Ely Sussman

The 2025 season was a step forward for the Miami Marlins. They finished with a 79-83 record, improving by 17 wins from the prior year despite one of the youngest rosters in Major League Baseball. Entering the 2025-26 offseason with ample payroll flexibility and a genuine belief that they're close to a playoff berth, the coming months will be very intriguing to follow. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the Marlins' offseason, highlighting key dates and events. It includes details on free agency, the Winter Meetings, the MLB Draft Lottery, the salary arbitration process and more. To view the current Marlins 40-man roster, view our roster page, updated nightly. Click any link below to jump to an explanation of that event/date. 2026 Offseason Dates & Calendar Immediately after the World Series: Eligible players become free agents, trade market opens November 6: Contractual options due, qualifying offers due, league-wide free agency opens November 10-13: General Manager Meetings November 18: Rule 5 draft protection deadline November 21: Non-tender deadline December TBA: Announcement of Competitive Balance picks December 7-10: Winter Meetings MLB Draft Lottery Rule 5 draft December 15: Closing of 2025 international signing period Mid-January: Arbitration agreement deadline January 15: Opening of 2026 international signing period Late January: BBWAA Hall of Fame announcement Late January-early February: Arbitration hearings February 7: Marlins FanFest Mid-February: Spring training begins Late February: First spring training game March 4-17: World Baseball Classic March 25: MLB Opening Night (Yankees @ Giants) March 26: Opening Day (Rockies @ Marlins) World Series The 2025 World Series will conclude on Saturday, November 1. The offseason officially begins the moment the final out of the World Series is recorded. Players on expiring contracts immediately become free agents, though certain restrictions apply in the first few days that will be detailed later. The day after the World Series ends, teams can resume making trades for the first time since the midseason deadline, marking the official start of the MLB offseason. 5 days after the World Series Free agency As the offseason begins, free agents are permitted to negotiate exclusively with their most recent team for a five-day period. That window will close on November 6, after which point they are free to engage with all 30 MLB clubs. The Marlins are one of the few teams who don't have any players slated to reach MLB free agency following the 2025 season. Qualifying offers Qualifying offers (QO) must be issued within five days of the World Series’ conclusion. The value of the QO changes annually, as it’s based on the average salary of MLB’s 125 highest-paid players from the previous season. For the upcoming offseason, that figure will be $22.05 million. To be eligible, a player must have spent the entire previous season with one club and must never have previously received a qualifying offer. Players who receive a QO have 14 days to decide whether or not to accept it. If a player declines a QO and signs elsewhere, their former team receives draft-pick compensation. The specifics of that compensation depend on factors such as the team’s market size, revenue-sharing status and the value of the player’s new contract. The Marlins have never extended a qualifying offer to a free agent before and they won't be doing so this offseason. General Manager Meetings Roughly a week after the World Series concludes, all 30 MLB front office leaders gather for meetings to discuss league business and key offseason matters. While these sessions don’t typically draw much attention from fans, they often help establish the groundwork for trades and other transactions that take place later in the winter. The 2025 GM Meetings will be held from November 10-13 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix is expected to attend. Rule 5 draft protection The Rule 5 draft takes place each winter (with the exception of 2020) and gives teams a chance to acquire unprotected talent from other organizations. Under Rule 5 rules, players who signed at age 18 or younger must be protected within five seasons, while those who signed at age 19 or older must be protected within four seasons. Teams protect these players by adding them to the 40-man roster, which can be a challenge in years when roster space is limited. For the Marlins, several prospects will be under consideration for protection ahead of the November 18 deadline (6:00 p.m. ET) to avoid exposure in this year’s Rule 5 draft, which is scheduled for December 10. That group includes Joe Mack, Josh White, William Kempner, Andrew Pintar and Jacob Berry. Non-tender deadline & arbitration Players with between three and six years of MLB service time automatically qualify for salary arbitration. There’s also the Super Two designation, which allows a select group of players with just under three years of service to become eligible as well. Arbitration gives players still under team control a chance to argue for compensation that they feel reflects their on-field performance. If a team believes a player’s projected arbitration salary exceeds their value, they can non-tender the player instead of offering a contract. Although arbitration eligibility depends on service time, any player with fewer than six years in the majors can technically be non-tendered. Doing so immediately makes them a free agent, while also freeing up a spot on the 40-man roster. Teams have until the November 21 tender deadline to decide whether to offer contracts to arbitration-eligible players. Once tendered, the two sides can continue negotiating a salary until mid-January. If no agreement is reached, the case proceeds to an arbitration hearing, where both sides submit salary figures, and a neutral arbitrator selects one. The arbitrator’s ruling is final and the player is paid that amount for the upcoming season. Arbitration-eligible Marlins for 2026 (salary projections in parentheses) Edward Cabrera ($3.7M) Anthony Bender ($2.3M) Calvin Faucher ($1.9M) Braxton Garrett ($1.53M) Ryan Weathers ($1.5M) Max Meyer ($1.3M) Andrew Nardi ($800k) Competitive Balance draft picks Each offseason, Major League Baseball announces the Competitive Balance draft picks, which are designed to help smaller-market and lower-revenue teams maintain competitive balance across the league. These picks were first introduced in 2012 and are awarded annually based on a formula that considers a club’s market size, revenue and winning percentage. Eligible teams are assigned to one of two rounds: Round A, which takes place between the first and second rounds of the MLB Draft; and Round B, which falls after the second round but before the third. In addition to the extra pick, teams receiving a Competitive Balance selection also get a slightly larger international bonus pool to use during the international signing period. In 2025, for example, the Marlins used their Competitive Balance Round A pick to select outfielder Cam Cannarella. Unlike other draft selections, Competitive Balance picks can be traded once, though they cannot be exchanged solely for cash considerations. Winter Meetings Each December, high-ranking executives from all 30 organizations, along with agents, players and media members, gather for the MLB Winter Meetings, a four-day event that serves as the centerpiece of the offseason. This year’s meetings will take place in Orlando, Florida, from December 7-10. The Winter Meetings are where the bulk of offseason business takes shape. Trades, free agent signings, and major rumors often dominate the headlines during this stretch. Juan Soto stole the spotlight last year after signing a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets. He was joined in the headlines that week by Max Fried, who signed with the New York Yankees, and Garrett Crochet, who was traded to the Boston Red Sox. If there is one point on the calendar when the most MLB transactions are likely to occur, this is it. In addition to roster moves, both the MLB Draft Lottery and the Rule 5 draft take place during the Winter Meetings, adding even more intrigue to one of baseball’s busiest weeks of the year. Fish On First will once again be providing in-person coverage. MLB Draft Lottery (December 9 at 4:00 p.m. ET) In 2023, Major League Baseball introduced a draft lottery system designed to discourage teams from intentionally losing games to secure higher draft positions. Under this system, all clubs that miss the postseason are assigned odds to land one of the top six picks in the following year’s draft. The teams with the worst regular-season records still have the best odds, but the process now includes an element of chance rather than relying solely on reverse standings. The Marlins entered the 2025 draft lottery with the second-highest odds of winning it, but they caught an unlucky break and were awarded the seventh overall pick. This time around, they have a 1.85% chance of winning—those are the ninth-highest odds. Due to anti-tanking restrictions, both the Rockies and Nationals are ineligible to select within the top ten, which pushes the Marlins' odds higher than they would've been otherwise. The order of the postseason teams in the draft is determined by when they get eliminated, revenue-sharing status, and then winning percentages. Those 12 teams will choose in the following order: Wild Card Series losers, Division Series losers, Championship Series losers, World Series losers, World Series winners. Within each of those groups, clubs will be sorted by revenue-sharing status, with payee clubs selecting before non-payee clubs. Rule 5 draft (December 10 at 2:00 p.m. ET) Players who were not added to the 40-man roster by the Rule 5 protection deadline can be selected by another organization during the major league phase of the draft for a $100,000 fee. Teams are only allowed to make selections during the major league phase if they have openings on their 40-man roster. Any player drafted must remain on the selecting team’s active roster (or the MLB injured list) for the entire season. If the player is designated for assignment and clears waivers, they must be offered back to their original team for $50,000. While Rule 5 selections rarely become stars, some develop into useful role players, such as the Marlins' 2024 selection, Liam Hicks. The draft order is determined by the previous season's reverse standings, so the Marlins will pick 12th. International signing period The next international signing period begins on January 15, marking one of the most important avenues for MLB organizations to acquire young talent from around the world. Most of these signings come from Latin America, though teams also scout and sign players from Asia and other regions. During this window, clubs can reach agreements with foreign players who are 16 years or older. The range of signing bonuses varies widely. For instance, Eury Pérez signed with the Marlins for just $200,000 in 2019 and has emerged as one of the best talented pitchers in baseball, while highly touted prospects such as Jose Salas, who signed for $2.8 million that same year, never panned out. These examples show how unpredictable this market can be. Each team operates under a hard spending cap, and this year, the Marlins have $7,357,100 available in their bonus pool. Bonuses of $10,000 or less do not count against that total. Many of these deals are informally agreed upon well in advance, as teams scout and build relationships with players years before they are eligible to sign. The majority of the 2026 international signings will be announced on the very first day of the signing period, though the signing period officially runs through December 15. BBWAA Hall of Fame announcement Every January, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) announces its voting results for the newest class of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Players become eligible five years after retirement and can remain on the ballot for up to ten years, provided they continue to receive at least five percent of the vote each cycle. Earning election requires appearing on 75 percent of submitted ballots. If a player falls below the five-percent threshold, they are removed from future ballots and can only be reconsidered later by one of the Hall’s era-based committees. This year’s ballot lacks top-end HOF candidates but still showcases several notable names, including Cole Hamels and Ryan Braun, who are making their first appearance, and Manny Ramírez, who is entering his final year of eligibility. Marlins FanFest Marlins FanFest is an annual event hosted by the Marlins at loanDepot park in Miami. It serves as a kickoff for the season, featuring player meet-and-greets, autograph opportunities, interactive games and activities for all ages, discounted merchandise and team leadership appearances. FanFest traditionally takes place on the final Saturday prior to pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training. Spring training Marlins pitchers and catchers will report to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in mid-February, with position players arriving a few days later to begin full-squad workouts. Spring training games will begin shortly after and continue for about a month as the team prepares for the regular season. The Marlins play in the Grapefruit League along with the other MLB teams who hold spring training in Florida. Due to the proximity of their spring facilities, Miami's most frequent opponents are the St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros and New York Mets. Dates for the Marlins’ first game and MLB’s Spring Breakout have not yet been announced, but both are expected to take place in the usual February/March timeframes. Spring Breakout will once again showcase each club’s top prospects in special exhibition matchups against other organizations’ best young talent. The 2026 MLB regular season will officially begin on March 25, when the New York Yankees face the San Francisco Giants on Opening Night. Unlike the past few seasons, there will be no international series to open the year, with all games beginning in North America. Every team, including the Marlins, will open its season the following day as baseball returns in full force. World Baseball Classic As was the case in 2023, loanDepot park has again been selected to host games during every round of the World Baseball Classic. The tournament overlaps with the second half of spring training. Pool D—comprised of the Dominican Republic, Israel, Netherlands, Nicaragua and Venezuela—will run from March 6-11, with the top two teams advancing to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal games will be March 13-14, the semifinal games will be March 15-16, and the championship game will be held on March 17. Current Marlins players Sandy Alcantara (Dominican Republic) and Otto Lopez (Canada) have prior WBC experience.

We are closing in on the sixth anniversary of the most recent trade between the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals. It's one of the longest active "trade droughts" involving the Marlins and another MLB franchise, and I don't expect it to continue much longer. There has been a leadership change in the Cardinals front office entering the 2025-26 offseason, with Chaim Bloom replacing John Mozeliak as president of baseball operations. You may remember Bloom from his stint running the Boston Red Sox, but way before that, he got his start with the Tampa Bay Rays. Bloom gradually climbed the ranks from Rays intern to one of their top executives, a career path later emulated by Peter Bendix. For more than a decade (2009-2019), their tenures in Tampa Bay overlapped. Bendix is now Miami's POBO. If there is an opportunity for the Marlins and Cardinals to link up on a mutually beneficial deal moving forward, their decision-makers should be able to work together harmoniously. In Bloom's own words, "our top priority will be to build our talent base for the long term" (h/t Katie Woo, The Athletic). In Bendix's own words, "this offseason's gonna be about trying to find ways to improve our club" after posting a 79-83 record in 2025. Allow me to present one hypothetical trade that would satisfy both objectives. Marlins get: OF/1B Alec Burleson, LHP JoJo Romero, 3B Nolan Arenado and $7 million cash Cardinals get: INF/OF Andrew Salas, RHP Eliazar Dishmey, OF Victor Mesa Jr. and RHP Adam Mazur While Nolan Arenado is the most recognizable face in this deal (much more on him shortly), Alec Burleson is the real centerpiece. Burleson has steadily improved at the plate during his MLB career, from a 56 wRC+ in 2022 to a 89 wRC+ in 2023 to a 106 wRC+ in 2024 to a 124 wRC+ in 2025. Specifically from May 2025 onward, he was one of the most consistent hitters in baseball. And that was only his age-26 campaign—there could still be more meat left on the bone. If nothing else, you can bank on Burleson making contact as he perennially ranks in the 80th percentile or above among MLB hitters in whiff rate. He previously had some trouble barreling up breaking balls, but that turned around this season with a .512 slugging percentage and 92.2 mph average exit velocity against them. The Cardinals tried to develop Burleson as an outfielder, but he continues to be a mediocre defender in both corners. He's usable there in emergencies, but the Marlins are well-situated as it is with Kyle Stowers and Jakob Marsee atop their outfield depth chart and a handful of intriguing in-house options to complement them. With his new organization, Burleson would focus fully on first base, a position where the Marlins have been multiple wins below league average (in terms of WAA) during each of the last four seasons. Burleson is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to earn approximately $3.5 million entering his first year of arbitration eligibility. He'll remain under club control through 2028 via arbitration. Surely some of you readers will suggest that the Marlins hoard their prospects and just address first base via free agency. Ryan O'Hearn, in particular, has a similar skill set and recent track record...except he's five and a half years older than Burleson. The few "better" players on the FA market will be prohibitively expensive for the Fish. Burleson is the right fit for them. JoJo Romero is also coming off a career year. He posted a 2.07 ERA in 61 innings pitched, and that doesn't even account for his brilliant knack for stranding inherited baserunners (only three of 26 inherited runners scored). Romero's slider has been a plus pitch throughout his Cardinals tenure and it continues to be his main putaway pitch. He had 33 strikeouts and zero home runs allowed in 106 plate appearances ending with sliders this season. d958f234-c73d7476-3c56f5a1-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4 The 2025 Marlins never had a balanced bullpen and it repeatedly burned them. Rookie Cade Gibson rose from obscurity to provide one source of competence from the left side, but even he had big reverse platoon splits. Unfortunately, you can't place any expectations on Andrew Nardi in his attempt to return from a year-long, potentially career-altering back injury. Reinforcements are needed. Romero's projected arb salary is $4.4 million, then he'll be eligible for free agency. Relievers are always in high demand at the trade deadline, so if for whatever reason, the Marlins regress next season and reluctantly sell at the deadline, at least they should be able to recoup some of the prospect capital that they originally gave up to acquire the 29-year-old. This brings us to the future Hall of Famer Arenado, who was already traded once in his career when his contract was perceived to be underwater. He finds himself in that awkward predicament yet again. He trudged through the worst season of his career at age 34, setting new lows in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage while also spending a quarter of the season on the injured list with a right shoulder strain. The Cardinals owe him $22 million in 2026 and $15 million in 2027; the Colorado Rockies are paying him an additional $5 million in '26, though that is only relevant to his bank account, not his current market value. Both Arenado and the Cardinals have spoken candidly about his imminent departure from St. Louis. Although he has full no-trade protection, that isn't expected to be an obstacle like it was last winter. In the same way that development isn't always linear, the same applies to decline. A new environment can reinvigorate a frustrated veteran, as could new coaches. The Marlins staff puts an emphasis on swing decisions and it'd be fascinating to see how their messaging is received by the typically aggressive Arenado (16th percentile in chase rate this season). If he's determined to extend his career into his late 30s, he'll be open-minded. This might be 2023 Yuli Gurriel all over again—a slick-fielding contact hitter who is invaluable in the clubhouse, but too power-deficient to start regularly at a corner infield spot. In that case, the Marlins have Graham Pauley, Connor Norby and Maximo Acosta eager to prove themselves. Yes, financial relief is a factor from the Cardinals' perspective, but they aren't desperate enough to accept a package of lottery ticket types. They will insist on covering some of Arenado's contract in order to get talent with the upside to actually help them win games in future seasons. I think a reasonable compromise is paying down his 2026 salary to match his 2027 salary at $15 million apiece, leaving the Marlins on the hook for $30 million total. Andrew Salas (#6 on the Fish On First Top 30) spent his entire age-17 season with Low-A Jupiter, making him the youngest player in any organization to get a full season of Low-A reps this year. Salas slashed .186/.319/.245 with 39 stolen bases in 104 games, showing clear signs of fatigue toward the very end. Unconventionally, the Marlins rotated him between six different defensive positions, most frequently center field and shortstop. His long-term success will hinge on adding more strength and attacking pitches earlier in counts. Eliazar Dishmey (FOF #15) is a likely big league arm with a mid-rotation ceiling. He commands his sinker well at the bottom of the strike zone and generates whiffs with both his changeup and sweeper. He excelled in his first taste of High-A (2.19 ERA and 2.07 FIP in 24.2 IP). Dishmey just turned 21 on Saturday. He'll be Rule 5 draft-eligible after the 2026 season. TzAwQjlfWGw0TUFRPT1fQmdaWlVWWU1Vd1FBQ0ZZR1VBQUVBUUJWQUZFRlV3SUFWRlVOVTFjRUFBUUJCd0lI.mp4 The clock is ticking on both Victor Mesa Jr. and Adam Mazur, who would be more useful to the Cardinals than the Marlins given the latter's surplus of outfielders and rotation candidates. Mesa is a .272/.335/.456 hitter with 20 homers and nine steals in 122 Triple-A games, but his progress has been hindered by various injuries. Mazur has struggled to the tune of a 6.22 ERA and 5.60 FIP in 14 career MLB starts despite good control because of his lack of a reliable putaway pitch. They each have one minor league option left. Even accounting for the money owed to Burleson, Romero and Arenado in 2026, the Marlins would be projected for a bottom five MLB payroll. They must consider making other sensible additions to maximize their postseason chances. But let this proposal serve as a reminder that the Marlins are not limited to the universe of players on the free agent market. In relatively short order since Peter Bendix's arrival, they've built a deep organization, and that can be leveraged to get creative trades done this offseason.

Around this time last year, the Miami Marlins selected Jared Serna, Deyvison De Los Santos and Dax Fulton to their 40-man roster to protect them from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Doing so was a testament to both their perceived talent and major league readiness—it is difficult to navigate an entire MLB season when you're devoting 40-man spots to players who can't contribute yet. As it turns out, none of those prospects played for the Marlins in 2025, nor did they come close to earning an opportunity. Serna endured a particularly disappointing season. Ranked sixth on the Fish On First Top 30 at the time of his 40-man selection, he has since plummeted to 24th after slashing .224/.310/.279 with only three home runs and a 79 wRC+ in 111 upper-minors games. He frequently made contact, just not with much impact. His defense at shortstop and baserunning were merely okay. Very quietly, Serna found consistency at the end of his age-23 campaign. He reached base safely in each of his last 23 MiLB regular season games, posting a 125 wRC+ during that span. He also helped the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp to a Triple-A national championship by going 6-for-16 with two stolen bases during their playoff run. Serna had three weeks to rest between the Jumbo Shrimp's title clinch and the start of the 2025-26 Mexican Pacific Winter League season. He has picked up exactly where he left off (and then some). Entering Sunday, Serna is slashing .400/.514/.633 in nine games played for Charros de Jalisco. His 1.147 OPS is fourth-best in the entire league. The Guaymas native batted eighth in the Jalisco lineup when making his first start of the season on October 17, but this torrid stretch has propelled him to the very top of the order. Keep in mind, Serna is 6.2 years younger than the weighted average age of all hitters in the league, according to Baseball-Reference. One major caveat applies. Jalisco's home ballpark, Estadio Panamericano, is somewhat comparable to Major League Baseball's Coors Field. It's in the city of Zapopan, which is situated nearly a mile above sea level (5,154 ft), allowing batted balls to carry farther than they would have under neutral conditions. To counteract that, Estadio Panamericano has big dimensions—335 feet down both foul lines and 415 feet to straightaway center field. But that means outfielders have a ton of ground to cover. During his five years of winter ball experience (all of them with Jalisco), Serna has a career .358 batting average on balls in play. For context, his career BABIP in the minors is only .289. After leading their league in runs scored in both 2023-24 and 2024-25, Jalisco is tied for first in that category again this season. Marlins fans have seen firsthand how being used out of position can disrupt all aspects of a player's game, but Serna is seemingly unfazed. He's been a full-time middle infielder over the past two seasons when playing affiliated ball. However, Jalisco is mostly deploying him in the outfield, including four consecutive starts in center where he had never previously started in a professional game. From what I have observed, Serna has good range as an outfielder, composure when playing balls off the wall and decent throwing accuracy. His main challenge is compensating for below-average arm strength. merge-knyxk4.mp4 Although defensive versatility is always a positive, the Marlins organization is currently deeper in the outfield than the infield. This experiment doesn't expedite his call-up timeline. For Serna to revitalize his prospect stock this winter, it comes down to continuing to make smart swing decisions and demonstrating that he can slug in Jalisco's road games.

It's a vicious cycle—the Miami Marlins put a mediocre product on the field, fans don't attend the games, ownership spends minimally on the roster due to low gate revenue, and with the exception of occasional lucky breaks, the product continues to be mediocre. As encouraging as the 2025 season was in certain aspects, the Marlins once again sold a lower percentage of their ballpark's seats than any other MLB franchise. That will in all likelihood dissuade ownership from setting payroll high enough to pursue true needle-moving free agents this offseason. As deflating as that is, at least the Marlins are trying something with their latest job posting. They're now accepting applications for a new director of fan experience position. The job's responsibilities include "identifying creative, data-driven improvements" for loanDepot park visitors and ensuring "product offerings enhance gameday and reflect fan culture" with the objective of "driving deeper engagement, loyalty, and return rates." To make my stance on this clear, the Marlins don't need your donations. Like any for-profit business, they should have to earn money by satisfying their customers. Independent of wins and losses, they seem to recognize that more can be done to make game attendance a better proposition for fans. I'm eager to see what the new executive comes up with. On Thursday in fall/winter ball, Starlyn Caba went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run, PJ Morlando went 1-for-3 with a walk and Fenwick Trimble went 1-for-4. Karson Milbrandt pitched well in relief (2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 59 pitches/33 strikes) and leads the entire Arizona Fall League with 18 strikeouts. The Mesa Solar Sox lost, 7-5. Jared Serna (Mexico) again started in center field—something he had never done professionally prior to this week. Only 153 days away from Marlins Opening Day. 🔷 Following a scouting trip to the AFL, Keith Law of The Athletic described Caba as the "best defensive shortstop prospect I’ve seen since Jose Iglesias in 2009-10. Caba makes every play look routine, with plus range in both directions and outstanding instincts. He barely has to hit to be a big leaguer…but that’s still a question." 🔷 Kyle Stowers is hoping to become the first Marlins outfielder since 2017 to win a Silver Slugger Award. No other Marlins are Silver Slugger finalists this year. The award winners will be announced on November 6. 🔷 Locked On Marlins interviewed Marlins minor league pitching strategist Mitchell McIntyre. "The outs definitely matter and we certainly care about performance, but at the lower levels, we're straight up trying to maximize guys' stuff," McIntyre explained. "Our slogan is very clear about what we want to do, and for us, it's simply 'throw nasty strikes.'" 🔷 Miguel Beltre, who's a member of the Marlins' international scouting department, will work for Team Dominican Republic during the upcoming World Baseball Classic as part of their advance scouting staff. 🔷 There is a Bullpen Mafia meet-up at The Tank Brewing Co. tonight. Marlins broadcaster Kelly Saco is one of the special guests. You can RSVP here. 🔷 Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium gave us a glimpse of their ongoing renovations via TikTok (I have muted the Sabrina Carpenter song that was originally included with this video because it was giving me a headache). ckh3gz_1.mp4 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the San Francisco Giants hired Tony Vitello and the Los Angeles Angels hired Kurt Suzuki to be their new managers. That still leaves the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals with managerial vacancies. The Milwaukee Brewers promoted Matt Arnold to president of baseball operations. On the eve of the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that Alex Vesia is away from the team due to a personal family matter. Fish On First sends positive thoughts to the former Marlins reliever.

Miami Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers is one of the finalists to win a 2025 Silver Slugger Award, as announced on Wednesday. In 117 games, Stowers slashed .288/.368/.544 with 25 home runs, five stolen bases and a 149 wRC+. That slugging percentage led all National League outfielders who had at least 450 plate appearances. It's a far cry meaning from the year before when he was significantly below replacement level and homered only twice following a midseason trade to Miami. Stowers, 27, was the Marlins' lone All-Star representative this season and continued mashing after that to earn July NL Player of the Month honors. His performances on either side of the break—July 13 vs. Orioles and July 18 vs. Royals—combined to form arguably the best two-game span by a hitter in Marlins history (8-10, 5 HR and 11 RBI). b080c8ba-4b563cb0-ce88063d-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Stowers' campaign was cut short by oblique issues. He suffered a left oblique strain on August 15. He began a minor league rehab assignment on September 5, but then experienced discomfort on his right side. He has fully recovered since then, so his readiness for 2026 won't be impacted. The NL's other outfield finalists are Corbin Carroll (Arizona Diamondbacks), Pete Crow-Armstrong (Chicago Cubs), Juan Soto (New York Mets), Kyle Tucker (Chicago Cubs) and James Wood (Washington Nationals). I fully expect Carroll and Soto to be awarded, but the third spot is wide open. NL winners will be announced on November 6.

Attempting to defend their World Series title, the Los Angeles Dodgers will oppose a Toronto Blue Jays team that has far less Fall Classic experience. In his seventh MLB season, face of the franchise and ALCS MVP Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has reached this point for the first time, while the Blue Jays fanbase waited 32 long years to get back. It has been an especially arduous journey here for Don Mattingly. More than 43 years after making his major league debut as a player, Toronto's bench coach will make his World Series debut on Friday. Mattingly has been tantalizingly close on numerous occasions. When he got called up by the perennially competitive New York Yankees in 1982, they were the reigning American League pennant winners. However, his playing career coincided with an uncharacteristic fallow period. Despite establishing himself as the AL's best first baseman, Mattingly wouldn't even get to appear in the postseason until 1995, his final season. Immediately after that, in 1996, the Yankees snapped their 18-year title drought and won it all. Mattingly officially retired in 1997 and was loosely connected to the Yankees organization during their ensuing dynasty as a special instructor. On the heels of yet another pennant in 2003, he was hired as their major league hitting coach. In his first year on the job, the Yankees took a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead over the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS, only to notoriously choke it away. He remained on their coaching staff through 2007—consistently qualifying for October, but never getting over the hump. As manager of the Dodgers, Mattingly's club was eliminated by the eventual NL pennant winners in both 2013 (St. Louis Cardinals) and 2015 (New York Mets). He stepped down from the position after five seasons. His successor, Dave Roberts, has led the Dodgers to five WS appearances since then. Next, Mattingly became the winningest skipper in Miami Marlins history, though that's not saying much. The Fish only finished above .500 once during his tenure (2020) and got swept out of the NLDS. Now in his third year coaching with the Blue Jays, Mattingly is closer to a championship than he's ever been before. As fate would have it, one of the few Jays players with World Series pedigree, George Springer, blasted the go-ahead home run in Monday's pennant-clinching victory over the Seattle Mariners. The Dodgers are favored to go back-to-back, though a superior regular season record earned Toronto home-field advantage. Rogers Centre hosts Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night.

In preparation for the 2025-26 offseason, DiamondCentric has created sortable lists containing all pending free agent hitters and pitchers. The lists also include a search function for narrowing your focus to individual players or teams that the FAs previously played for (searching "MIA" on the pitcher list will bring up Cal Quantrill, for example). Bookmark and enjoy! On Sunday in fall ball, Starlyn Caba went 2-for-6 and committed an error, Fenwick Trimble went 0-for-4 with a walk, PJ Morlando went 2-for-5 with 3 RBI—matching his professional career-high for a single game—and Darwin Rodríguez pitched two innings of hitless relief. The Mesa Solar Sox won, 12-6. On Sunday in winter ball, Jared Serna (Mexico) went 3-for-4, finishing a home run shy of the cycle. Through four games with Charros de Jalisco, he has posted an otherworldly 1.896 OPS while playing different defensive positions each night, most recently shortstop. Serna's 2025 minor league season was very disappointing, so this is a refreshing reset. Maximo Acosta (Venezuela) went 2-for-5 with a stolen base. Only 157 days away from Miami Marlins Opening Day. 🔷 The Marlins re-signed left-handed reliever Justin King to a new minor league deal, as first reported by USA Today's Bob Nightengale. King will be a non-roster invitee at big league spring training for the second straight year. In 33 innings pitched this season (31 G/0 GS), the 27-year-old posted a 3.55 ERA and .236 BAA, but also walked 19.0% of the batters he faced, which is horrible. Most of that workload came with Double-A Pensacola. 🔷 After managing DSL Miami to a successful 2025 season, Gianni Bloom is the new manager of Dominican Academy development. "Our mission is to develop players as completely as possible—as athletes, leaders, and teammates," Bloom wrote in an Instagram post, "and truly I believe this holistic approach is the best path to lasting success on the field. 🔷 While acknowledging that he made significant mechanical adjustments, Kyle Stowers attributes his 2025 breakout season mostly to the mental side of the game, as detailed by David Laurila of FanGraphs. "The swing has always been good enough to compete at this level," Stowers said. "I just didn’t allow myself to believe that, because when you’re in the big leagues and struggling, you feel like you have to be someone different." 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners to force a winner-take-all Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. Catcher Martín Maldonado has retired after 15 MLB seasons. He is best known for his days with the Houston Astros, with whom he won a World Series title in 2022. Although highly valued for his defense and intangibles, Maldonado was a poor hitter, even by catcher standards. His 69 wRC+ from 2011-2025 ranked last among major leaguers who had at least 4,000 plate appearances during that span. Jesús Montero, a New York Yankees top prospect who spent most of his MLB career with the Seattle Mariners, tragically died at age 35 due to injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident.

On Thursday in fall/winter ball, Karson Milbrandt made his first start (second overall appearance) in the AFL. His final line: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K (60 pitches/38 strikes). Fenwick Trimble went 1-for-4 with 1 RBI. PJ Morlando went 0-for-4. Morlando is now 1-for-15 overall in the AFL with strikeouts in 43.8% of his plate appearances. Darwin Rodríguez retired the side in order in the ninth inning. The Mesa Solar Sox lost, 6-2. This tracker will be updated frequently with news and highlights pertaining to Miami Marlins players. Only 160 days away from Marlins Opening Day. 🔷 Xavier Edwards (second base), Kyle Stowers (left field) and Javier Sanoja (utility) are all National League Gold Glove finalists. No Marlin has won a Gold Glove since Marcell Ozuna in 2017, unless you're counting 2021 Adam Duvall, who played the majority of that season in Miami before being traded to the Atlanta Braves. 🔷 Louis Addeo-Weiss is pessimistic about Josh Simpson's chances of rebounding from a brutal rookie year. 🔷 Alex Carver wrote about each of our 2025 FOF Award winners, with featured comments from SuperSubs. 🔷 Ian Cundall of Baseball America explained why the Marlins have a "difficult decision" to make regarding whether or not to protect Andrew Pintar from the Rule 5 draft. Pintar was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2024 A.J. Puk trade. I was conflicted as well earlier in the year, but the encouraging performances by a handful of other outfielders at both the Triple-A and MLB levels should make it an easy call to leave Pintar off the 40-man. If he gets selected, they have the depth to withstand it. 🔷 Happy 22nd birthday to Marlins top draft pick Aiva Arquette. Selected with the seventh overall pick, the right-handed-hitting shortstop received a franchise-record $7.15 million signing bonus and began his professional career with High-A Beloit. 🔷 As the weather cools down in most parts of the country, a reminder that HOMAGE still sells this sexy teal Marlins Starter jacket (sizes XS through XL are currently in stock). Fish On First earns a commission on products purchased through that link. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers are win one away from clinching the National League Championship Series. Tyler Glasnow was the latest starting pitcher of theirs to contain the Milwaukee Brewers offense. Dodgers pitchers collectively have a 2.60 ERA during this postseason. The ALCS is tied 2-2, with road teams winning each game of the series thus far. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered again. No exaggeration, he is putting together one of the best deep postseason runs by an individual hitter in MLB history (.455/.500/.970, 5 HR and 290 wRC+ in eight games). The New York Yankees are expecting to begin the 2026 season without Carlos Rodón and Anthony Volpe as they rehab from elbow and shoulder surgeries, respectively. Marlins podcast episodes