Ely Sussman

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.

A decades-long obsession has turned into an official partnership. I am thrilled to announce that Fish On First is now a Baseball Reference Brand Ambassador! Throughout my entire career covering the Miami Marlins and for many years prior to that as an avid baseball fan, BR has been—without exaggeration—my most-visited website. All year-round, there is a tab on my browser reserved for BR so that I can immediately pull up an MLB or MiLB player's page, check league leaderboards or run an obscure Stathead query (save 20% on an annual subscription when you enter discount code FOF at checkout). From the beginning, this research tool has been absolutely indispensable to FOF, elevating the quality of our original articles and social media posts with good, bad and goofy Marlins stats discovered through BR and Stathead. As a Brand Ambassador, I'm proud to highlight the vast variety of information that's accessible to you. Even right now, when the vibes around the Fish are as rancid as could be, you will find great insights and entertainment within the pages of Baseball Reference. Also, collaborating with them moving forward will introduce more fans to our comprehensive Marlins coverage. Thanks again to the BR community for welcoming FOF.

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 Tyler Phillips (MIA) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (PHI) on Monday RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (PHI) on Tuesday TBA (MIA) vs. LHP Jesús Luzardo (PHI) on Wednesday The Marlins rank 15th in MLB with a 100 wRC+ and 12th in MLB with a 4.06 FIP. They are 1-9 in their last 10 games and have a 32-22 record at home 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 Phillies rank 29th in MLB with a 90 wRC+ and fifth in MLB with a 3.81 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 29-22 record on the road this season. The following Phillies players are on the injured list: Tanner Banks (60-day IL), Adolis García (60-day IL), Brad Keller (60-day IL), Rafael Marchán (10-day IL), Johan Rojas (60-day IL), Garrett Stubbs (10-day IL) and Lou Trivino (15-day IL).

You cannot ascribe a baseball team's success or failure to any individual player. Take Heriberto Hernández, for example. The Miami Marlins outfielder is playing the best ball of his major league career right now and his reps have gone up accordingly. Over the last 10 games in particular, Hernández has played every single inning while slashing .325/.357/.600. The Marlins have lost all 10 of those games. This agonizing streak has complicated the Marlins' trade deadline approach. The team has malfunctioned in so many areas simultaneously that it's difficult to foresee them behaving as traditional buyers—there aren't enough quality players on the market to address everything. During these turbulent times, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix may lean into his mantra of simply extracting good value whenever it's available. In that case, Bendix ought to be listening carefully on Hernández. Less than two years ago, the Marlins signed Hernández as a minor league free agent. Less than three months ago, Hernández was demoted to Triple-A Jacksonville due to awful offensive performance. This is a very volatile asset. The upcoming deadline appears to be Miami's opportunity to sell high on the 26-year-old. Bert's hot streak far predates the losing streak—it goes all the way back to when he was recalled from Jacksonville on May 7. He owns a 148 wRC+ since then, which leads the Marlins and ranks 18th across MLB among players with at least 150 plate appearances. Even that understates Hernández's appeal, because most of the 17 names ahead of him are completely untouchable (Yordan Alvarez, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Junior Caminero, Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani, Nick Kurtz, etc.). For teams seeking an immediate boost to their run production against left-handed pitching, Hernández ought to be near the top of their wish list. Not even eligible for arbitration yet, Hernández's salary is just a hair above the MLB minimum. He is potentially under club control all the way through the 2031 season. But as mentioned above, he's volatile. Although his quality of contact has been terrific, he currently ranks in the ninth percentile among MLB hitters in whiff rate. There is a scenario in which pitchers around the league find a way to exploit that with his strikeout rate climbing as a result. Whenever weighing whether or not to move on from a player, the team's front office must consider what their internal replacements are. The Marlins have some legitimately intriguing right-handed power bats at Triple-A, most notably Kemp Alderman and Agustín Ramírez. Alderman, who has just learned to play first base in addition to the corner outfield spots, has little left to prove in the minors with a .293/.361/.546 slash line and 21 home runs in 84 AAA games dating back to last year. Hernández is blocking him. It is unusual for effective, pre-arb hitters to change teams in deadline deals. Coincidentally, the closest comp for Hernández in recent years is Jake Burger. The Marlins were on the other side of that equation, acquiring Burger from the Chicago White Sox in 2023. The cost was left-hander Jake Eder. As I revisited in this article, the Marlins won the trade. However, that shouldn't deter them from flipping the script if a borderline Top 100 MLB prospect with a plus-plus breaking ball is dangled in exchange for Hernández. If that is not ambitious enough for you, perhaps Hernández could help the Marlins plug a gaping hole in their current starting rotation. The Seattle Mariners match up well as a potential trade partner, with a rare surplus of starters and the need for another lefty masher. Who says no to a package of Hernández, Braxton Garrett and Brandon White (Fish On First #20 prospect) for Emerson Hancock? That would potentially allow the Marlins to thread the needle of selling high on Bert (and White) while adding enough rotation depth to stay in postseason contention.

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead. Thursday's show was hosted by Ely Sussman and featured panelists Isaac Azout, Nate Karzmer, Sean Millerick, Kevin Barral and Jeremiah Geiger. The following topics were covered: What's gone wrong for the Marlins during nine-game losing streak Dramatic decrease in playoff odds since streak began Jakob Marsee to see reduced playing time Braxton Garrett once again passed over for a potential call-up Who Marlins might make available if they pivot to selling Previewing and predicting the next series against the San Diego Padres 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-Padres series finale.

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: TBA (MIA) vs. RHP Germán Márquez (SD) on Friday RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. LHP JP Sears (SD) on Saturday RHP Janson Junk (MIA) vs. RHP Walker Buehler (SD) on Sunday The Marlins rank 15th in MLB with a 101 wRC+ and 12th in MLB with a 4.05 FIP. They are 1-9 in their last 10 games and have a 31-20 record at home 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), John King (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Padres rank 23rd in MLB with a 94 wRC+ and 19th in MLB with a 4.24 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 23-29 record on the road this season. The following Padres players are on the injured list: Jason Adam (15-day IL), Miguel Andujar (10-day IL), Jeremiah Estrada (15-day IL), Lucas Giolito (15-day IL), Bryan Hoeing (60-day IL), Ramón Laureano (60-day IL), David Morgan (15-day IL), Joe Musgrove (60-day IL), Nick Pivetta (60-day IL) and Samad Taylor (10-day IL).

The Miami Marlins made 21 selections earlier this month in the 2026 MLB Draft. On this page, Fish On First will be tracking their efforts to reach deals with their 2026 class. The Marlins had a bonus pool of $11,960,100. They were allowed to spend up to 5% above that—a total of $12,558,105—without forfeiting future picks. They ultimately used $12,102,600 of pool money. Dollar amounts in bold counted toward the Marlins' bonus pool. Round 1: SS Jacob Lombard signed for $5,000,000 ($444,900 under slot value) Round 2: LHP Ethan Kleinschmit signed for $1,892,500 (full slot value) Competitive Balance Round B: RHP Ryan Peterson signed for $897,500 ($295,100 under slot value) Round 3: SS Cam Kozeal signed for $772,500 ($157,200 under slot value) Round 4: OF Wessley Roberson signed for $1,197,500 ($520,000 over slot value) Round 5: LHP Trey Beard signed for $493,900 ($2,500 over slot value) Round 6: RHP Cole Selvig signed for $197,500 (slot value: $380,200) Round 7: SS Eric Guevara signed for $247,500 (slot value: $299,700) Round 8: 1B Rintaro Sasaki signed for $210,200 (slot value: $239,200) Round 9: 3B Nic Tolbert signed for $597,500 (slot value: $210,200) Round 10: RHP Zach Peters signed for $47,500 (slot value: $197,200) Round 11: RHP Fabio Bundi signed for $154,500 ($4,500 counts toward the bonus pool) Round 12: RHP Bane Barker signed for $497,500 ($347,500 counts toward the bonus pool) Round 13: RHP Connor Benge signed for $122,500 Round 14: RHP Tyler Kapa signed for $147,500 Round 15: RHP Colin Linder signed for $147,500 Round 16: RHP Porter Buursema signed for $97,500 Round 17: RHP Duke McCarron signed for $47,500 Round 18: OF Jatniel McCloud signed for $97,500 Round 19: RHP Jackson Mitchell signed for $122,500 Round 20: RHP Joey Lawson signed for $196,500

The cast is almost entirely new, but the script is eerily familiar. Through their first 100 games of the 2026 season, the Miami Marlins have a 52-48 record. They're virtually tied for the National League's third wild-card spot, but trending in a troubling direction in the midst of six consecutive losses. At this same point in 2023, their record was 53-47, their deficit in the race for NL WC #3 was one game, and their streak was eight losses in a row. The next two weeks are absolutely crucial to determining how the Marlins will behave at the MLB trade deadline. In '23, general manager Kim Ng was at the helm, securing several midseason acquisitions that propelled the Fish to October for only the third time in a full season in franchise history. This time around, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix is calling the shots. Last week on Fish Unfiltered, Marlins principal owner Bruce Sherman said he is entrusting Bendix to do whatever he believes is appropriate. Should the club snap back to consistently winning series, that will mean augmenting an already-talented roster with the right kind of complementary pieces, even if that necessitates increasing payroll or parting with minor leaguers. "I know Peter will do a very, very thorough job," Sherman said. During this calm before the storm, I think it would be the appropriate time to reflect on what Ng bought at the deadline three years ago and the price she paid to get those deals done. How much of the future was mortgaged for a short-lived postseason run? Traded Dylan Floro to Minnesota Twins for Jorge López About a week before the deadline, the Marlins and Twins consummated an unconventional swap of veteran right-handers. Floro had the much more consistent track record across multiple seasons. Although both had been performing worse than the league average in 2023 in terms of ERA, Floro boasted dramatically better underlying peripheral stats (2.75 FIP compared to López's 5.92). On the other hand, López offered a higher ceiling, having earned an All-Star selection the previous year as closer for the Baltimore Orioles. Also, his club control extended through 2024, whereas Floro was a pending free agent. The Marlins lost this trade, though neither team would come away satisfied. López made 12 awful relief appearances (9.26 ERA and 5.31 FIP) in Miami before returning to the aforementioned Orioles via waiver claim. Floro continued to suffer from remarkably poor luck—his .401 batting average on balls in play was the highest in MLB (min. 50 IP). Minnesota cut him days before the season ended. Traded Marco Vargas and Ronald Hernández to New York Mets for David Robertson Still four days in advance of the deadline, the Marlins paid a steep price for a revered high-leverage arm. Even after taking on the remainder of Robertson's $10 million salary, they sent a pair of productive teenage hitters to New York. The Marlins immediately installed Robertson as their closer. He took care of business without breaking a sweat in his July 30 team debut, but slumped badly in August, including three blown saves. The 38-year-old was lowered on the depth chart accordingly. Overall as a Marlin, Robertson posted a 5.06 ERA with a grotesque -1.67 WPA (fifth-worst among MLB pitchers during that span). The Marlins figured they were selling high on Vargas, an infielder who had been raking in rookie ball despite signing out of a Mexico in 2022 with minimal expectations. They've been proven right. Vargas is still with the Mets organization today and ranks as their No. 19 prospect, according to Baseball America. Injuries have taken their toll on his availability and performance. He has played less than 200 minor league games in three calendar years, homering only twice. As of this writing, he's on Double-A Binghamton's IL. Strong defense at the middle infield spots gives him a chance of tasting the majors eventually, but not as anything close to an everyday player. Hernández has also stuck around with the Mets. Repeating the High-A level, the switch-hitting catcher is slashing .228/.355/.370 with seven homers and 19 stolen bases in 73 games. The 2027 campaign will be critical as he'll be trying to secure a 40-man roster spot in advance of MiLB free agency. Traded Jake Eder to Chicago White Sox for Jake Burger What a bold, fascinating move this was in the moment. Burger had been hitting for huge power (25 HR in 88 G) in the midst of his first full-length MLB season, but none of his other traditional tools even graded out as average. Eder was briefly in the conversation for top overall prospect in the Marlins system, having represented Miami at the 2021 Futures Game. However, in mid-2023, there was still obvious rust coming back from Tommy John surgery. Third base had been a black hole for the Marlins up to that point in the season. Burger turned it into a strength. He slashed .305/.355/.505 with nine home runs and a 130 wRC+ in 53 games. Even that understates his impact because of how he elevated his performance in clutch situations. Burger's follow-up campaign was inconsistent, with sub-replacement performance for most of the first half, then a terrific power surge spanning most of July and August. He led the 2024 Fish in hits (134) and homers (29), but also slid down the defensive spectrum from 3B to 1B/DH, He was dealt to the Texas Rangers during the ensuing offseason. Eder's value tanked immediately upon joining the White Sox organization (11.42 ERA in 17.1 IP at the Double-A level post-deadline). He made only one major league appearance for the Sox and has since bounced around to the Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers. In 13 MLB games (mainly pitching in low-leverage situations), he owns a 4.44 ERA and 4.94 FIP. The 27-year-old lefty is currently a free agent. Traded Jean Segura and Kahlil Watson to Cleveland Guardians for Josh Bell This must've been a tough pill for Bruce Sherman to swallow. The Marlins had invested $17 million in Segura and used a first-round draft pick on Watson, and now they were going to be used to acquire Bell's underwater contract? Just like Burger, Bell contributed to his new club immediately. He slashed .280/.338/.480 with 11 homers and a 118 wRC+ through season's end. The veteran first baseman did so well, he had to think carefully about whether to exercise his $16.5 million player option for the 2024 season or elect free agency. He decided to pick it up. Bell couldn't carry that momentum with him into the following year. He was durable as usual in 2024, but ineffective at the plate for the most part. A hot streak following the All-Star break allowed the Marlins to move him for cash considerations. The Guardians didn't even give Segura a chance—they released him as soon as the trade became official. His -1.2 fWAR tenure in Miami would prove to be his final chapter in the major leagues. The jury is still out on Watson. The shortstop-turned-outfielder has a prominent role on the 2026 Guardians, but he isn't offering much production as a rookie (62 wRC+ in 26 G entering Monday). Although his tools are enticing, poor plate discipline will probably prevent from sustaining even average offensive production, Traded Garrett Cooper and Sean Reynolds to San Diego Padres for Ryan Weathers Speaking of a former first-rounder who needed a change of scenery, Weathers was a nice get for the Marlins. It just took a full offseason for him to turn into a competent starter. He was limited to 13 post-deadline innings in 2023. Weathers posted a 3.74 ERA in 24 starts for the 2024-25 Marlins. Unfortunately, he spent more time on the injured list than the active roster due to fluky injuries. His value rose considerably between his arrival and when Bendix traded him to the New York Yankees this past January—three of the players who came back in that deal are current Fish On First Top 30 prospects. Cooper played 41 forgettable games for the Padres and Reynolds totaled just 38 innings out of their bullpen before taking his talents to Japan. The Marlins were quickly booted from the postseason, losing both of their NL Wild Card Series games to the Philadelphia Phillies. Ng left the front office later that month and Bendix made the unpopular but understandable decision to rebuild the organization with a more modern infrastructure, taking a temporary step back in competitiveness (they went 62-100 in 2024). With that being said, Ng's deadline activity energized the Marlins clubhouse and fanbase, and the prospects she sacrificed have not been missed. Bendix has a better farm system at his disposal than she did, a more well-rounded major league roster—as reflected by their positive run differential—and plenty of financial flexibility, according to Sherman. How will he utilize these resources? Depends on whether or not the Marlins can close out July with high-quality play that justifies a buyer's approach.

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 Janson Junk (MIA) vs. RHP Ronel Blanco (HOU) on Monday RHP Tyler Phillips (MIA) vs. RHP Tatsuya Imai (HOU) on Tuesday RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. RHP Peter Lambert (HOU) on Wednesday The Marlins rank 13th in MLB with a 102 wRC+ and ninth in MLB with a 3.97 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 21-28 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), John King (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Astros rank 12th in MLB with a 102 wRC+ and 28th in MLB with a 4.84 FIP. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have a 23-27 record at home this season. The following Astros players are on the injured list: Mike Burrows (15-day IL), Carlos Correa (60-day IL), Brice Matthews (10-day IL), Bennett Sousa (60-day IL), Brandon Walter (60-day IL) and Hayden Wesneski (60-day IL).

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead. Sunday's show was a solo pod hosted by Ely Sussman. The following topics were covered: A new low point for Pete Fairbanks? Milwaukee Brewers prove why they're an elite team Adjustments that have unlocked Eury Pérez's recent dominance Previewing and predicting the next series against the Houston Astros 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 Thursday's off day at approximately 6:00 p.m. ET following the Marlins-Astros series finale.