Ely Sussman

Fish On First LIVE discusses why Liam Hicks is more valuable to other MLB teams than he is to the Marlins moving forward, making him a prime trade candidate despite being so early in his career. View full video

This podcast is brought to you by Jet Ski Rentals of South Florida—offering Miami’s best jet ski and boat adventures. With six jet ski locations and over 120 boats, there’s something for every style and every budget. They’re reservation-based only. To inquire, call 305-990-2192, or check them out online at SFJetskiRentals.com. Make sure to use promo code FISHONFIRST to receive 10% off your next booking. Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead. Sunday's show was hosted by Ely Sussman and featured panelist Kevin Barral. The following topics were covered: A very encouraging series win over the New York Mets Michael Petersen's incredible effort on Sunday Notable trades completed around the majors (as of early Sunday evening) Latest rumors regarding Liam Hicks, Kyle Stowers, Pete Fairbanks and Xavier Edwards Predicting the next series against the Atlanta Braves You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. Our next FOF LIVE episode will be a special trade deadline countdown/reaction show, scheduled for Monday at approximately 5:00 p.m. ET. View full article

NEW YORK — It's extremely rare, if not unprecedented, that in a game featuring a scoreless start by Sandy Alcantara, he wasn't the Miami Marlins' most valuable pitcher. On Sunday, that title belonged to Michael Petersen. The journeyman right-hander put out a blazing fire in the bottom of the seventh inning, preserving Alcantara's shutout and earning his team-leading 18th hold of the season in a 2-0 win over the New York Mets. Marlins manager Clayton McCullough called upon Petersen with runners on second and third and his club clinging to a 1-0 advantage. In that moment, the Mets had an estimated win probability of 65%, per Baseball Savant. Petersen issued a walk to Marcus Semien to load the bases, but then struck out Jorge Polanco and Francisco Alvarez, escaping the jam on an A.J. Ewing groundout. The Mets' win probability plunged to 25% after coming up empty. "Great decision by the manager out there," Alcantara said postgame. "Bring in the best guy [for] the best moment." "As he's continued to get these types of opportunities, we have seen (Petersen) really grow," McCullough said. "He's a very confident pitcher with good stuff...Not surprised that Mike is getting these type of outs for us." Petersen has performed well overall in his first year as a full-time big leaguer (3.13 ERA and 3.25 FIP in 46.0 IP), but he shines especially brightly when inheriting baserunners. Only two of the 22 runners left behind for him by fellow Marlins pitchers have come home. Petersen takes that responsibility very seriously. “There's not a worse feeling than coming in with someone else's runner in and cashing it," Petersen said. "Those guys are, in my mind, winning the World Series if they come through. My own score, I pitch like crap, that's on me. But when someone's been grinding and you come in and blow that, you feel like an *******. So I try really hard not to do that." Interestingly enough, Petersen did not make a single appearance with inherited runners until May 15. McCullough explained that the right-hander's usage changed through a combination of his own success and the losses of various relievers due to injuries, a few of whom (such as Anthony Bender and Andrew Nardi) are still on the IL. Safe to say, Petersen will remain in a prominent role as long as he continues to be a reliable out-getter. Petersen's outing was so stressful because the Marlins offense barely provided any support. They were held scoreless until Joe Mack's fifth-inning home run. Xavier Edwards drove in their only other run with an RBI single in the ninth. Alcantara is on the verge of setting yet another Marlins franchise record. By recording at least seven outs in his next start, he'll surpass Ricky Nolasco in career innings pitched (Nolasco had 1,225.2 IP). And now we wait. As Marlins players and coaches rest on Monday, front office staffers will be doing the exact opposite, discussing a wide variety of potential moves in advance of the 6:00 p.m. ET trade deadline. View full article

As Fish On First's own Kevin Barral detailed earlier in the day, Liam Hicks is a logical trade candidate for the Miami Marlins leading up to Monday's deadline. Hicks is enjoying a strong sophomore season, slashing .283/.364/.434 and producing 1.6 fWAR through his first 100 games, but he's an awkward fit moving forward given the presence of Joe Mack as Miami's primary catcher and the organization's deep group of other left-handed hitters. The latest from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic: "As the Miami Marlins ponder trade scenarios, they are discussing catcher Liam Hicks and first baseman/outfielder Kyle Stowers more actively than shortstop Otto López and second baseman Xavier Edwards, according to league sources briefed on their conversations. The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox are among the teams interested in Hicks, the person said. The New York Yankees are not involved in the talks. Hicks bats left-handed, and the Yankees want a right-handed hitting receiver. The catching position has been a vexing position for the Rays ever since they bypassed Buster Posey with the top pick of the 2008 draft. The Rays, who own the best record in the American League, traded for New York Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta on Sunday, and are active on other fronts as well. The Red Sox, the hottest team in baseball, have been shopping for shortstops and catchers. Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz reaffirmed to reporters Sunday his desire to add a catcher in the wake of losing Kyle Teel to a left high ankle sprain, but a source said his team is not in the mix." The Athletic's reporting on Stowers is more vague, speculating about the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Guardians as fits due to their lack of production at first base. FOF's Isaac Azout confirms that "multiple conversations" are ongoing regarding Hicks. View full rumor

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the fourth and final game of Miami's road series against the New York Mets. Jakob Marsee was originally in Sunday's starting lineup, but was scratched shortly before first pitch due to low back spasms. Starting Lineup DH Liam Hicks (L) 1B Kyle Stowers (L) SS Otto Lopez 2B Xavier Edwards (S) LF Griffin Conine (L) RF Owen Caissie (L) C Joe Mack (L) 3B Javier Sanoja CF Esteury Ruiz P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

As documented here, the Miami Marlins have had a low hit rate on their international amateur free agent signings. Identifying talent and developing it has been particularly challenging on the position player side. We are nearly a decade and a half into the "bonus pool era," and with all due respect to Javier Sanoja—a 2019 signing out of Venezuela—none of the Marlins' international hitters during that span have become everyday MLB starters. Santiago Solarte took an encouraging first step in that direction this season. The $1 million signing bonus he received in January is already looking like money well spent by the Fish. The 17-year-old infielder just wrapped up a dominant, unprecedented campaign in the Dominican Summer League. Solarte's offensive numbers in 2026 were amazing. In only 52 games, he slashed .339/.450/.598 with 10 home runs, 42 stolen bases and a 149 wRC+. Solarte also ranked tied for seventh among all players in total bases (104) and 11th in OPS (1.048). Keep in mind, the league consists of 51(!) teams. We have comprehensive Minor League Baseball stats across all levels available dating back to 2006. Solarte is the only player on record to post a 10 HR/40 SB season in rookie ball (including both stateside and foreign leagues). Solarte has elite power potential long term. He pulls the majority of his batted balls to right field, but six of his homers went to left or center. This grand slam from August 11 was a no-doubter to the deepest part of the ballpark with an exit velocity of 106 mph. For context, fellow Marlins prospect PJ Morlando, who was coveted for his power coming out of the 2024 MLB Draft, has reached that exit velo only five times this season. Morlando is three and a half years older than Solarte. There's only so much we can learn from stolen base totals at the lower MiLB levels, but Solarte's legs are a legitimate weapon. At 6'5", he covers a lot of ground with his long strides. This grounder to the left side was fielded cleanly. Solarte easily beat it out for an infield single anyway. He grounded into only one double play all season. Let's not get too carried away, though. Solarte was the beneficiary of a .450 batting average on balls in play (third among DSL qualifiers). He will not come close to maintaining that against stateside competition, causing his overall batting average to dip. His plate discipline is still a work in progress. His walk rate (12.9 BB%) was lower than the average DSL hitter and his strikeout rate was significantly higher (26.3 K%). Solarte split his defensive reps between shortstop and third base. It's difficult to imagine him sticking at the former moving forward, where he averaged one error every 13 innings. Most of his struggles on that side of the ball occurred during the first month of the season, to be fair. Ranked 16th on the Fish On First Top 30, Solarte should be assigned to the FCL Marlins in 2027. Even with some anticipated regression at that level, he's a candidate to taste Low-A Jupiter during the second half of that season. View full article

NEW YORK — Throughout the 2026 season, there has always been something missing from the Miami Marlins offense. It took until the game No. 112 for the stars to align. Shortly before the start of Saturday's contest, Owen Caissie returned from a right calf strain. With that, every hitter on the Marlins 40-man roster is now simultaneously healthy for the first time this year. Caissie didn't start on Saturday as Miami was matched up with left-hander Zac Thornton. He didn't even play—with the Marlins leading the New York Mets from wire to wire, his pinch-hitting services were not required. Thornton labored through arguably the worst start of his young MLB career. He allowed 10 baserunners while lasting 4 ⅔ innings. A Francisco Lindor fielding error helped the Marlins manufacture a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. They tacked on two more runs in the following inning when Javier Sanoja took Thornton deep to left field. In the lineup against a lefty for only the third time this season, Griffin Conine singled off Thornton in the top of the fourth. That pushed Esteury Ruiz to third base, where he scored on Otto Lopez's sacrifice fly. Conine's louder contribution came in his next plate appearance when he connected on a towering solo shot against reliever Daniel Duarte. Conine raised his season wRC+ to 153 (with 100 representing league average), putting him on pace for the best single-season mark by any lefty batter in Marlins history. "He's performed...He has done nothing but hit and put together at-bats," manager Clayton McCullough said of Conine postgame. Liam Hicks had a pair of RBI singles. That snapped his season-high 10-game drought without driving in a run. The weakest link in Miami's lineup on Saturday was Xavier Edwards. The switch-hitting second baseman went 0-for-5 and twice stranded the bases loaded. Overall, the Marlins compiled 10 hits and five walks. They are 10-1 this season when reaching both of those marks in the same contest. Tyler Phillips (5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) did a great job of attacking the bottom of the strike zone. Tyrone Taylor ripped a sinker for a two-run homer in the second inning, but even that pitch was well-located. Keeping the ball down was crucial to inducing a 55.6% ground ball rate on the day. For the first time since June 28, Phillips had the opportunity to pitch into the sixth inning. McCullough promptly called to his bullpen after Bo Bichette recorded a leadoff single, though. The 6-2 victory was the Marlins' fifth in their last six games. That hot streak coinciding with a Philadelphia Phillies skid leaves just one game between them in the race for the National League's third wild-card spot. The four-game series between the Marlins and Mets concludes Sunday afternoon. Sandy Alcantara starts for the road team, having historically fared very well at Citi Field (2.70 ERA in nine career outings). First pitch by New York's still-to-be-announced starter is scheduled for 1:40 p.m. View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the third game of Miami's road series against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup SS Otto Lopez LF Heriberto Hernández C Liam Hicks (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) 3B Leo Jiménez 1B Kyle Stowers (L) RF Javier Sanoja CF Esteury Ruiz DH Griffin Conine (L) P Tyler Phillips Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

We know that the Miami Marlins are open-minded to doing almost anything prior to Monday's MLB trade deadline, but anticipating specific moves is especially difficult this year. History teaches us that the vast majority of big leaguers who switch teams in deadline deals are either pending free agents or a year away from free agent eligibility, and the Marlins have very few of those. Pete Fairbanks was supposed to be their obvious trade candidate under these circumstances. Outside of a minimum-length injured list stint in late April/early May, the veteran closer has been available, throwing gas...and perplexingly bad. He owned a 6.83 ERA and 5.17 FIP entering the All-Star break, having already matched a single-season career-high with seven home runs allowed. The break did him no favors as Fairbanks had another dispiriting performance in Milwaukee on July 19, blowing a 2-0 lead and extending the club's losing streak to six games at the time. No save situations presented themselves over the next week, so Fairbanks wasn't utilized again until July 26. Since then, he has been flawless—four appearances, 12 batters faced, 12 batters retired. It is the longest streak of perfection that we've seen from the 32-year-old during his Marlins tenure. It took only seven pitches for him to secure Friday's victory against the New York Mets, marking his most efficient inning of the season. There haven't been notable changes to Fairbanks' velocity or pitch mix in this microscopic sample. He is still heavily reliant on fly balls (Friday's final out would have cleared the fence of 15 MLB ballparks, according to Statcast). He is constantly getting ahead in the count, but that has quietly been a strength of his throughout 2026 with a personal-best 66.9% first-pitch strike rate. The trade deadline is ultimately a supply-and-demand equation. Working in the Marlins' favor, the vast majority of established closers around the league are on contending teams that have no interest in moving them. Over the last three seasons, Fairbanks ranks 14th in MLB with 65 saves. The only name above him on that leaderboard who is both healthy and presumed to be available is Kenley Jansen of the Detroit Tigers. Jansen is six years older than Fairbanks and continuing to struggle with his control (15.7 BB% compared to Fairbanks' 9.3 BB%). Fairbanks is owed about $4 million through the end of the regular season, though the Marlins won't be motivated to move him simply to cut costs when they already have MLB's lowest payroll. They will be weighing whether the upside of the young players being offered in exchange for him outweighs the production he'd provide in August and September during their pursuit of a postseason berth. View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the second game of Miami's road series against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup DH Liam Hicks (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) SS Otto Lopez 1B Kyle Stowers (L) RF Griffin Conine (L) LF Heriberto Hernández CF Jakob Marsee (L) C Joe Mack (L) 3B Javier Sanoja P Janson Junk Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the first game of Miami's road series against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup DH Liam Hicks (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) SS Otto Lopez 1B Kyle Stowers (L) LF Heriberto Hernández RF Griffin Conine (L) CF Jakob Marsee (L) 3B Graham Pauley (L) C Joe Mack (L) P Eury Pérez Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Sorry for the delay! This prediction time page was scheduled to publish last night, but I accidentally had it labeled as "hidden" so nobody could see it until now 😅 As a courtesy, I will extend the submission deadline all the way through the final out of tonight's game.

SuperSubs, comment below with your Prediction Time picks: 1. How many games will the Marlins win in this series? (four-game series) 2. Who will be the Series MVP? (determined by win probability added) Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger is currently atop the 2026 season leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. RHP Nolan McLean (NYM) on Thursday RHP Janson Junk (MIA) vs. RHP Freddy Peralta (NYM) on Friday RHP Tyler Phillips (MIA) vs. LHP Zac Thornton (NYM) on Saturday TBA (MIA) vs. TBA (NYM) on Sunday The Marlins rank 16th in MLB with a 100 wRC+ and 12th in MLB with a 4.05 FIP. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have a 21-31 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Anthony Bender (15-day IL), Owen Caissie (10-day IL), Josh Ekness (60-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), William Kempner (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Mets rank 24th in MLB with a 94 wRC+ and 11th in MLB with a 4.02 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 24-31 record at home this season. The following Mets players are on the injured list: Reed Garrett (60-day IL), Justin Hagenman (60-day IL), Clay Holmes (60-day IL), Tylor Megill (60-day IL), Dedniel Núnez (60-day IL), Juan Soto (10-day IL), Mark Vientos (10-day IL) and Austin Warren (15-day IL). View full article

This podcast is brought to you by Jet Ski Rentals of South Florida—offering Miami’s best jet ski and boat adventures. With six jet ski locations and over 120 boats, there’s something for every style and every budget. They’re reservation-based only. To inquire, call 305-990-2192, or check them out online at SFJetskiRentals.com. Make sure to use promo code FISHONFIRST to receive 10% off your next booking. Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead. Wednesday's show was hosted by Jeremiah Geiger and featured panelists Ely Sussman and Sean Millerick. The following topics were covered: Griffin Conine's late-game heroics against the Phillies Sandy Alcantara's unique place in Marlins history How the Marlins should approach the trade deadline Reports of them "listening" on Otto Lopez, Liam Hicks and others Previewing and predicting the next series against the New York Mets You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. Our next FOF LIVE episode will be on Sunday at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET following the Marlins-Mets series finale. View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the third and final game of Miami's home series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Starting Lineup SS Otto Lopez LF Heriberto Hernández 1B Liam Hicks (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) RF Javier Sanoja 3B Leo Jiménez DH Kyle Stowers (L) CF Esteury Ruiz C Brian Navarreto P Ryan Gusto Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the second game of Miami's home series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Starting Lineup SS Otto Lopez 1B Kyle Stowers (L) LF Heriberto Hernández 2B Xavier Edwards (S) DH Liam Hicks (L) RF Griffin Conine (L) CF Jakob Marsee (L) 3B Graham Pauley (L) C Joe Mack (L) P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Just under one week away from the MLB trade deadline, Miami Marlins insider Craig Mish summarized the club's current approach during Monday's television pregame show: "I think there clearly is a pivot for the Marlins at this point. I don't expect them to be flat-out sellers—that I do not expect. But I also don't believe they will be buying any players for right now. Any trades that they potentially will make I believe will be for the future. "If you're asking if any players could be traded from this year's team, I still think it's to be determined. You have to look at players that are on expiring contracts at the end of this season. A lot of teams are gonna certainly call regardless of the outcome of this season on Pete Fairbanks. He has an expiring contract at the end of the season. Somebody could certainly take a shot on him at the end of the year. Whether or not he gets traded, I don't know the answer." "But as far as players on this team, we have to stop talking about Sandy Alcantara being traded! He's not going to be traded. And there are a lot of players on this team...Eury Pérez, Max Meyer, Joe Mack—these are cornerstone-type players. I believe they will be with this team through the deadline and through the future." Perhaps this is reading too much into it, but Otto Lopez—the Marlins' best player this season by any measure who's under club control through 2029—was not included among Mish's cornerstone guys. Vague rumors began circulating earlier in the day that the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are inquiring about Lopez's availability. Needless to say, it would be exceptionally expensive for another team to acquire the All-Star shortstop given his combination of on-field production and contract status. Following the TV segment, Mish added that left-hander Braxton Garrett is a trade candidate to "keep a close eye on." Repeatedly passed over for call-up opportunities this summer, Garrett has thrived with Triple-A Jacksonville, as Kevin Barral and I discussed on Fish Unfiltered. Kevin included Garrett in his Liam Hicks mock trade article and I included him in my own Heriberto Hernández mock. View full rumor