball machine who stranded 23 of 26 inherited runners in 2025. Romero is a pending free agent. There are two years left on Nolan Arenado's underwater contract. He also has full no-trade protection, but there's reportedly mutual interest in finding him a change of scenery. He remains a plus contact hitter and defender at the hot corner. Although undoubtedly past his prime, Arenado could easily top this season's .237/.289/.377 slash line with plate approach adjustments and a clean bill of health. This trio would count for approximately $23 million toward the Marlins payroll in 2026 ($6M of Arenado's salary is deferred until 2040). The prospect package heading up to St. Louis consists of several "layers" of talent. Victor Mesa Jr. and Adam Mazur would be competing for big league reps right away, whereas in Miami, both were pretty far down the depth chart. Eliazar Dishmey could be a Cardinals rotation candidate by the end of 2027. Extreme patience is needed with Andrew Salas, the crown jewel of the latest Marlins international free agent class ($3.7M signing bonus). Salas turns 18 in March. Marlins trade LHP Braxton Garrett and INF Connor Norby to the Seattle Mariners for OF Jonny Farmelo A toolsy and well-rounded center fielder, Jonny Farmelo was sidelined for most of the 2024 and 2025 seasons due to injuries. That hasn't hindered him at all during the Arizona Fall League as he's seemingly in the midst of cementing himself as a consensus Top 100 MLB prospect. His ability to handle breaking balls still must be developed. Farmelo would likely be assigned to High-A Beloit to begin next season. Braxton Garrett's trade value is tough to gauge at the moment because of his own health setbacks, but I would expect the Mariners to find him attractive. Their ultra-talented but all-right-handed starting rotation took a step back in 2025, and that group continues to get more expensive via arbitration raises. Garrett owns a lifetime 111 ERA+ through parts of five MLB seasons on the strength of plus command. He is under club control through 2028. There just isn't a sensible fit for Connor Norby in my alternate universe, with Arenado and Graham Pauley sharing third base and Xavier Edwards locked in at second base. He slashed .293/.344/.500 with a 131 wRC+ after returning from midseason hamate surgery. However, he's been merely an average hitter during his Marlins tenure overall. Valuable veterans Eugenio Suárez and Jorge Polanco are both pending free agents. Assuming that the Mariners are unable to retain both, there'd be ample room in their infield for Norby. Marlins trade RHP Anthony Bender to the Athletics for 3B/1B Tommy White The A's would be dealing from an area of strength here as they have a handful of controllable, dynamic offensive players already in place at the major league level. A highly accomplished college slugger, "Tommy Tanks" has put up pedestrian numbers as a pro so far (98 wRC+ in 118 games). I'd be thrilled to buy low on him. His raw power is still unquestionably plus and so is his contact ability, and he may actually stick at third base moving forward, even if the best-case scenario there is average defense. If the Arenado pick-up flops and he continues to decline, White could be his successor by 2027. Anthony Bender has had a good Marlins career, particularly given his origin as a minor league free agent signing. In 2025, he posted a career-best 2.16 ERA and he was also on pace for a career-best in win probability added (1.01 WPA) before going down with a leg injury. He's super reliable against right-handed batters and still a bargain ($2.3M arbitration projection), but rebalancing the bullpen to neutralize lefties continues to be a priority for me. Marlins trade OF Brandon Compton to the Atlanta Braves for LHP Hayden Harris Hayden Harris eviscerated the upper minors in 2025, permitting three earned runs in 52 innings pitched while striking out more than 40% of opposing batters. The Braves rewarded him with a September call-up. He leans very heavily on a low-90s fastball. The pitch's velocity plays up due to the seven feet of extension in his delivery and his arm angle. I'm not expecting dominance from Harris in MLB, but I'm intrigued by the contrast in styles between he and JoJo Romero—even a top-tier righty would have trouble adjusting to both of them within the same game. QndvN2RfWGw0TUFRPT1fVlZKWkFnSldWd01BQ1ZRREFnQUhCZ0VGQUFCUUJRVUFVQU1DVWdZRVZWZFdCZ1ZX.mp4 Miami's second-round selection in the 2025 draft, Brandon Compton got his MiLB career started with High-A Beloit (.217/.354/.359 in 27 games). There is prodigious power potential as he demonstrated during the MLB Draft Combine. Alas, being limited to left field defensively and susceptible to swing-and-misses, there are too many ways for his progress to stall. I'll humbly tip my cap to the Braves if they can develop him into a consistent big leaguer. Contract extensions Marlins extend RHP Eury Pérez (5 YR/$60M with 2031 club option) $5M in 2026, $7.5M in 2027, $10M in 2028, $12.5M in 2029, $20M in 2030 and $23M club option for 2031 ($5M buyout) Extension covers ages 23-28 if option is exercised Annual $500k award bonus for Cy Young uo2eyy_2.mp4 If I were advising Eury Pérez, I would do everything possible to steer him toward free agency. MLB teams adore pitchers with his combination of size, fastball quality and youth. Thanks to that unique profile, he has immense job security regardless of what he accomplishes during his four remaining club-controlled years. If he's "broken" by a series of unfortunate events, suitors will be lining to fix him; if he gradually improves in terms of effectiveness and workload, he's poised to receive one of the richest pitcher contracts ever. Conveniently for the Fish, Pérez may be getting different advice. He has the same representation as Sandy Alcantara (Adriel Reyes of CAA), the only player to date who has signed a long-term contract extension during the Bruce Sherman era. The terms of my hypothetical "Baby Goat" extension are partially inspired by Alcantara's, but I see Cincinnati Reds right-hander Hunter Greene as a more relevant comp. This deal would set a new MLB record for most expensive club option included in a pre-arb pitcher's extension. I am not remotely bothered by Pérez's 4.25 ERA this season, which was inflated by the way opponents clustered their hits against him. I saw a pitcher who leveled up from his rookie year despite overall production that obscures this trend line. In 2026, I think Pérez could establish himself as an ace-caliber starter. Let's get out ahead of the full-blown breakout. Marlins extend C Joe Mack (6 YR/$31M with 2032-34 club options) $1M in 2026, $1.75M in 2027, $2.5M in 2028, $5M in 2029, $8M in 2030, $11M in 2031, $14M club option for 2032 ($1.75M buyout), $14M club option for 2033 ($1.75M buyout) and $14M club option for 2034 ($1.75M buyout) Extension covers ages 23-31 if all options are exercised Annual $250k award bonus for Gold Glove Annual $250k award bonus for Silver Slugger There has never been a pre-debut extension for a catcher before, and this technically wouldn't be one either, as I'll explain at the end. Joe Mack had a sensational 2024 season spent mostly at Double-A. His 2025 campaign was practically a carbon copy of it, except it came against Triple-A competition. Both years, he OPS'd over .800 while throwing out one-third of would-be base-stealers. Marlins fans will naturally use J.T. Realmuto as the reference point for an ideal homegrown catcher. Although Mack isn't quite on his level as a pure hitter or baserunner, he's the most promising candidate that this franchise has had to fill the quality backstop void since Realmuto's departure. The growth of catcher salaries has lagged behind league-wide inflation and that should continue to be the case, which works to my advantage in negotiations. Future earning potential at the position has been dinged by the rarity of stars reaching free agency. World Series hero Will Smith would've broken the bank this offseason had he not already signed a lifetime deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. American League MVP finalist Cal Raleigh finalized his own extension too soon to capitalize on a historic season. We are on the verge of getting the ABS challenge system in MLB games. With the technology to overturn the most egregious missed calls from umpires, that will limit the impact of pitch framing (and the value that good framers will have on the open market). Also, the Marlins organization is experimenting with having coaches lead the pitch-calling process, and the early returns are encouraging. Taking another job responsibility off of a catcher's plate further shifts leverage to the team. I'm especially eager to see Mack form a battery with Eury Pérez because their skill sets are complementary. It will always be a challenge for the 6'8" right-hander to control baserunners, but Mack's lightning-quick release and accuracy can mitigate the damage. Colt Keith received a surprising pre-debut extension from the Detroit Tigers entering 2024 under the premise that his standout hit tool made him a safe, high-floor contributor. I think Mack's defense behind the plate serves the same purpose—that's why I used Keith's extension as a template for Mack's. Although Mack would be on my Opening Day roster, we would wait a few days after his debut to announce the deal. That preserves his Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) draft pick eligibility. How the pieces fit together Here is a before-and-after look at the Marlins 40-man roster once the dust has settled on my offseason moves. Players no longer with the organization have been crossed off Outside additions to the 40-man roster are highlighted, underlined and italicized Down arrows denote players who are still with the organization, but no longer hold 40-man spots Up arrows denote players who were already with the organization, but now hold 40-man spots Look closely and you'll see I have made a few position changes. The most important one is moving Agustín Ramírez off of the catcher's position. He shouldn't throw his equipment in the trash—in the event of a significant Mack injury, Ramírez may be needed. But I would head into 2026 with zero expectations of using him back there. The common transition of failed catchers becoming first basemen isn't applicable to the Gus Bus, who struggles most of all with receiving balls and picking them out of the dirt. Instead, I would prepare him to play left field against occasional left-handed starters. The vast majority of the time, he'd be my designated hitter, and I'm bullish about his production at the plate going way up. Heriberto Hernández, who had some first base experience in the lower minors, took practice reps with the Marlins this season. I'm comfortable deploying him there in real games when Alec Burleson needs a breather (and until Deyvison De Los Santos potentially crashes the party later in the year). My probable Opening Day starting rotation (health permitting) would be Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Edward Cabrera, Ryan Weathers and Janson Junk. Potential trades of Alcantara and Cabrera ought to be explored in July, but not yet. Anticipating midseason contributions from Robby Snelling and Thomas White, I believe this will be the team's greatest strength. The out-of-options relievers are Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, Ronny Henriquez, Tyler Phillips and Freddy Tarnok. There'd be countless ways to fill in the bullpen around them. Accounting for dead money owed to Giancarlo Stanton and Avisaíl García, the Marlins would enter 2026 with a payroll in the $90-100 million range. That is where they stood in early 2023 before spending even more to augment the roster in pursuit of a postseason berth. Bruce Sherman will pay to support a winner again if the opportunity arises...right? View full article

The Los Angeles Dodgers are World Series champions once again and longtime Miami Marlins infielder Miguel Rojas played a surprisingly crucial role in Saturday's decisive Game 7. Former Marlins big leaguers Kiké Hernández, Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Andrew Heaney and José Ureña (yes, really) will also receive rings for their contributions over the course of the 2025 season. In fall/winter ball news, Karson Milbrandt tells Fish On First that he has been selected to participate in Sunday's AFL Fall Stars Game. The right-hander has posted a 5.11 ERA in 12 ⅓ innings pitched (4 G/2 GS) with 21 strikeouts, the third-highest total in the league. On Sunday, Aiden May (3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 59 pitches/33 strikes) had shaky control. Starlyn Caba went 2-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base. Fenwick Trimble went 1-for-1 with three walks. PJ Morlando has been held out of game action ever since suffering an apparent injury on Thursday. The Mesa Solar Sox won, 6-5. Maximo Acosta (Venezuela) went 1-for-4. Jared Serna (Mexico) was a single shy of the cycle, which included hitting his first home run of the season. Only 143 days away from Marlins Opening Day. 🔷 My annual Marlins offseason blueprint is complete! It details all of the moves I would hypothetically make—trades, free agent signings and extensions—leading up to the start of the 2026 season. 🔷 Javier Sanoja became the first Marlins rookie in 30 years to win a Gold Glove Award, while Robby Snelling won the minor league Gold Glove for top defensive pitcher. Xavier Edwards (second base) and Kyle Stowers (left field) were finalists, but lost out to Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ, respectively. 🔷 As the full MLB offseason commences, all of the major U.S. sportsbooks have set the Marlins' 2026 World Series odds at 100/1 or longer, most comparable to the Athletics, Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals. The consensus is that the Dodgers are favored to three-peat. 🔷 Congratulations to Marlins infielder Cody Morissette and Alexis Sweet, who got married on Saturday. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association announced the initial list of XX(B) free agents—MLB players with six-plus years of service time whose contracts have expired. The Marlins are the only team that is not set to lose any players. These free agents are eligible to sign with new teams beginning on Thursday. By then, dozens of additional players will hit the market due to various player/club/mutual options being declined. View full article

Miguel Rojas had one of the longest Miami Marlins tenures of any player in franchise history. He spent much of those eight seasons as their sure-handed starting shortstop and gradually became known as the unofficial captain of the Fish. But after Saturday night's heroics, it's safe to say that when his career is over, he will be remembered first and foremost as a Los Angeles Dodger. The best team money could buy almost certainly would've fallen short of its second consecutive World Series title if not for the 36-year-old utilityman at the very bottom of the lineup. The Toronto Blue Jays were two measly outs away from defeating the Dodgers, leading 4-3 in the top of the ninth inning. Closer Jeff Hoffman was on the mound, riding a streak of seven straight scoreless postseason outings. Rojas had not homered against a right-hander all year, with the exception of a position player mopping up a blowout in June, nor recorded an extra-base hit of any kind in his Dodgers postseason career. Everybody watching wanted to fast-forward through this plate appearance to find what the man on deck, Shohei Ohtani, was going to do. Instead, we were treated to the most unlikely outcome as Rojas hit a solo shot off of Hoffman's hanging slider to tie Game 7 all by himself. 937e0314-4b8e00cb-22f8070a-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 "You always dream about this kinda stuff and being in this position. Hitting a homer wasn't on my bingo card, to be honest with you," Rojas told MLB Network postgame. Hoffman subsequently retired Ohtani (flyout) and Will Smith (strikeout) to preserve the tie entering the bottom of the inning. Although we cannot definitively say that those matchups would've unfolded the same way without Rojas' heroics, I have to imagine it was a sleepless night for many Blue Jays fans, convinced their decades-long championship drought would've been over had that ball simply stayed in the yard. Minutes later, the Dodgers found themselves in grave danger again. Toronto had loaded the bases with only out, facing a weary Yoshinobu Yamamoto who made a full-length start the night before. Yamamoto was hunting for a strikeout against Daulton Varsho, but his 1-2 splitter stayed up just enough for Varsho to hit a grounder to second base. These are the kind of difference-making plays that we're more accustomed to seeing from Rojas, who took just enough time to set his feet and throw home accurately for the game-saving force out. p3dolc.mp4 The Dodgers ultimately prevailed in 11 innings. The most lasting memories from this all-timer will likely be Will Smith's go-ahead homer and Yamamoto's superhuman relief effort, but Miggy Ro's ninth-inning contributions were indispensable. Along with Rojas, former Marlin Kiké Hernández was on L.A.'s roster throughout the postseason. They collaborated to turn a game-ending double play on Friday that extended the World Series in the first place. This is Hernández's third WS title as a Dodger (also 2020 and 2024). Continuing with the ex-Marlin theme, left-handed relievers Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia will receive rings despite not participating in the Fall Classic. Scott struggled to return to form after undergoing an abscess procedure last month, while Vesia was away from the team to tend to a family emergency. José Ureña is technically a champion, too. That would have been the case regardless of this matchup's outcome because both the Blue Jays (3.65 ERA in 12.1 IP) and the Dodgers (3.00 ERA in 3.0 IP) were among the five teams that he pitched for in 2025. During the 2026 season, the Marlins will visit the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium for a three-game series from April 27-29. They'll host the two-time defending champs at loanDepot park from September 11-13. View full article