Ely Sussman

The long overdue Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium renovations have begun. When the dust settles, Marlins Grapefruit League games should be comfortable for both players and fans. Spring training baseball returns to Jupiter in less than three months. The 2025 edition will look different than it has over the past two-plus decades as Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium modernizes. Key components of the renovation project that the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals have spent years pushing for began this week, Mike Diamond of the Palm Beach Post reports. All of the old grass at Roger Dean has been excavated and workers began laying sod on Monday as a new drainage system is being installed. Rain only falls sporadically throughout February and March, but this will come in handy during the regular season when the Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals combine to use the facility six days a week. Hopefully, more efficient drainage will cut down on the number of games that get postponed due to "wet grounds." No more bullpens along the foul lines—those are being relocated beyond the outfield walls. Those are the first wave of renovations. The majority of the work will be done after spring training, according to the Marlins. The teams' clubhouses will still be in separate buildings from the ballpark itself, but Roger Dean general manager Mike Bauer says "we will add on both sides to increase the square footage so we can take care of the deficiencies we had. There’ll be more space for a larger weight room, more space for physical training and hydrotherapy.“ In terms of fan-friendly changes, the stadium is setting up complimentary Wi-Fi. The gift shop will be expanded to three times its original size. There are new socialization spaces coming to left field and center field. The Fish On First staff will be pleased to hear about the upcoming pressbox improvements. The Marlins and Cardinals are receiving some financial assistance from both the state of Florida and Palm Beach County on the $108 million project. Marlins spring training tickets went on sale earlier this month. Dynamic pricing applies to single-game tickets, with reserved box seats going for $42, $49 or $56 a seat depending on the popularity of the matchup (yes, I see the irony in median prices for Marlins exhibition games being significantly higher than regular season games at loanDepot park). View full article

Well, so much for that 😂 Still will be fun to follow the rest of the way. Playoffs have essentially begun—might need to win 5 straight just to make it in.

It's been a long time since the Marlins have made any long-term commitments. It is only natural for Miami Marlins fans to be envious. Since Opening Day, they've seen the Arizona Diamondbacks (Ketel Marte and Brandon Pfaadt), Boston Red Sox (Garrett Crochet and Kristian Campbell) and San Diego Padres (Jackson Merrill) announce contract extensions that will retain key players into the 2030s, not to mention the handful of similar deals that were completed across the league during spring training. Meanwhile in Miami, the only constant is change. In early 2024, Luis Arraez and Jesús Luzardo were both transparent about their desire to stay with the club for many years—the Marlins traded them later that year. Pablo López signed an extension shortly after being dealt to the Minnesota Twins in 2023, as did Miguel Rojas upon joining the Los Angeles Dodgers. Peter Bendix has not extended any player since being hired as president of baseball operations. Neither did Kim Ng during the second half of her tenure as general manager. The most recent Marlin to agree to an extension was reliever Richard Bleier—that forgettable two-year, $6 million pact was announced more than three years ago (March 22, 2022). In the meantime, 27 of the 30 MLB teams have extended at least one of their own guys, according to MLB Trade Rumors. The only exceptions to that have been the Marlins, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. (Although it was a free agent deal rather than an extension, the Yankees kept the face of their franchise, Aaron Judge, and subsequently named him team captain.) Why are extensions important? Well, prior to Bleier, the Marlins locked up Sandy Alcantara in November 2021. That shrewd five-year, $56 million deal is the only reason he's still in Miami right now. Had they waited until after his subsequent Cy Young award-winning season to negotiate, Alcantara would have had the leverage to ask for more guaranteed money than the franchise was comfortable committing to an individual pitcher. Without an extension, he was on track to reach free agency following the 2024 season; instead, he's under club control through 2027. 1j25vg.mp4 Low-revenue teams like the Marlins should be utilizing extensions even more than average teams because they will inevitably be priced out of premium free agents. They need to roll the dice on young players before their potential is fully realized in order to eventually contend on a tight budget (their payroll is the lowest in the majors entering 2025). The most logical extension candidates for any club are up-the-middle position players. Catcher Joe Mack had a breakout season at Double-A in 2024, excelling both offensively and defensively against much older competition. If this year mirrors that one, Mack deserves consideration for a pre-debut extension entering 2026. In the meantime, shortstop Xavier Edwards and second baseman Otto Lopez are top of mind. Both have valuable skill sets, but ones that typically don't pay well in arbitration—Edwards has never and will never hit for power, while Lopez is a standout defender. They are two seasons away from even becoming arb-eligible, so the Marlins wouldn't have to break the bank. Current Triple-A Jacksonville catcher Agustín Ramírez is a fascinating case. He will inevitably move off of the position, especially if Mack pans out, but his potential with the bat is immense. Poised to debut by the midpoint of 2025, perhaps a positive first impression compels the the front office to sign him next winter. No player in the Marlins organization has a higher ceiling than Eury Pérez. I'm very skeptical about him being a realistic extension candidate because of his combination of youth and pure stuff. Due to hit free agency as a 26-year-old, he is practically assured of getting a massive contract even if he pitches sparingly between now and then. The Marlins should make an attempt, nonetheless. View full article

The 2025 Miami Marlins coaching staff is gradually filling out. Clayton McCullough's first hire was hitting coach Pedro Guerrero, and now, Carson Vitale has been plucked from the Seattle Mariners to serve as bench coach, as reported by MLB.com's Daniel Kramer. Like McCullough and Guerrero, Vitale had a brief professional playing career (2010-2011 with the Texas Rangers organization), but never reached the majors. He began coaching in 2012 with the Los Angeles Angels and managed their Dominican Summer League affiliate from 2014-2015. After that, he was hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers as international field coordinator, which is where he crossed paths with McCullough. He has spent the last seven seasons with Seattle, including the last five as their major league field coordinator. The 36-year-old also has a terrific beard, as you can see.

Today's news roundup also includes highlights from the final season of Paul Severino's play-by-play tenure. On Sunday in winter ball competition, UTIL Vidal Bruján went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base. INF Johnny Olmstead went 1-for-3 with a walk. Gigantes del Cibao got rained out, postponing what would have been the first start of the season for OF Dane Myers. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 An agreement had been in place for months, but on Saturday, the Marlins officially signed Cuban INF Luis Manuel León. Francys Romero confirms that León received a $1.5M signing bonus, the largest of any player in the Marlins' 2024 international free agent class. It's possible that we see some smaller deals between now and the closing of this international period on December 15. The 2025 signing period opens on January 15. 🔷 Romero also reported that the Marlins have struck a minor league deal with RHP Robinson Piña. It includes an invitation to big league camp. A longtime Angels prospect, Piña spent his age-25 season in the Phillies organization. He has pitched 156 ⅔ innings overall this year when combining MiLB and LIDOM experience, showing great control by issuing only 30 walks. 🔷 Marlins play-by-play announcer Paul Severino announced on Friday that he isn't being brought back next season. I stitched together all 10 of his walk-off calls from 2024. 🔷 New Marlins director of pitching Bill Hezel gave his first interview since accepting the position (embedded below). In it, he articulated his philosophy as "building the best arsenal possible for our pitchers with respect to their uniqueness...and encourage them to be as aggressive as they possibly can inside the strike zone with that arsenal." 🔷 Cody Christie of Twins Daily proposes two trade packages for bringing Jesús Luzardo to Minnesota. I don't think Luzardo gets moved this offseason, but the Royce Lewis idea is intriguing and balanced. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Phillies have reportedly held meetings with top free agent Juan Soto. They are being told to submit contract offers this week. Marlins podcast episodes View full article

It's a Marlins win! Listen to Severino's play-by-play calls of Miami's 10 walk-off victories from this past season. Best of luck to Severino in whatever comes next for his career! View full video

Severino's tenure as the Marlins' play-by-play voice ends after seven seasons. Paul Severino, who had served as the Miami Marlins' television play-by-play announcer since 2018, was let go on Friday. It was known that Severino's contract was expiring—in September, it was reported that he had been a candidate for the New York Yankees radio play-by-play gig. Even so, FanDuel Sports Network Florida previously told the 41-year-old that he would be retained next season, according to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson. He was in attendance for the Clayton McCullough introductory press conference on Monday. "But the Marlins and FanDuel recently discussed the matter and decided to hire someone new." Severino was working for MLB Network when the Marlins previously had a play-by-play vacancy. Coincidentally, his exit comes exactly seven years after Rich Waltz was axed. Todd Hollandsworth was initially Severino's full-time partner in the broadcast booth. Since 2022, the Marlins have utilized a rotation of several color commentators. By my count, Severino was on the call for 160 of 162 Marlins games during the 2024 season (the only exceptions being May 31 and June 8). He was paired with analysts Tommy Hutton, Rod Allen, Jeff Nelson and Gaby Sanchez. Throughout Severino's tenure, Craig Minervini served as the backup play-by-play person. Severino posted a lengthy goodbye letter on his social media accounts, thanking his former broadcast production teammates, Marlins fans and his family: When Severino first got the job, the Marlins' regional sports network partner was known as FOX Sports Florida. It rebranded to Bally Sports Florida in 2021 and rebranded again earlier this month to FanDuel Sports Network Florida. Severino had already updated his account with the FanDuel name prior to receiving this news. Assuming a Rich Waltz reunion isn't in play, who do you want to see fill Severino's shoes? View full article

De La Cruz struggled so badly upon arriving in Pittsburgh that he's been cut loose despite three years of club control remaining. One year removed from being the everyday left fielder for the postseason-bound Miami Marlins, Bryan De La Cruz is a free agent. De La Cruz was non-tendered by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday. Although the move had cost-saving benefits for his new club, it was ultimately a simple baseball decision, a reluctant admission that he isn't who they thought he was. On the surface, the Marlins didn't get much in return for DLC when they shipped him to Pittsburgh minutes before the July 30 trade deadline. Neither RHP Jun-Seok Shim nor INF/C Garret Forrester have changed that perception yet. As it turns out, waiting any longer to make a deal would've meant settling for nothing. De La Cruz was eligible for arbitration entering the 2025 season and projected by MLB Trade Rumors for a $4M salary. The Pirates were fully aware of that when they acquired him. By declining to tender him a contract, it implies none of the MLB teams felt he was worth that modest amount, either. To refresh your memory, De La Cruz led the Marlins in plate appearances (626), hits (149) and runs batted in (78) during the 2023 season. Through July, he was on track for a comparable performance this year—a few more strikeouts and less batted ball luck, but he had been demonstrating the ability to hit home runs to all fields. By wRC+, the 27-year-old was actually two points ahead of his old pace. "He has real physical ability, big power, solid defender in the corners," Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told reporters (h/t Greg Macafee, DK Pittsburgh Sports). "He’s someone that even going back to when he was acquired by the Marlins from Houston, we had had our eyes on. We’ve got some personal relationships, people that know him. He was a target." TVpSUTVfWGw0TUFRPT1fQUFaWlZWUldVbFFBWEZSUlVRQUFDQUZmQUZsUkJ3SUFWbGNCQmdVQUJRZFJVUUVG.mp4 It would seem Cherington's scouting report was a bit outdated. Yes, De La Cruz used to be a solid defender when his MLB career began, but he had been an outright liability on that side of the ball in recent years, hence why he received half of his pre-trade playing time as Miami's designated hitter. He needed to meaningfully contribute on offense to justify an everyday lineup spot. Still, nobody could've foreseen his production at the plate cratering to this extent. From July 30 onward, De La Cruz accrued -1.1 fWAR. He ranked 544th out of the 545 position players who appeared in MLB games during that span. The Pirates had the National League's worst post-trade deadline winning percentage and plummeted out of the playoff race. De La Cruz's unwillingness to take walks became highly problematic. He had only four bases on balls as a Pirate, two of those coming during the final week of the season when the team's fate was already sealed. Let's get even more granular. Something that went under the radar even before the trade was the deterioration of De La Cruz's two-strike approach. The far-right column in the table below shows that he was considerably better than league average in those situations from 2021-2023 (a 100 sOPS+ represents league average). Not the case in 2024—he wasn't much of a threat to make contact, and when he did, it was rarely quality contact. De La Cruz's August/September tailspin looks to have been more psychological than physical. The Pirates clearly lack confidence in being able to straighten him out, but so do the other MLB teams to varying extents, otherwise one of them would have traded for him prior to Friday. I would guess that DLC gets a one-year, $2M-ish major league deal for his age-28 season. Although the Marlins could have part-time reps available in the DH and left field spots as currently constructed, a reunion is very unlikely. View full article

The Beloit Sky Carp have introduced an "alternate identity" for the 2025 minor league season: "The franchise is proud to pay homage to this heritage by bringing the Wisconsin Supper Clubbers to ABC Supply Stadium every Friday night. "The alternate identity might ring familiar to Sky Carp fans. Supper Clubbers finished a close second in the fan voting when the team changed its moniker in 2021. Now, those fans who voted for the Supper Clubbers will get their wish every Friday night." qyzjaq.mp4 The Supper Clubbers cap logo features a Brandy Old Fashioned, which is apparently the "official cocktail of Wisconsin." The woodmark is stylized like a neon sign. It's certainly...unique? I just don't see how a club/alcohol-themed identity could possibly resonate with kids and move the needle in terms of fan turnout. The Wisconsin Supper Clubbers will make their debut on April 4 at ABC Supply Stadium when the Marlins' High-A affiliate hosts the South Bend Cubs.

At this stage of their rebuild, the Marlins don't seem motivated to invest in short-term upgrades. How about using that money to essentially "buy" prospects from other teams by bundling them with expendable veterans? Originally published on November 21, this article has been updated following a report from The Athletic that the Miami Marlins are "expected to be among the highest revenue-sharing recipients next year," pressuring them to substantially increase payroll or else risk a grievance from the Major League Baseball Players Association. With Jesús Luzardo off the books for 2025, the Marlins are projected for one of Major League Baseball's lowest payrolls. Even by their usually frugal standards, it's an ugly look. For luxury tax calculation purposes, which includes player benefits and other miscellaneous expenses, Roster Resource has them just shy of $83 million. While it's obvious that the Marlins will not be ready to contend for the postseason, there are potential transactions to be made that would continue to bolster their farm system. What if that payroll flexibility was used to facilitate salary dumps? The Marlins could offer to take on an underperforming veteran player who's nearing the end of their contract, accepting the responsibility for most/all of their remaining salary. To balance out the trade, the other team would be expected to include one or more prospects. It helps the other team reallocate funds towards free agents who can actually help them win games, while giving Miami more candidates to develop into long-term contributors. The table below was featured in a recent report from The Athletic's Evan Drellich about the future of MLB's television rights. Many teams have had to accept a reduction in rights fees while transitioning away from the traditional regional sports network model or renegotiating with their RSN partner. The Marlins are among the few who are getting "effectively the same" revenue that they originally forecasted, and they ought to leverage that to expedite their rebuild. Here are four players around the league making way more money than they're worth who I could see being bundled with prospects on their way out the door. Christian Vázquez (Minnesota Twins) 0.8 fWAR in 2024 Owed $10M in 2025 This one was included in my Marlins offseason blueprint. The Twins have a top-heavy roster with Carlos Correa, Pablo López and Byron Buxton accounting for a massive percentage of their total payroll. With that trio being essential to their competitive chances, they'll need to shed money elsewhere to re-emerge with a better overall roster come Opening Day. The 34-year-old Vázquez is a two-time World Series champion who still provides good defense, but his bat has declined to the point where he's best suited for a backup role. He could be a valuable mentor to Marlins catching prospects Agustín Ramírez and Joe Mack. Steven Matz (St. Louis Cardinals) 0.1 fWAR in 2024 Owed $12.5M in 2025 cd2d11a2-3c79bb5e-ab144d72-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 The Cardinals have been particularly forthcoming about their plans to cut payroll next season. Veteran right-handers Sonny Gray and Miles Mikolas might be on the move, but I can't imagine Bruce Sherman taking on that much money. In addition to being oft-injured during his Cardinals tenure, Matz has been humbled with multiple demotions to the bullpen. Perhaps the Marlins pitching staff is depleted by spring training injuries for the second straight year and it creates a starting rotation void for him to fill. Otherwise, he profiles as a low-leverage reliever. Kenta Maeda (Detroit Tigers) 0.0 fWAR in 2024 Owed $10M in 2025 The elephant on the Tigers' books is Javier Báez. He is completely immovable with three years still left on his deal. Maeda is an older, right-handed version of Matz who could conceivably have some value to the 2025 Marlins because of his versatility and reliable strike-throwing. Myles Straw (Cleveland Guardians) 0.0 fWAR in 2024 Owed $6.4M in 2025 and $7.4M in 2026 Here is Straw's top highlight with the Guardians from the past year: d11ed25d-ad122de9-0a44b8c0-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 That's from February 26. Yes, very early in spring training. Straw was outrighted to the minors at the end of spring camp and spent all but one week of the 2024 season playing in Triple-A. Clearly, he is not in Cleveland's plans moving forward. The Guardians surprisingly won the AL Central title despite paying Straw to do nothing. To repeat as champs of a deep division, they'll have to be more efficient. Straw might not have a role to fill with the Fish, either. He's a prototypical defensive replacement/pinch-runner. Finding room for the 30-year-old on their active roster will depend on how they align the rest of the outfield. Because of that uncertainty and the total guaranteed dollars owed to him, this trade should bring back more valuable prospect(s) than the others. View full article

Fish On First's 15th-ranked Marlins prospect, Fulton is a talented lefty who was trending toward being an eventual MLB starting rotation candidate before suffering an elbow injury. What will his stuff look like coming off an extensive rehab process? View full video

The question is whether they are leaving Johnston unprotected in the minor league phase. If that was the case last year, a team definitely would have snatched him. I agree that they've made it clear they don't value him, so for everybody's sake, hopefully they handle it that way. Avoids the awkwardness of outright releasing him.

Today's news roundup also highlights players on the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot who have Marlins connections. On Tuesday, the Marlins selected prospects 1B Deyvison De Los Santos, INF Jared Serna and LHP Dax Fulton to their 40-man roster, protecting them from potentially getting picked in next month's MLB Rule 5 Draft. No corresponding moves were necessary as the club had three vacancies on the 40-man. The Marlins will have the third overall pick in the Rule 5. MLB Pipeline lists the top-rated prospects from each organization who were left unprotected. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 The most detailed article yet from Fish On First intern Sean McCormack identifies which types of players fit best at loanDepot park. 🔷 Fish Unfiltered is back! Kevin Barral, Isaac Azout and I react to Clayton McCullough's introductory press conference, the latest roster moves and Marlins minor league free agent signings. 🔷 Also embedded below, I made a guest appearance on the Bullpen Mafia Podcast. Our wide-ranging conversation covered everything from Agustín Ramírez to Harold Ramírez. 🔷 There are 28 names on the 2025 BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot. Former Marlins Ichiro Suzuki, Hanley Ramírez, Curtis Granderson and Fernando Rodney are each entering their first year of eligibility, while Mark Buehrle is entering his fifth year. Ichiro will clear the 75% threshold for election without a sweat—the only question is whether or not he gets in unanimously. 🔷 Confirming reporting from Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred tells The Athletic's Evan Drellich that the Marlins' renegotiated deal with FanDuel Sports Network Florida includes "effectively the same" revenue as their original local television deal did. It is not a long-term commitment, however. All of the MLB teams still affiliated with Diamond Sports Group have deals that expire "no later than 2028" as the league plans for the possibility of creating a national package for streaming companies to bid on. 🔷 The Marlins announced that their annual Home Plate Meals Thanksgiving Distribution will be held on November 22. Peter Bendix, Clayton McCullough, Nick Fortes, Anthony Bender and Jeff Conine are scheduled to be there. 🔷 Congratulations to Declan Cronin and Paige Monaghan on their engagement! 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Rays traded José Siri to the Mets for right-handed reliever Eric Orze. Reds RHP Nick Martinez was the only free agent to accept the $21.05M qualifying offer. The other 12 players who declined the offer are now tied to draft-pick compensation if they sign with a new team. Stephen Vogt won AL Manager of the Year and Pat Murphy won NL Manager of the Year. Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Two of the top talents that the Marlins acquired at the 2024 trade deadline are being protected from the upcoming MLB Rule 5 Draft, as is a pitching prospect who's coming back from Tommy John surgery. The Miami Marlins have added 1B Deyvison De Los Santos, INF Jared Serna and LHP Dax Fulton to their 40-man roster. Ranked third, sixth and 15th, respectively, on the Fish On First Top 30 prospects list, each of them would have been eligible for the MLB Rule 5 Draft in December had they not been protected prior to Tuesday's deadline. As explained by Fish On First's Kevin Barral last week, selecting De Los Santos (acquired from AZ for A.J. Puk) and Serna (acquired from NYY for Jazz Chisholm Jr.) were fairly obvious decisions. They both have exciting offensive potential and De Los Santos in particular is close to being major league-ready. It would be foolish for a rebuilding team to risk potentially losing them in the Rule 5. Fulton was squarely on the bubble. The tall left-hander received a $2.4M signing bonus coming out of the 2020 MLB Draft. He has 12 games of Double-A experience (3.75 ERA and 82 K in 60.0 IP) and earned a non-roster invite to big league spring training in 2023, but he hasn't pitched in an official game since May 11, 2023 while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery (the second Tommy John of his career). He turned 23 years old last month. Would another team have actually picked Fulton in the major league phase of the Rule 5 and stashed him on their active roster for the entire 2025 season? I guess we'll never know. Entering Tuesday, Miami's 40-man roster was at 37, so no corresponding moves are needed to make room for De Los Santos, Serna and Fulton. Notable Rule 5-eligible prospects who were not selected by the Marlins include 1B Troy Johnston (2023 Marlins Minor League Player of the Year), RHP Zach McCambley (third-round draft pick in 2020), INF Cody Morissette (second-round draft pick in 2021) and INF Jordan McCants (third-round draft pick in 2021). View full article

Xavier Edwards comes pretty close! Not so much in the fielding department, but everything else you mentioned. He's a true second baseman despite being used at shortstop right now. Don't think it's realistic to project Simon that way. Edwards has the best chance among current infielders in the organization who are major league ready.