Ely Sussman

I wrote this last night and I’ve cooled down a little bit. But I think it’s better to say what I meant without censoring myself so I'll present it as I wrote it fresh off of last night's heart-breaker.
 
I don’t think I’ve ever felt this angry about a baseball game before.
 
Don’t get me wrong, I’m no stranger to disappointment, sadness, frustration, and, at times, utter destitution. I’m a Marlins fan. It’s kind of what we do. I’m prone to a good old Twitter rant when a Josh Simpson or Valente Bellozo type blows a game for us and I’ve definitely said some things about Brucey Boy that would make some of y’all shudder. But anger is different. It turns people into the worst versions of themselves, and I’m a family man. For as much as baseball is my favorite thing in the world, it’s never felt worth that kind of emotion- not in a truly genuine way.
 
But tonight, I’m angry.
 
I was born into Marlins fandom, swaddled in a Marlins towel in my parents’ apartment off Kendall in ’94. My only memories of my grandpa are of the two of us watching Boles’ boys at Joe Robbie in ’99. My mom’s inaugural season cola bottles sat on a high pantry shelf in every home we moved to, from Miami all the way to Austin, Texas. I take my daughters to a different city every year to watch the Marlins play. I'm flying to Kansas City in September just to watch the boys play. This team has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. As trivial as sports can seem, this means something to me.
 
So yeah, I have more than a little fondness for the franchise ace, Sandy Alcantara. That Cy Young season ignited something in a lot of us. It showed us the Marlins had a future when that felt very much in doubt. It showed us we could retain talent. It showed us we could have star power. When he went down with Tommy John, the future felt uncertain again. And when he came back, it was hard to watch. I’ll be the first to admit I was vocal about wanting to trade him. I didn’t think he’d bounce back. Looking back, I’m a little ashamed of that. I was so focused on the direction Bendix was taking the club that I convinced myself our old workhorse didn’t have a place anymore after a handful of bad starts. That feels foolish to write now, but that’s where I was.
 
The bounce-back that started in the second half of last season felt like a renaissance, like maybe the suffering was finally coming to an end. And sitting a few rows back on Opening Day this year, watching Sandy carve through the Rockies, it felt real. Following that up with a Maddux only reinforced it. Today, I sat my daughters on the couch and had them watch because they’ve never seen a complete game before and it felt like this might be their chance. Who better than El Caballo?
 
As the eighth inning wore on, I was biting my nails. When the first out of the ninth came, I was on my feet. Even after the double, I didn’t doubt him. Not for a second. But I knew Clayton was getting twitchy. My fear wasn’t “we might lose this game.” It was “he’s going to pull Sandy.”
 
One walk later, he did.
 
We all saw what happened next. Despite any logic or feel for the moment, Clayton went to Anthony Bender. The result was the worst-case scenario. Sandy gets a no-decision after a gem, gets charged with two runs he likely avoids if he stays in, and the bullpen blows it in humiliating fashion. Bender and Calvin Faucher failed spectacularly to have their ace’s back, continuing a weekend-long display of bullpen ineptitude. At this point, I’m just grateful John King exists to clean up everyone else’s mess. Sure, an Agustín Ramírez base hit could’ve walked it off and salvaged some dignity, but that’s not the point.
 
What makes me angrier than anything is this: Clayton McCullough disrespected Sandy.
 
I get the logic. Bender had a good year last season. On paper, he’s a ground-ball guy. One out, runner on first, tight game, Sandy nearing 100 pitches. I understand the reasoning. But this is one of those moments where you have to look up from the spreadsheet and watch the game in front of you. Your ace just opened the season with 24 scoreless innings across 3 starts. He’s rolling. Yes, there are runners on. But this is Sandy. If anyone can get out of that jam, it’s him. And honestly, I think a lot of us feel the same way: if we’re going to lose that game, I’d rather lose Sandy’s game by Sandy’s hand than hand it off in the name of process.
 
If your ace is on the mound in the ninth, you let him finish. Especially in April.
 
Pair that with Clayton’s complete lack of accountability postgame and it starts to feel like malpractice. It puts a real dent in the hope a lot of us had for this season. Because if this is how he treats Sandy in April, what are we in for in September? More Michael Petersen blown saves while we’re trying to stay in the race?
 
This is a rare moment of black-hole pessimism for me. There were good things in this game. I still believe in this team’s potential. But it’s hard not to feel like we might need someone else steering things in the dugout if this team is going to get where it should go.
 
If not for everything else, then for the worst sin of all:
 
Not trusting his guys when they’ve earned it.

The Marlins organization has been among the best in baseball at developing young pitchers, and Luke Lashutka is another stud pitcher in the Marlins farm system that you should pay attention to this season. 
Lashutka was drafted in the 19th round in 2024 out of St. Leo College, a division II school located in Florida, and signed for just $10,000. After pitching an even 100 innings in his final collegiate season, he pitched in just one game for Single-A Jupiter in his draft season. He started the 2025 season in Jupiter where he made 16 appearances and 3 starts across 40.1 innings, posting a 1.79 ERA and 0.82 WHIP, before earning a promotion to High-A Beloit in mid-June. In Beloit, Lashutka pitched in 10 games with 9 starts, and had a 2.67 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 30.1 innings. Across both levels, opponents hit just .188 against him all season, and he racked up 72 strikeouts in 70.1 innings while allowing just 45 hits. But is Lashutka a starter or destined for the bullpen? The organization monitored his workload carefully; he only completed 5 innings on 3 occasions all season, and was used mainly as a reliever in Jupiter. 
Before I dive into the numbers, it is important to note that this data is taken from Lashutka’s time in Single-A Jupiter. There is no advanced data available for High-A teams. 
Lashutka primarily throws a 5 pitch mix. Four seamer, changeup, sweeper, slider and curveball. The fastball is his bread and butter pitch and sits 93 mph with very good induced vertical break, averaging 19.2”. The changeup is a plus secondary offering, thrown in the mid 80s, with 8.5” of armside break. Batters whiffed 43.6% of the time on the pitch. These two pitches alone make Lashutka a weapon, but if he continues to develop his other secondaries, it’s his command that leads me to believe he can stick as a starter. Lashutka throws plenty of strikes. His 66 strike% shows his propensity to live in and around the zone, and attack hitters. Uncompetitive pitches are something that often plagues young starting pitchers, and Lashutka does not have that problem. Free passes are simply hard to come by when you face him; he had just a 2.5 BB/9 in his first full professional season. Even in a small sample size (70.2 IP), this is something to take note of.
I want to see the Marlins organization commit to Lashutka as a starting pitcher. The command is there. A deep pitch mix with swing and miss stuff is there. Now it’s about continuing to fine tune the secondary offerings within his arsenal, and proving he can pitch deeper into games. Lashutka should start once again at Beloit, but if he has a strong first half of the season, it would not shock me if he makes the jump to Double-A Pensacola at some point this summer.
 

2026 is a big year for Miami Marlins’ prospect Luis Cova. The recently turned 19 year old is gearing up for his third year in the organization, and is expected to play in the FCL after two seasons in the DSL. Last year in just his age 18 season, Cova showed why the Marlins prioritized him in the 2024 international free agency class, signing the Venezuelan product for a $1.4 million dollar signing bonus. With his blazing speed, he is projected to stick in centerfield, but what I’m most excited for is his potential offensively. Scouts have tabbed him as a potential 20/20 candidate given his tools. At 6’1” and 160 lbs, he still has room to fill out his frame; with added strength, I expect consistently high EVs and even more power in year 3.
Cova’s batted ball profile shifted drastically from his first season in pro ball to his second. He lowered his ground ball rate, and increased his line drive and fly ball rate by 9.4% and 9.5%, respectively. Hitting more sharp line drives and flyballs resulted in 22 XBH over the course of the 50 games he played in, and finished third in the DSL in 2025 with 9 home runs, with a .959 OPS. His speed was effective on the basepaths too as he added 35 stolen bases. His approach at the plate is advanced, and he posted an impressive 0.85 BB/K ratio in 2025, drawing 34 walks compared to only 40 strikeouts across 218 PA. The willingness to work counts and wait for his pitch is a tool that current Marlin Jakob Marsee exhibits so well, and is something that the organization clearly values in a hitter. 
I’m excited for what Cova has in store in 2026, as he continues to develop as a hitter, and tap into his power. I believe he can cement himself as a top 10 prospect in a loaded Marlins farm system.
 

Pitchers and catchers report today. So before I relish in the return of baseball and take whatever comes, I figure I'd get my hopes for the season well documented. Here goes:
         1. Aggressive Call Ups
I’m looking at you, Robby Snelling, Joe Mack, Josh White (and yes, Thomas White, too.)
Remember when Jose Fernandez made the leap from High A to the majors? That was fun. Peter Bendix & Co seem to favor a more cautious approach. Spring training will tell whether their practices border on manipulation.
I hope the likes of Janson Junk and Chris Paddack don’t get too long a leash in blocking the emergence of what could be a two-headed, left-handed monster for years to come in Snelling and Thomas White.
I hope that Augustin Ramirez isn’t forced to allow his offensive value to pass between his shin guards.
Clayton McCullough says the word of the year is “urgency”. If that’s true, let’s not block guys who have nothing left to prove.
My wild card prediction: Dillon Lewis gets a cup of coffee sometime late in 2026.
2. Three starting pitchers log 130 IP.
Last year this number sat at two. Sandy pitched 174 innings, and Edward Cabrera barely cleared 130. Look, I know the days of needing a staff full of workhorses is largely antiquated in the bullpen and 6-man rotation era. Depth is everything when it comes to the fickle world of pitching. But still, if the Marlins aspire to compete with the likes of the Phillies and Cubs, they’re going to need more out of the rotation. The Phillies were seven Tijuan Walker innings away from having five starters reach 130 innings. And all were healthily above average. The cubs had four such pitchers.
         3. A Right-Handed Hitter meets the following criteria: 120 games played, OPS+ over 100
Augustin Ramirez was the closest to meeting this seemingly arbitrary benchmark last year. He fell short with 92 OPS+. He’ll be the most likely to do it in 2026, some kind of rebirth from Christopher Morel or Connor Norby notwithstanding. Not having a consistent right-handed threat in the lineup is the kind of weakness that can creep up on a team’s postseason aspirations.
4. Caisie & Stowers “Strawberry Lemonade” combine for 50 bombs.
I’m working on the nickname. Maybe one will naturally emerge. Whatever we call them, this feels like a lot to ask,  given Stowers' history and Caisie’s complete lack of big-league experience. Both should get the opportunity to play most days this season. It felt like everything went right for Stowers last year, aside from the injuries, and he ended up with 25 bombs. If the two can hit 50, I think that bodes well for the team’s offense.
5. Eury Perez gets the Sandy Treatment.  
I saw some iPhone footage in a post from Kevin Barral (was it him? I think so) of Eury looking heavier and throwing absolutely effortless gas. It was all I needed to see. Extend this man. Do it before opening day. As drawn out as the will they/won’t they trade Sandy thing has been, I don’t see them re-upping on his next contract. That money would be wiser to spend on someone like Eury, who is much younger and has the chance to be even better. Though I’ll go on record and say that I’m in favor of extending Sandy, too. I’m just not completely delusional.
What do you want to see in 2026?

With the Mesa Solar Sox’s Arizona Fall League season coming to a close yesterday, I thought it’d be interesting to stack the players’ pre-AFL numbers against what they did under the desert lights, and take a moment to analyze what those performances actually mean. The AFL is, by nature, a small sample size. While it’s an important developmental checkpoint, it’s not a crystal ball. Any progress or regression we saw over the last month and a half should be taken seriously but not treated as gospel. (AFL ranks listed are based on OPS for hitters and ERA for pitchers. Players are ranked specifically amongst their teammates in the Solar Sox as opposed to the whole league.)
 
 
Starlyn Caba – 19 y/o, Dominican Republic
SS, B/T: S/R - Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads / Rank: 8/18
2025 Regular Season:
51 G, 194 AB - .222/.335/.278/.613   43 H - 35 1B / 6 2B / 1 3B / 1 HR   21 RBI, 14 SB / 6 CS, 34 BB, 34 SO 2025 AFL Season:
18 G, 74 AB - .297/.409/.419/.828 22 H - 17 1B / 3 2B / 0 3B / 2 HR 10 RBI, 2 SB / 3 CS, 14 BB, 19 SO What it means:
Starlyn Caba’s AFL performance is a sigh of relief for every Fish fan who was starting to feel like we got fleeced in the Jesús Luzardo trade. Caba’s jump from a .613 OPS in Single-A to .828 in the AFL shows impressive adaptability and an ability to handle more advanced pitching. His power ticked up without sacrificing plate discipline, suggesting real maturation in his approach. The combination of better contact quality, on-base skills, and emerging extra-base pop points toward a genuine high-contact, high-OBP middle infielder profile. If he carries this into 2026, a jump to High-A or even a quick push to Double-A looks well within reach.
 
PJ Morlando – 20 y/o, Maryland
OF, B/T: L/R - Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads / Rank: 16/18
2025 Regular Season:
58 G, 205 AB - .215/.371/.332/.703   44 H - 31 1B / 7 2B / 1 3B / 5 HR   30 RBI, 8 SB / 1 CS, 46 BB, 71 SO 2025 AFL Season:
18 G, 59 AB - .136/.261/.136/.397 8 H - 8 1B / 0 2B / 0 3B/ 0 HR 5 RBI, 4 SB / 0 CS, 9 BB, 23 SO What it means:
There’s no way to sugarcoat this one. As rough as PJ Morlando’s regular season was, his AFL stint was even rougher. A .397 OPS with zero extra-base hits makes it clear he was overmatched. He couldn’t translate his regular-season discipline into actual impact against higher-level arms. The bat-to-ball issues, swing decisions, and ability to handle velocity all look like works in progress. As a number-one pick, expectations have been sky-high, and his continued inability to produce is setting off alarms for anyone paying attention. The talent is still there, but the timeline looks longer and more uncertain than anyone hoped.
 
Fenwick Trimble – 23 y/o, Virginia
OF, B/T: R/R - Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos / Rank: 10/18
2025 Regular Season:
84 G, 296 AB - .253/.372/.402/.774   75 H - 47 1B / 19 2B / 2 3B / 7 HR   41 RBI, 31 SB / 4 CS, 49 BB, 67 SO 2025 AFL Season:
21 G, 68 AB - .265/.388/.412/.800 18 H - 12 1B / 4 2B / 0 3B/ 2 HR 10 RBI, 11 SB / 1 CS, 13 BB, 14 SO What it means:
The Fenwick Trimble hype train keeps rolling. His slight OPS bump doesn’t fully reflect the real progress under the hood. He maintained his plate discipline, kept the speed impact alive, and showed that his contact skills carry over against stronger competition. Trimble feels like one of the safest, highest-floor developmental wins in the system right now - a steady table-setter type with potential to exceed that ceiling if the power keeps inching upward. At the rate he’s going, a 2027 spring training look - or even a late 2026 cameo - doesn’t feel crazy anymore.
 
Holt Jones – 26 y/o, Connecticut
RHP - High-A Beloit Sky Carp / Rank: 3/24
Pitch Mix: big slider, heavy usage sinker & sweeper, light usage curve & changeup
2025 Regular Season:
34 G, 4.78 ERA, 47.1 IP, 62 K, 1.89 WHIP, 8.03 BB9, 11.85 K9 2025 AFL Season:
8 G, 2.23 ERA, 12.1 IP, 11 K, 0.99 WHIP, 5.21 BB9, 8.18 K9 What it means:
Easily my biggest surprise of the AFL. Holt Jones didn’t just hold his own - he excelled. His ERA and WHIP both saw dramatic improvements, putting him squarely at the front of the Marlins cohort of arms out there. He executed his slider-focused arsenal with more consistency, limited baserunners, and trimmed down the walk rate. The command still isn’t pristine, but it’s enough to project him as a legitimate multi-inning relief weapon or depth starter if this sticks. Big riser in the org.
 
Karson Milbrandt – 21 y/o, Missouri
RHP – Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos / Rank: 10/24
Pitch Mix: low 90’s four-seam touching 96-99 with carry & arm-side run, good curve, developing slider and changeup
2025 Regular Season:
22 G, 3.00 ERA, 90 IP, 113 K, 1.28 WHIP, 4.80 BB9, 11.30 K9 2025 AFL Season:
5 G, 4.81 ERA, 13.1 IP, 23 K, 1.22 WHIP, 5.50 BB9, 15.80 K9 What it means:
Not a horrible showing by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely short of the breakout I predicted. Milbrandt’s ERA climbed, but the strikeout surge is impossible to ignore. The stuff clearly plays against advanced competition. What held him back was scattered command and sequencing lapses - mistakes that AFL hitters punished. Still, his ceiling didn’t change. The fastball-curve combo is legit, and with sharper command and continued development on the slider and changeup, he remains one of the more exciting starting prospects in the system.
 
Aiden May – 22 y/o, New Mexico
RHP – Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads / Rank: 4/24
Pitch Mix: heavy usage mid-90’s sinker, plus-plus sweeper, developing changeup & cutter
2025 Regular Season:
10 G, 2.66 ERA, 27.1 IP, 30 K, 1.11 WHIP, 5.31 BB9, 9.96 K9 2025 AFL Season:
5 G, 2.98 ERA, 15.1 IP, 15 K, 1.13 WHIP, 4.77 BB9, 8.94 K9 What it means:
May continues to be one of the more quietly effective arms the Marlins drafted in recent years. His AFL numbers mostly mirror his regular-season line - steady ERA, solid WHIP, and manageable walk rates. His sinker-sweeper pairing worked just fine against more advanced bats, and he showed enough polish to strongly indicate he’s outgrown Single-A. The big developmental hinge now is whether his changeup or cutter can emerge enough to round out a true starter’s mix, but either way, this AFL stint should bump him up the ladder.
 
Darwin Rodriguez – 21 y/o, Venezuela
RHP - Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads / Rank: 13/24
Pitch Mix: mid-high 90’s fastball, high-spin curve, developing changeup
2025 Regular Season:
4 G, 8.44 ERA, 3.2 IP, 4 K, 2.19 WHIP, 16.88 BB9, 11.25 K9 2025 AFL Season:
7 G, 6.59 ERA, 8.2 IP, 6 K, 2.32 WHIP, 10.98 BB9, 6.59 K9 What it means:
Rodriguez missed almost two straight seasons due to injury, so the AFL was more about evaluation than results. Unfortunately, the issues that plagued him before injury remain. The command isn’t there, the walk rate is sky-high, and advanced hitters had no problem waiting him out. The raw stuff is loud enough to dream on, but the refinement isn’t close. Without major improvement in mechanics or strike throwing, it’s hard to envision a meaningful role taking shape.
 
Jack Sellinger – 25 y/o, Nevada
LHP – Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos / Rank: 15/24
Pitch Mix: plus slider with consistent sweeper, sinker, changeup
2025 Regular Season:
40 G, 2.31 ERA, 66.2 IP, 89 K, 1.19 WHIP, 5.44 BB9, 12.10 K9 2025 AFL Season:
7 G, 7.71 ERA, 7 IP, 12 K, 1.57 WHIP, 2.57 BB9, 15.43 K9     What it means:
In what was my biggest surprise of the Fall League, Sellinger’s showing was rough - though not without silver linings. The ERA ballooned and mistakes over the plate got punished, but the strikeout rate spiking to 15.4 K/9 shows the stuff absolutely plays. The issue is consistency. When he locates, he’s flat-out nasty; when he doesn’t, the ball lands a mile south of anyone's glove. He remains a viable high-strikeout lefty with upside, but command and sequencing need to sharpen for him to succeed against upper-minors hitters.
 
 
All told, this AFL run gave us a pretty honest snapshot of where the Marlins’ next wave of talent actually stands. We saw real leaps from Caba, Trimble, Jones, and May - players who either strengthened their prospect case or outright jumped tiers. We also saw reality checks for Morlando and Rodriguez who both flashed their ceilings, but also showed just how far they still are from reliably reaching them. Meanwhile my thoughts about Sellinger and Milbrandt's respective upsides remain relatively unchanged due to just how stark the difference in performance was from regular season to the fall. The Fall League isn’t a verdict, but it exposes flaws, rewards real skill, and gives us a glimpse into which players are ready for more and which ones still need to figure it out. If nothing else, it gave us plenty to look forward to (and plenty to keep an eye on) heading into 2026.

Slightly inspired by Ely Sussman's article from last Monday, I figured I'd do an offseason blueprint myself, albeit slightly less in-depth. From being 62-100 in 2024, to 79-83 in 2025, the Marlins have made a leap that not even the most optimistic fan could've truly saw coming. In the words of Bruce Sherman, "We're going to win a lot more games than you think." Well, they've done that. Now, it's time to expand on that. As the 2026 free agency period has begun, there has mostly been marginal moves that have been made so far, as it usually always is for the MLB free agency at the beginning. The Marlins have already placed a number of players on waivers, most of them being sent outright and electing free agency. They've also recently claimed RHP Zach Brzykcy off waivers. Because of that, I'll start with the Rule-5-preventing selections to the 40 man roster.
 
Marlins select C Joe Mack, RHP Josh White, and RHP William Kempner to the 40-man roster
 
Being in agreeance with Ely, these are the 3 prospects that are Rule 5 eligible this winter that I feel will be added to the 40-man roster to prevent another team from selecting them in the aforementioned draft. Joe Mack is a surefire defensive backstop, having incredible pop time which allows him to dominate the running game, an element that is much needed for the Marlins. In addition to that, he has the power potential to hit 20+ HRs a season, something that he's done in the past two seasons. Overall, Joe Mack is a no-brainer for this selection, and should be a vital part of the Marlins' future. William Kempner & Josh White are two guys who may not be as known to many, but are both cut from the same cloth. Both have funky arm slots, William Kempner throwing at a 6° arm angle, & Josh White throwing at a 74° arm angle. These funky deliveries have led to dominance in the upper minors, each having high strikeout percentages (33.3%, Kempner, 37.3%, White) respectively in AAA. I'd protect the both of them as well from being selected in the Rule 5 draft.
 
Free Agency Signings
 
Before I get into any major league signings, I'll start with some players that I'd consider signing to a minor league contract:
 
Marlins sign OF Dylan Carlson, C Brian Navarreto, RHP Spencer Turnbull, 1B/OF Lamonte Wade Jr. to minor league contracts with invites to Spring Training
 
The Marlins have depth at a lot of positions, but it doesn't hurt to add on the margins via minor league contracts.
 
A former top prospect, Dylan Carlson has struggled to truly establish himself in the MLB. As one of the most forward-thinking organizations, the Marlins preach that development isn't linear, and Carlson could look to revitalize his outlook as a player, as well as provide organizational depth in the upper minors in the outfield. His ability as a switch hitter helps that as well.
Brian Navarreto did well in his cup of coffee of the major leagues at the end of the 2025 season, and contributed to the best AAA team in the league last season. No reason to not bring him back, if available.
Spencer Turnbull is a solid depth signing that can provide potential MLB innings in case of injury or overall poor team performance, which may lead to trades.
Lamonte Wade Jr. is probably my favorite of them all, providing a potential solid platoon bat against right-handed pitching, not being too far removed from a 119 WRC+ season in 2024. He's historically known for not chasing outside pitches, but struggled big time this past season with a -1.6 fWAR. Overall, a low-risk, high-reward signing if he's able to get back to doing the things that helped him succeed offensively. This could also showcase himself to other teams if the fit isn't quite there with the Marlins.

 
Now, let's do some major league contracts (Yay!).
 
RHP Michael Kopech (1 year, $5 million)

 
Ah yes, Michael Kopech, one of the most well-known flame throwers in the MLB. Having previously been a starter, Michael Kopech experienced a career power surge after being moved to the bullpen. Unable to control most of his pitches as a starter, he heavily relied on his plus-plus fastball out of the bullpen, which led to him being successful enough to get traded to the Dodgers in 2024. This past season, his walk rates were absurdly high (24.5%), and dealt with injuries. However, I have a feeling that his plus-plus four-seam fastball could become MORE elite if cuts his usage down a lot (83%!) and emphasize potential secondary offerings. When he gets hit, he gets hit hard, so emphasizing secondary offerings, which the Marlins are adamant on doing, could lead to weaker contact and increased whiff rates. Overall, a low-risk, high reward signing.
 
LHP Caleb Ferguson (1 year, $4 million)

 
Caleb Ferguson is here to do one thing: shut down left-handed hitters. With the uncertainty of Andrew Nardi who hasn't pitched since 2024, there are only the potential left-handed options of Cade Gibson and Josh Simpson. Caleb Ferguson provides much needed help against LHH, with said hitters posting a .465 OPS against him this past season. His stuff doesn't stand out too much, but he induces plenty of soft-contact, his Hard-Hit percentages being 27.7%, and AVG Exit Velocity being 84.8, respected percentiles being 100th and 99th, among the best in the league. A no-brainer signing to help balance the bullpen.
 
RHP Devin Williams (3 years, $36 million, can opt out after 2026)

 
Mr. Air Bender himself, Devin Williams is known for having an outlier changeup with downward, arm-side break, almost like a screwball. After having signed with the Yankees, Devin Williams went on to have the worst season of his career, posting a 4.79 ERA in 62 innings. The strange thing about his struggles is that his peripherals were still well above average, striking out 34.7% of batters and a 2.68 FIP. For whatever reason, his time with the Yankees as their primary closer didn't work as expected. I'm sure that most teams see that he's still in his best form stuff-wise, but the Marlins are the team that Devin Williams likens himself to: a team with not as high expectations, young, and hungry, that being the 2026 Marlins.
 
Trades
For this section, I'll do 2 trades that have both the present, and future in mind.
Marlins trade RHP Edward Cabrera and RHP Calvin Faucher to the New York Yankees for 1B Ben Rice

 
In this potential deal, the Marlins acquire their 1B of the foreseeable future in Ben Rice.
From the Yankees’ perspective, the move would be about bolstering their pitching depth with controllable arms. Edward Cabrera's struggles with command and injuries, while flashing electric stuff is well documented. This past year, the Marlins were able to get a breakout season from Cabrera, having a career low 3.53 ERA and crossing the 100 IP threshold for the first time (137.2 IP). With both Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole starting the 2026 season on the injured list, Cabrera would provide much needed depth as a middle-of-the-rotation arm. He also isn't a free agent till 2029. 
Calvin Faucher is a versatile bullpen option with closing experience (15 SV in 2025) and has posted solid ERA numbers in the past two seasons (3.19 in 2024, 3.28 in 2025). He also isn't a free agent till 2030.
For the Fish, this trade would address their ongoing need for offensive help in the infield corners. This past season, Rice broke out in a big way, hitting 26 HR and posting a .836 OPS. When you look at the expected numbers, it even suggests that he was somehow UNLUCKY during his season-long offensive surge. Rice improved in every metric hitting wise, also along with increasing his bat speed, which correlates with added power potential. Not to mention, he could play catcher in a pinch in case of emergency. He isn't arbitration eligible till 2028, and isn't a free-agent till 2031, so Rice would definitely be here for the long-term.
This trade keeps in mind that the Yankees have the resources to make splashier moves in the offseason, as far as signing the upper echelon of free agents such as Pete Alonso, a potential NPB signing of Munetaka Murakami, etc. Overall, a potential win-win for both sides.

 
Marlins trade RHP Adam Mazur and RHP Anthony Bender to the Athletics for OF Gavin Turley and 3B/1B Tommy White
Inspired from Ely's trade from his offseason blueprint, I am adding an extension to the trade with the Marlins also shipping out Adam Mazur along with Bender in exchange for Tommy White and Gavin Turley, two young prospects with a ton of potential. Tommy White has a blend of contact and power that is hard to find, and having the ability to potentially stick at 3B only increases his value. Gavin Turley, recently selected in the 2025 MLB Draft, posted a solid 105 WRC+ in 125 PA in Low A. There are contact concerns in regards to Turley, but he is renowned for his exceptional athleticism, which allows him to hit the ball hard and play solid defense. 
The Athletics get back much needed starting pitching and relief depth in Adam Mazur and Anthony Bender. Adam Mazur hasn't quite established himself yet in the major leagues, but with some of the options that the Athletics currently have, he would at the very least make well for a back-of-the-rotation option. Anthony Bender posted the best ERA of his career this past season (2.16), primarily effective against RHH (.452 OPS allowed). Overall, a fair trade given the Marlins' strength in pitching depth, and the A's strength in position player depth.
As far as extensions, I do see the Marlins making at least one, preferably for a guy like Eury Perez, as it's easy to predict that his best years are ahead of him. I'm in agreeance of that extension happening, but it would be hard for me to project any number for him, or any other extension candidate on this team, so we'll skip this section.
The 2026 Spring Training 40-man roster
 
After making concise, calculated moves to boost the major-league team, as well as the farm system, the Marlins 40-man roster would currently stand as constructed for Spring Training:
 
Pitchers (20): RHP Sandy Alcantara, RHP Lake Bachar, RHP Zach Brzykcy, LHP Caleb Ferguson, LHP Dax Fulton, LHP Cade Gibson, LHP Braxton Garrett, RHP Ryan Gusto, RHP Ronny Henriquez, RHP Janson Junk, RHP William Kempner, RHP Michael Kopech, LHP Andrew Nardi, RHP Max Meyer, RHP Eury Perez, RHP Michael Petersen, RHP Tyler Phillips, LHP Ryan Weathers, RHP Devin Williams, RHP Josh White
Hitters (20): INF Maximo Acosta, OF Griffin Conine, 1B/3B Deyvison De Los Santos, 2B Xavier Edwards, OF Heriberto Hernandez, C Liam Hicks, SS Otto Lopez, C Joe Mack, OF Jakob Marsee, OF Victor Mesa Jr., OF Dane Myers, 3B Connor Norby, INF Graham Pauley, C/DH Agustin Ramirez, 1B Ben Rice, UTIL Javier Sanoja, INF Jared Serna, OF Kyle Stowers, 1B Eric Wagaman, OF Joey Wiemer
 
These are just some slight projections that I made to fill out the 40-man roster, as some of the end of the roster players will probably still be waived/traded during the offseason. As far as payroll, since I left the potential of extensions up for interpretation, the Marlins' payroll still hasn't increased a huge amount, but I don't really think that it needs to, for at least another season. With the upcoming CBA expiration after the 2026 season, potential discussions regarding a salary cap could lead to a potential lockout between the players and owners, so the Marlins should proceed with caution.
You can begin to see a foundation being built here in South Florida. From establishing organizational continuity in the front office, to new infrastructure being added soon around the ballpark in the form of Miami Live! to building player development, the Marlins certainly seem to be doing the things that could lead to potential long-term success. It all comes down to ownership being able to supplement the steps of Marlins' president of baseball operations, Peter Bendix. Go Fish!

The season isn’t over yet and, at the time of writing this, the Fish are still alive in the wild card hunt- hanging by a thread, but not yet mathematically eliminated. With four games left, that in itself is an accomplishment when you think back to the expectations (or lack thereof) for this team in March. Just to still have a shot in late September is monumental in the context of where the Marlins were supposed to be.
That said, hope for postseason baseball can be intoxicating, but it’s also important to stay realistic. The truth is our odds are respectable if you view 2025 as a developmental season, but dreadful if you strip away that organizational framing. Still, this campaign has been invaluable for re-establishing trust in the front office and providing fans with a sense that the future isn’t in some far-off, perpetual rebuild horizon but possibly right around the corner- in 2026.
That collective vision has sparked a lot of conversation about what foot the team will get off on next April. There’s constant chatter about the 2026 opening lineup, which minor leaguers could debut, and even some wish-casting about free-agent signings (Pete Alonso homecoming to Florida, anyone?). Most of those discussions, though, have focused on position players and the rotation. The bullpen has largely been left out, aside from some jokes about signing Tyler Phillips to a 40-year extension… or maybe that’s just me... and maybe I'm not joking.
But the bullpen is critical, and this season has proved it over and over again. Questionable management decisions, overly cautious usage, and flat-out blown games have cost Miami more wins than a playoff-hopeful team can afford. If you watched last night's game (and many others this season), it was clear that there are quite simply guys in our bullpen that are drastically outmatched by major league hitters and that has cost the Fish their chance to stay in control of the race at too many points this season.
So let’s have that conversation. A standard roster carries eight relievers, sometimes nine. With that in mind, here’s who I think should stick for 2026 and why- plus who should be left off, and a few honorable mentions worth watching.
 
 
MY SEASON OPENERS IN THE BULLPEN
 
1. RONNY HENRIQUEZ – RHP
2025: 67 G, 2.31 ERA, 70 IP, 94 K, 1.10 WHIP, 3.34 BB/9, 12.09 K/9
This is the easiest call. Henriquez has been electric. At just 5’10” he’s an undersized fireballer, but the stuff plays big. He’s thrived in high-leverage all year, missing bats at an elite clip while keeping traffic on the bases low. There have been rough spots- as there always are with relievers- but when the Fish need three outs with the game on the line, Ronny’s the one you want jogging in.
 
2. TYLER PHILLIPS – RHP
2025: 52 G, 2.88 ERA, 75.1 IP, 52 K, 1.17 WHIP, 2.76 BB/9, 6.23 K/9
Phillips went from afterthought to workhorse to cult hero. He’s durable, he’s consistent, and he has the kind of energy that fires up a clubhouse. Watching him slap himself silly, light up the side punching out three straight, then stalk off the mound muttering and cursing is almost as good as the outs themselves. He’s not flashy, but he’s dependable, and every good bullpen needs one of those glue guys who can cover multiple innings or slot into setup when needed.
 
3. CADE GIBSON – LHP
2025: 41 G, 2.72 ERA, 53 IP, 41 K, 1.17 WHIP, 3.23 BB/9, 6.96 K/9
The rookie lefty has been a revelation. As the only left-hander in the bullpen to consistently hold his ground, Gibson’s value multiplies. He’s been steady, he’s been versatile, and he hasn’t had a blow-up outing yet. That reliability matters, and the fact he can do it from the left side makes him indispensable.
 
4. LAKE BACHAR – RHP
2025: 52 G, 3.98 ERA, 70.1 IP, 75 K, 1.20 WHIP, 3.85 BB/9, 9.63 K/9
Lake has been a steady middle-relief option, eating innings and getting enough outs to stick. He’s not without his rough patches, but he’s dependable volume- something every bullpen needs over the course of a long season. His future could also lie as a trade piece, but for now, he belongs. And yes, I will keep saying “your team just drowned in Lake Bachar” as long as he’s on the roster.
 
5. CALVIN FAUCHER – RHP
2025: 63 G, 3.40 ERA, 58.2 IP, 56 K, 1.29 WHIP, 3.56 BB/9, 8.66 K/9
Faucher is not without stress, but he’s delivered far more than he’s blown. Sharing late-inning duties with Henriquez, he’s earned trust despite some shaky moments. He’s not the guy you relax with, but he’s one you can win with and that matters.
 
6. ANTHONY BENDER – RHP
2025: 51 G, 2.16 ERA, 50 IP, 42 K, 1.06 WHIP, 3.78 BB/9, 7.56 K/9
Assuming he’s back from his tibial stress reaction by Opening Day, Bender is as close to a sure thing as this bullpen gets. He was nails before the injury, controlling games with command and poise. His return is one of the biggest swing factors for 2026.
 
7. MAX MEYER – RHP
2025: 12 G, 4.77 ERA, 64.2 IP, 68 K, 1.43 WHIP, 2.80 BB/9, 9.53 K/9
This one’s controversial, but it’s time. The starter experiment has run its course. Meyer’s stamina and inconsistency limit him in that role, but his raw stuff could thrive in bursts. A bullpen conversion gives him a chance to leverage the best parts of his arsenal without the weight of working deep into games.
 
8. ANDREW NARDI – LHP
2024: 59 G, 5.12 ERA, 49.2 IP, 70 K, 1.26 WHIP, 3.29 BB/9, 12.80 K/9
The Nard Dog missed 2025, but assuming he’s healthy, he’s too valuable to ignore. The major league left-handed depth is currently nonexistent and his 2024 peripherals (FIP/xFIP/xERA in the 2.7–3.5 range) suggest he was far better than his ERA indicated. With his fastball-slider mix, he can still be a high-leverage weapon if used correctly.
 
 
HONORABLE MENTIONS
 
MICHAEL PETERSEN – RHP
He hasn’t had much time in the bigs, but what we’ve seen is intriguing. A mid-to-upper-90s heater paired with a cutter gives him legit swing-and-miss upside. He’s not fully baked, but he’s shown enough to earn another look.
JOSH WHITE – RHP
White’s minor league numbers scream for attention: 1.85 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 70 K. He’s been used mostly in relief and has the swing-and-miss stuff to play in the bigs. High variance, yes, but the upside is real.
CHRISTIAN ROA – RHP
Roa’s brief taste of the majors went well, and his AAA line (2.83 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 64 K over 60.1 IP) backs it up. He’s done all he needs to in Jacksonville—now it’s time to see what he can do against MLB hitters over a longer stretch.
 
 
WHO NEEDS TO GO
 
George Soriano: A few good outings don’t erase the season’s damage. If he can regain 2023 form, let him prove it in the minors.
Valente Bellozo: Loved his vibe early on, but the bullpen experiment has been a disaster. The velocity just isn’t there to survive MLB hitters.
Josh Simpson: Simpson is not an MLB pitcher which may sound harsh, but it sure isn't unfounded- he just hasn’t shown he can stick in the majors. He needs a reset in the minors or with the Rakuten Monkeys, not more leash in Miami.
 
 
This season has been about glimpses of what could be. The bullpen has been equal parts frustration and promise, but looking toward 2026, there’s a clear framework to build around. Henriquez and Phillips provide stability. Gibson and Nardi give balance from the left side. Bender’s return could be a difference-maker. Meyer’s reinvention might just salvage his role in the organization.
Behind them, Petersen, White, Roa, and quite a few other promising minor league arms form a lineup of “next men up” who can fill inevitable gaps. That depth is something Miami hasn’t had in years, and it gives the front office options instead of desperation. 
So yes, the bullpen has been a sore spot, but it’s also a canvas for optimism. If the Marlins can manage roles better, trust the right arms, and let the talent dictate usage instead of babying, 2026 won’t just be about contention- it’ll be about finishing games the right way and for a franchise that’s been haunted by late-inning collapses, that could be the difference between “almost there” and “finally arrived.”

In what feels like the toughest blow of the season, Edward Cabrera is now dealing with an elbow strain- often the first warning sign of Tommy John surgery. Injuries are always unfortunate, but for Cabrera, this news stings even more. Just as he finally found consistency with his electric stuff, the story may be taking a turn none of us wanted.
Most Marlins fans already know Cabrera’s winding history, but it’s worth revisiting just how long and difficult this road has been.
Signed as an international free agent in 2015 at age 17, Cabrera has spent a full decade in the Marlins system, making him the organization’s current longest-tenured player. Having spent the first four years of his professional playing career playing for now-defunct minor league Marlins associates, his contract was selected from the then Class A-Advanced Jupiter for the first time in the 2019 offseason, but was optioned to then Double-A Jacksonville during spring training of 2020 and would proceed to float around different Marlins-affiliates during the minor league restructuring until finally getting his first shot at the bigs on August 25th, 2021 with a gutsy quality start against the Nationals- holding a young Juan Soto hitless. His fastball brushed 99, his changeup touched 94, and the raw stuff was undeniable. The command, however, was another story: only 41 of his 78 pitches landed in the strike zone, with little chase outside of it.
After a total of 7 games spanning over about a month- none of which matched the success of his first, he would get placed on the injured list for a finger blister.  
In his mid-season debut the following year, things looked promising as he would post two back-to-back quality starts with 6 innings pitched and, between both games, a total of 3 hits, 1 earned run, and 13 strikeouts. In his next start, he would be pulled after 3.2 innings  with 7 hits and 5 earned runs.
That pattern defined his early career: jaw-dropping velocity, devastating movement, but shaky command and too many walks. Add in recurring injuries- from blisters to arm issues- and Cabrera often struggled to string together consistent stretches. For every dominant start with double-digit strikeouts, there seemed to be a meltdown waiting around the corner. Marlins fans developed a cautious “fool me once” mentality.
But the front office never gave up. They saw what Cabrera could be if he ever put it all together and, in 2025, he finally did.
Yes, April was rough- 15 runs allowed in his first four starts. But something clicked. By early August, Cabrera had carved his ERA down from 7.23 to 3.08. His WHIP shrank, his command sharpened, and the flashes of greatness became the expectation. With Sandy Alcantara struggling, Cabrera looked like the staff ace-in-waiting. The numbers back it up: a 3.34 ERA, 3.68 FIP, and 106 Stuff+. He racked up 140 strikeouts in 128.2 innings, good for 15th in the National League. His 9.16 K/9 proved his swing-and-miss arsenal had finally matured. He notched two 10-strikeout games- one in 5.2 innings.
A big part of the leap was his evolving pitch mix. The four-seam, long his least effective offering, dropped from 27.2% usage in 2024 to just 12.9% in 2025. Meanwhile, his sinker and slider jumped 11.5% and 9.3% respectively, making hitters' heads spin. His changeup- absurdly fast at 7.6 mph above MLB average- baffled batters all year. His curveball, with 50.1 inches of vertical drop and a 44.8% whiff rate, ranked as the third-most effective in the NL in Baseball America’s league-wide survey. His slider wasn’t far behind, posting a 42.9% whiff rate- after never topping 39.9% on any pitch in prior seasons. Add in a sharper arm slot and a sinker that jumped to a 66.4% in-zone rate (up more than 20 points from 2024), and suddenly Cabrera looked like a different pitcher entirely.
After 10 years of grinding, four seasons of uneven MLB results, and countless setbacks, Cabrera’s 2025 finally gave fans what they had been waiting for: proof that he could not only dominate, but do so consistently.
No matter what comes next- whether this is just a temporary setback or the beginning of a long recovery- Cabrera’s breakthrough deserves celebration. God willing that he doesn't need surgery, but if he does, not every pitcher returns from Tommy John; estimates suggest 20–30% never fully bounce back. Regardless of how fate plays out, we were lucky to see Cabrera at his best in a year when the Marlins needed him most.
Thank you, Eddy. Get well soon.

Recap of Yesterday's (8/20) Games in the Marlins Organization Minor League

JUPITER HAMMERHEADS (Single-A):
In a tight game against the Phillies’ Single-A affiliate, RH SP Michael Perez (4.50 ERA/1.50 WHIP) had a rocky start. He gave up a base hit, allowed a stolen base, walked a batter, and threw a wild pitch to put runners on the corners- but impressively struck out three straight to escape the jam. In the 2nd, he struck out the leadoff man, walked the next batter, and ended the frame on a double play.
The 3rd inning was where things unraveled. Perez hit Robert Phelps with a pitch, then allowed him to steal 2B. A catching error by C Carlos Sanchez let him swipe 3B, and a wild pitch brought him home. Perez then walked the next batter, who also stole 2B. A fielding error by 2B Emilio Barreras let him take 3B, and after a strikeout, a sac fly plated another run. Perez finally retired the next hitter to stop the bleeding. Perez managed a quick 4th (just one walk allowed) before his night ended (final line: 4 IP- 1 H/ 1 ER/4 BB/6 K).
RHP Walin Castillo (6.55 ERA/1.75 WHIP) delivered 3 scoreless innings in relief (final line: 3IP- 1 H/0 ER/3 BB/3 K). RHP Cannon Pickell (0.00 ERA/2.57 WHIP), back from his brief exile to FCL, lasted just two-thirds of an inning- walking two, balking once, and giving up a single to load the bases (final line: .2 IP- 1 H/0 ER/2 BB/1 K)- before RHP Luis De La Cruz (9.00 ERA/1.96 WHIP) bailed him out with a 6-pitch strikeout on a full count (final line: 0 H/0 ER/0 BB/0 K).
The offense was quiet, highlighted only by DH/OF Max Williams’ 2-hit night. The Hammerheads’ lone run came in the 6th when LF PJ Morlando drew a bases-loaded walk.
Final Score: JUP 1 – CLR 2
BELOIT SKY CARP (High-A):
The Sky Carp were shut out for six innings before the bats finally showed life late. RHP Noble Meyer (4.76 ERA/1.43 WHIP) had a frustrating 1st inning, where a few tough ball calls dragged things out long enough for trouble: a walk, two wild pitches, and a single led to 3 ER. He bounced back nicely with a clean 2nd, a 4-batter 3rd (one walk and steal allowed), and another 1-2-3 frame in the 4th (final line: 4 IP- 2 H/3 ER/2 BB/3 K).
RHP Holt Jones (4.89 ERA/1.93 WHIP) took over in the 5th. After retiring two, he allowed a walk and stolen base, then a 2-run homer. He struck out the last batter, but the 6th was rough: a single, another steal, an RBI single, then a fielder’s choice followed by a throwing error from SS Aiva Arquette to put a runner on 3B. A wild pitch brought him home for a 7-0 Timber Rattlers lead (final line: 2 IP- 4 H/3 ER/0 BB/3 K).
RHP Xavier Meachem (3.00 ERA/1.38 WHIP, final line: 1 IP 2 H/0 ER/1 BB/2 K) and LHP Jack Sellinger (2.37 ERA/1.25 WHIP, final line: 2 IP- 2 H/0 ER/1 BB/2 K) kept things scoreless over the final three innings, each recording a double play. It was then that Beloit’s offense finally sparked: 2B Chase Jaworsky (4 AB- 1 H/1 RBI/0 BB/1 K), in his organizational debut, drove in a run with a single. A balk brought home another. 1B Garret Forrester (3 AB- 2 H/1 RBI/1 BB/1 K) added an RBI single in the 7th, Arquette (4 AB- 0 H/0 RBI/0 BB/1 K) traded a double play for a run in the 8th, and C Connor Caskenette (4 AB- 1 H/1 RBI/0 BB/0 K) drove in another in the 9th. The rally fell just short.
Final Score: BEL 5 – WIS 7
PENSACOLA BLUE WAHOOS (AA):
The Wahoos earned the Marlins’ only minor league win of the night thanks to steady offense and enough pitching to hold on. LF Mark Coley II (4 AB- 2 H/2 RBI/0 BB/1 K) had the big swing again, homering in a multi-hit game for the second straight night- a 2-run shot as part of a 2-hit night. DH/OF Kemp Alderman (5 AB- 1 H/1 RBI/0 BB/0 K) went deep in the 1st for a solo blast. RBIs also came from RF Fenwick Trimble (5 AB- 1 H/1 RBI/0 BB/0 K) (2nd inning) and 1B Dub Gleed (4 AB- 2 H/1 RBI/0 BB/1 K), who continued to make an impression after his direct jump from Single-A, in the 5th. 3B Tony Bullard and SS Payton Green also collected 2-hit nights.
RH SP Jake Brooks (4.80 ERA/1.33 WHIP) gave the Wahoos 7 gritty innings. He allowed 4 runs: an RBI single in the 1st, a 2-run homer in the 2nd, and another run in the 6th on a double, RBI single, and balk. Still, he strung together three straight 1-2-3 innings in the middle and closed his night with a double play in the 7th without walking a single batter (final line: 7 IP- 8 H/4 ER/0 BB/4 K). RHPs Colby Martin (2.29 ERA/1.09 WHIP, final line: 1 IP- 1 H/0 ER/0 BB/0 K) and Nigel Belgrave (1.80 ERA/1.00 WHIP, final line: 1 IP- 0 H/0 ER/1 BB/1 K) shut the door with two combined scoreless innings.
Final Score: PNS 5 – COL 4
JACKSONVILLE JUMBO SHRIMP (AAA): POSTPONED

Recap of Yesterday's (8/19) Games in the Marlins Organization Minor League

DSL MARLINS (DSL): a phenomenal showing from the Dominican Summer League Marlins who saw RH SP Albert Ortiz (3.48 ERA/1.13 WHIP) throw a scoreless 4 (final line: 4 IP- 2 H/2 BB/7 K) followed by similar performances by LHP Luis Porfirio (ERA 4.18/1.44 WHIP, final line: 2.2 IP- 2 H/0 ER/4 BB/3 K) and Japanese RHP Raisei Nakamura (4.82 ERA/1.29 WHIP, final line: 2.1 IP- 0 H/0 ER/0 BB/2 K). Offensively, SS Diwarys Encarnacion showed out once again with 2 hits, 1 RBI, and 0 K. RF David Shirley (4 AB- 1 H/3 RBI/0 BB/2 K) went yard in the 3rd with a 2 run homer and C Adrian Bello (5 AB- 1 H/3 RBI/0 BB/1 K) followed suit with a 2 run homer of his own in the 6th. This bout also saw multi-walk games from CF Luis Cova (3 AB- 1 H/0 RBI/2 BB/1 K), 2B/SS Steven Herrera (2 AB- 1 H/0 RBI/2 BB/2 K), and 1B Jayden Felicia (2 AB- 0 H/0 RBI/2 BB/0 K).
Final Score: MRL 8 - RNB 0
DSL MIAMI (DSL): the other Marlins affiliate ball club in Boca Chica saw some good offensive fight as well from RF Jose Castro (4 AB- 1 H/2 RBI/1 BB/1 K)- who has now homered two days in a row with his grand slam on 8/18 and a 2 run homer on 8/19 in the 6th- and 2B Rafael Castillo (3AB- 1 H/2 RBI/0 BB/2 K) who took it to left field in the 4th. Some other honorable mentions on the hitting side include rising star C Alexander Requena who hit an RBI double and LF Jesus Perez with an RBI single and a sac fly. Pitching, on the other hand, saw some significant struggles from everyone starting with RH SP Pedro Montero (3.00 ERA/1.14 WHIP, final line: 2.2 IP- 7 H/4 ER/ 0BB/ 4K) who let off a knock in the 1st, gave up 4 runs in the 3rd, then passed the baton to RHP Derek Cueto (3.79 ERA/1.21 WHIP, final line: 2.1 IP- 3 H/3 ER/ 3 BB/O K) who, despite throwing a clean 4th with 1 BB and 0 H, came into the 5th to let off 2 BB and a wild pitch, ultimately resulting in 1 ER. In the 6th, he lead off by allowing a hit, then a steal, and finally an RBI double before being pulled from the game and replaced with RHP Luis Gomez (2.50 ERA/1.11 WHIP, final line: 2.1 IP- 3 H/2 ER/0 BB/2 K) who quickly allowed a single and subsequent 2-out stolen base which created the opportunity for a single from the next batter to score. Gomez followed up with a clean 7th then lead off extras by giving up an RBI double and subsequent out before being pulled in favor of RHP Ricardo Arredondo (5.40 ERA/1.80 WHIP, final line: .2 IP- 0 H/0 ER/ 1 BB/0 K) who lead off with a balk, then allowed a runner to score off of a fielder's choice before closing out the inning. A scoreless bottom of the 8th from DSL Miami ended the game. 
Final Score: MIA 8 - RCK 10
JUPITER HAMMERHEADS (Single-A): the Hammerheads were put to the test in a heavy offensive game that saw big standouts from 2B Drew Faurot (5 AB- 2 H/4 RBI/1 BB/2 K) who produced 3 runs on a ground-out, an RBI double, and a walk in a 2-hit game as well as C Carlos Sanchez (5 AB- 3 H/1 RBI/0 BB/2 K) who produced 1 run with an RBI single in a 3-hit game- other offensive contributions courtesy of CF Esmil Valencia with a run-producing sacrifice fly and walk, 3B Andrew Salas with a force-out and ground-out that both scored, SS Carter Johnson with an RBI triple, 1B Chris Arroyo with an RBI double, and both INF Abraham Ramirez and OF Andrew Valor with 2-hit games. Defensively, Johnson struggled with 2 fielding errors in the 1st that produced a run, but otherwise, the Hammerheads saw no issues on that front. Pitching was at times tenuous with RH SP Aiden May (1.93 ERA/1.13 WHIP) issuing 3 walks and 2 ER (final line: 2.2 IP- 2H/2 ER/3 BB/4 K), RHP Samuel Carpio (4.98 ERA/1.87 WHIP) issuing 4 walks in a row that produced 1 ER (final line: 2.1 IP- 1 H/1 ER/4 BB/0 K), and RHP Jake Faherty (6.07 ERA/1.62 WHIP) responsible for 3 walks that created the conditions for am unearned run (final line: 1 IP- 0H/0 ER/0 BB/4 K), but this game was the stage for 3 professional pitching debuts. The first debut was from 2025 9th-round draft pick, LHP Kaiden Wilson (13.50 ERA/6.00 WHIP) who, after getting a lead-off out, struggled with a walk followed by a stolen base and 3 subsequent walks that produced a run. Wilson followed up this jam with another out before getting pulled from the game (final line: .2 IP- 0 H/1 ER/4 BB/0 K) and replaced by 17th-round pick, RHP Xavier Cardenas III (0.00 ERA/2.25 WHIP) who got out of the jam Wilson left behind in the 6th then worked himself out of his own primarily-walk induced jam in the 7th without giving up any runs (final line: 1.1 IP- 1 H/0 ER/2 BB/1 K). Cardenas was then replaced by 19th-round pick, RHP Peyton Fosher (0.00 ERA/0.50 WHIP) who gave the best performance of this game with a clean 8th and a swift recovery from a lead-off double in the 9th that he escaped from without any further damage (final line: 2 IP- 1 H/0 ER/0 BB/4 K).
Final Score: JUP 11 - CLR 7
BELOIT SKY CARP (High-A): the Carp dealt a clean game of shut-out ball against the Timber Rattlers with an incredible pitching performance from RH SP Karson Milbrandt (3.13 ERA/1.33 WHIP) who led off the game with 2 outs, gave up a single, and left the inning cleanly. He then proceeded to strike out 6 batters in a row throughout the 2nd and 3rd, had a clean no-hit inning in the 4th, then dealt a lead-off walk followed by 3 outs to finish his game with a staggering 10 strikeouts (final line: 5 IP- 1 H/0 ER/1 BB/10 K). In the 6th inning, he was replaced by 2025 6th-round draft pick, LHP Joey Volini (0.00 ERA/0.20 WHIP) who delivered 2 hitless innings for his 3rd ever professional game to maintain his impressive, nearly impeccable stats (final line: 2 IP- 0 H/0 ER/0 BB/4 K). These 2 gems were then followed by RHP Juan Reynoso's (3.10 ERA/1.54 WHIP) High-A debut in which he delivered a single hitless inning (final line: 1 IP- 0 H/0 ER/0 BB/0 K). The game was closed out by LHP Justin Storm (3.64 ERA/1.45 WHIP) who gave the most contentious, but still scoreless inning to close in which he led off with 2 singles and allowed a stolen base before recording his final out (final line: 1 IP- 2 H/0 ER/0 BB/1 K). Offensively, the star of the game was 1st-round draft pick, SS Aiva Arquette (4 AB- 2 H/2 RBI/0 BB/1 K) who managed a 2 hits including a 2 RBI double. Other offensive contributions were courtesy of 3B Echedry Vargas with an RBI single, 2nd-round pick LF Brandon Compton with an RBI triple, C Wilson Weber with a run-producing ground-out, and INF Ian Lewis with a 2-hit game.
Final Score: BEL 5 - WIS 0
PENSACOLA BLUE WAHOOS (AA): in what materialized to be a pretty open and shut game, we saw an impressive performance from RH SP Alex Williams (4.40 ERA/1.40 WHIP) that saw him show some fortitude as he worked himself in and out of several jams throughout his scoreless 5 innings (final line: 5 IP- 5 H/0 ER/2 BB/4 K). A follow-up single inning from struggling RHP Luarbert Arias (5.66 ERA/1.89 WHIP) was led off with an out, but followed by a walk, a wild pitch that allowed a stolen base, and another walk before the final 2 outs were recorded. RHP Evan Fitterer (2.93 ERA/1.19 WHIP) replaced Arias through 2 quick, single-hit innings (final line: 2 IP- 2 H/2 ER/0 BB/2 K) then handed the baton to RHP Josh Ekness (2.68 ERA/1.09 WHIP) who led off with a walk, recorded 2 outs, and then gave up a single, but proceeded to escape the inning stranding 2 men on base to close out the game (final line: 1 IP- 1 H/0 ER/1 BB/1 K). The 3 runs for Pensacola came courtesy of C Ryan Ignoffo (2 AB- 1 H/1 RBI/0 BB/0 K) with an RBI double in the 1st and recently re-activated OF Mark Coley II (4 AB- 2 H/2 RBI/0 BB/2 K) who deliuvered a 2-hit game including a 2-run homer in the 2nd inning. The rest of the game was a shutout with the only other thing of note being the continued struggle of the centerpiece of the 2024 Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade with the New York Yankees, SS Jared Serna (4 AB- 0 H/0 RBI/0 BB/3 K) who produced a hitless game that yielded a concerning 3 strikeouts.
Final Score: PNS 3 0 - COL 0

JACKSONVILLE JUMBO SHRIMP (AAA): this tight game with the Red Sox AAA affiliate was opened up in the 1st when a balk from the opposing team allowed a run to score, but proceeded to remain quiet offensively until the 5th when 3B Bennet Hostetler (3 AB- 0 H/1 RBI/O BB/1 K) made a sacrifice-fly to produce a run before recent Nick Fortes trade acquisition from the Tampa Bay Rays, CF Matthew Etzel (5 AB- 2 H/1 RBI/0 BB/1 K) delivered an RBI single in his 2-hit game, but this would be all in terms of runs scored for the Shrimp. 1B Deyvison De Los Santos and RF Victor Mesa Jr. also enjoyed 2-hit games while SS Jack Winkler struggled through a hitless game with 2 strikeouts. Though the final 3 games of the inning were defended tightly by RHP Freddy Tarnok (3.39 ERA/1.16 WHIP, final line: 2 IP- 1 H/0 ER/0 BB/2 K) and RHP George Soriano (1.83 ERA/0.89 WHIP, final line: 1 IP- 1 H/0 ER/0 BB/2 K) in 3 scoreless innings, LH SP Patrick Monteverde (4.58 ERA/1.28 WHIP) struggled through a contentious 5 innings that began with a lead-off home run in the 1st followed by a 2nd inning that led off with a double and a walk before sitting the next 6 batters down. The real trouble, however, began in the 4th when Monteverde allowed a single then allowed a stolen base, a walk, an RBI double, and an RBI single before retiring the subsequent 5 batters to end his outing (final line: 5 IP- 6 H/4 ER/2 BB/5 K).
Final Score: JAX 3 - WOR 4

In a season where optimism is starting to become harder to find than disappointment, it would be easy to write off some late-season roster additions as reactive moves to fight injuries and trades- much like many of us did last year, when the Marlins broke the record for most players added to the active roster in a single season, using 70 different players.
But then there’s Jakob Marsee. Acquired in the early-Bendix era in the Luis Arraez trade, Marsee was initially overlooked by many Marlins fans who balked at giving up a power player for what seemed like little. In hindsight, the trade delivered Marsee, promising minor leaguers Dillon Head and Nathan Martorella (and Woo-Suk Go, but that’s another conversation), and also cleared a path for Xavier Edwards to emerge as an NL batting leader in 2025.
When Bendix dealt outfielder Jesus Sanchez at the deadline this season, the obvious replacement was Marsee. His stellar minor league performance in Jacksonville made him the logical choice, but as anyone who has followed baseball knows, minor league dominance doesn’t always translate to major league success. Sanchez had been reliable, if not spectacular, so promoting an unknown felt risky-especially with the 2025 Marlins still eyeing the wild card at that juncture.
My skepticism was quickly shattered. Marsee debuted on August 1 against the Yankees, recording 1 hit and 3 walks in 2 at-bats. His slash line after that night read .500/.800/1.000. It was immediately clear Marsee had exceptional plate discipline, and it was impossible not to be hopeful.
Though not even Barry Bonds could sustain that slash line, it wouldn’t be the craziest statement to say that Marsee never experienced a significant cooldown. As of August 19, in just 66 plate appearances, he has slashed .375/.455/.786. Among players with at least 60 plate appearances, he leads MLB in wRC+ (236), wOBA (.514), xwOBA (.493), and batting average. He also briefly lead in BB% (18.8%) for players with at least 50 plate appearances and boasts a very impressive 4 home runs, 6 stolen bases, 9 walks, and 6 multi-hit games- including a 4-hit, 11-total-base, 2-homer, 7-RBI, 1-stolen-base game against Cleveland with no strikeouts.
Advanced stats back up the eye test:
    •    BABIP .415
    •    Max exit velocity 92.2 mph, 24 hard-hit balls (53.3%)
    •    Launch angle 14.2°
    •    O-Swing/Contact 8.3/40%
    •    Z-Swing/Contact 55.8/95.1%
    •    Sprint speed 27.9 ft/sec
For context, league averages are:
    •    wOBA .313, xwOBA .325, AVG .235, BB% 8.1%
    •    BABIP .299, O-Swing/Contact 28/62%, Z-Swing/Contact 67/84%, sprint speed 27 ft/sec
Even without being a qualified hitter, these numbers over 18 games are borderline superhuman. As recently as a few days ago, Marsee showed a large gap between wOBA (.576) and xwOBA (.516), meaning he was outperforming his batted-ball profile- great results, but not quite matching the underlying contact Fast forward to today: wOBA .514, xwOBA .493. The gap has shrunk. His “luck” has normalized, and the quality of contact has stabilized. xwOBA tends to be more consistent than batting average, and Marsee’s plate discipline, exit velocity, and launch angle suggest we are unlikely to see a dramatic drop. Thus far, the dip is real, but it’s small and at least somewhat sustainable; even if his xwOBA drops by .100, he would still be a select talent.
Though many will frown at this, I will argue to anyone that the closing gap is a good thing. Marsee is settling into what should be his true elite level and his production is incredible; for Marlins fans who have been on edge for two months, it’s a promising sign and it provides a more realistic look on what his level of talent can look like over time.
Will Marsee Madness ever end? Probably to some extent, but what we’re witnessing may well be the emergence of a generational talent, yet another sign that the Marlins’ future is brighter than it has been in years.

Ceaseless curiosity pulls me forward. Whether I’m wondering how Stonehenge was built or why good people suffer, there is but one question that stands out most right now: Why is Eric Wagaman still one of the Marlins’ most-used players despite consistently failing at the plate?
Maybe that doesn’t seem existential, but for us Fish fans, it’s uncomfortably baffling. Baseball is full of mysteries- why hitters slump right after looking locked in, why certain bullpen arms always seem to melt down in the 8th inning- but this one feels personal. Just recently, during the now infamous massacre at Truist Park, a mild uproar on Marlins X occurred when McCullough pinch-hit Jakob Marsee- who has been lighting up since arriving to the show- for Wagaman. Meanwhile, data tells us Wagaman is roughly 40% more likely to ground into a double play than hit a home run, making the move feel painfully tone-deaf. For fans who live and die with each lineup card, it was insult layered on top of the countless injuries sustained at the hands of the Braves.

Watching Wagaman’s name in the lineup again and again makes his walk-up song, Kid Cudi’s “Alive (Nightmare)” feel incredibly appropriate and not just in title: you’re waiting for it to end, but it just drones on, hypnotic and surreal. There’s this strange tension where you half expect it to fade out… but it never does and, in this purgatory, I know that I'm not alone is constantly asking the question:
Does Wagaman have blackmail on the front office?
What do Bendix and McCullough see that we don’t?
We constantly see it thrown around that there are some vague statistical reasons why, despite his numerous shortcomings, Bendix views Wagaman as serviceable, but for those of us who haven't wanted to spend any more time than we're forced to paying attention to Eric Wagaman, digging deeper feels like a large undertaking. So I decided to take one for the team and spend 48 hours psychotically combing through his Baseball Reference, Savant, and FanGraphs pages to get to the bottom of it so that you don't have to! If you'd rather skip all the math and get straight to the moral of the story, just scroll down to where it says TL;DR.

It’s not hard to understand what Wagaman offers: a low-cost, theoretically versatile corner bat. Hypothetically, this is the kind of player you keep around because he’s replaceable without being urgent to replace, but the results? Not so much. Over his last 30 games, he slashed .157/.255/.241- a steep fall from his overall .230/.281/.345 line this season. At some point, the theoretical value has to meet reality, and right now they’re on different planets.
The hard numbers:
He’s seen 1,544 pitches, 996 of which were strikes (~64.5%). Yet he swings at just 45.3% of pitches — a rate near MLB average.
His BB/K ratio stands at .30, meaning he strikes out over three times as often as he walks.
His called strike rate (cStr%) is 19.2%, higher than the MLB average (~16–17%), suggesting pitchers routinely freeze him in the zone.
Taken together, Wagaman isn’t passive in a strategic way- he’s just not taking advantage of hittable pitches. This often puts him behind in counts, which is one of the fastest ways to tank your offensive value. It’s the kind of “swing decision” problem player development departments talk about constantly, because you can’t fully unlock a hitter’s raw power if they’re giving away at-bats before they ever take a real hack.
But here’s why Bendix still keeps him around- and why it might make sense.
Statcast shows Wagaman’s average exit velocity is 90.6 mph, Hard-Hit% at 45%, and Barrel% around 6%- all indicators of quality contact. Plus, his xwOBA (.316) exceeds his actual wOBA (.272), implying poor results may be more about bad luck or sequencing than bad skill. To a front office built on analytics, that’s catnip. Those numbers whisper “hidden value” in the same way a promising stock chart does to an investor who thinks they’ve spotted an overlooked gem.
There’s also the platoon split: his wRC+ vs LHP is 94, but only 63 vs RHP. That screams “platoon option.” Add in his ability to cover 1B, 3B, and the corner outfield in an emergency, and he fits a certain archetype the Marlins have leaned on for years: inexpensive utility with upside. A bench bat who can give the regulars a breather, handle lefty starters, and maybe, just maybe, run into a ball for an extra-base hit. The big question is whether coaching tweaks can bridge the gap between his quality-of-contact metrics and his actual production. Better swing decisions could turn that 6% Barrel rate and 45% Hard-Hit into more consistent offensive value. If it happens, Bendix looks smart. If it doesn’t, Wagaman is easy to replace. There are many, many other statistics that can paint a fuller picture, but for brevity's sake, these feel the most pertinent to me.
TL;DR
Bendix probably views Wagaman as a cheap, multi-position bat with undeniable hard-contact ability. His underlying numbers (average exit velocity, barrel rate, xwOBA) suggest upside, even if results lag. Strategically, he’s a platoon/bench piece whose true value depends on whether he can refine plate discipline and convert quality contact into real production.
How about that? Did that make you feel better?

Me neither. After all, Wagaman’s sample size is large enough that continued struggles hint at a limited ceiling- or reflect coaching shortcomings of which either option could sufficiently indicate that this situation is beyond saving.
The way I see it is that Eric Wagaman is 27 and on a one-year deal. He’s a low-risk depth play that buys time as younger prospects develop. As frustrating as it is, keeping him around until a Jacob Berry-type replacement is ripened might be the rational move for a rebuilding club, but adopting that mentality requires accepting that this team is not playoffs ready and, after all the excitement we’ve seen this year, that may be a tough pill for all of us to swallow.
Still, in the heart of baseball’s unpredictability? Well, he walked 3 times yesterday and that just might be what we need out of him. Stranger redemptions have happened.

Fifty games ago, the Marlins had just been swept by the worst team in baseball. The Colorado Rockies didn’t just beat them- they embarrassed them. Morale was at rock bottom, and expectations for the rest of the season were about as low as they could get.
Then something happened. The Fish rattled off a 32–18 run, capped by a sweep of the Yankees. For the first time since the magical 2023 playoff run, Marlins fans were watching a team that felt like it could matter in September- and maybe beyond. The trade deadline came and went without the fire sale many outside Miami expected. Peter Bendix, the new President of Baseball Operations, held firm. The roster stayed mostly intact. For a fan base conditioned to brace for gut punches, hope had crept back in.
Hope changes the way we watch baseball. When you expect nothing, every series win feels like October baseball, every home run is a small miracle. But when you believe you might have something real, the stakes get higher. The games still matter, but so do the decisions. We stop being happy-go-lucky underdogs and start holding the front office and manager to a higher standard.
That’s why the last week has been so frustrating. The same young, talented group that looked ready to push for something meaningful has been undercut by questionable decision-making- most notably from first-year manager Clayton McCullough.
To be clear, plenty of great MLB managers never played in the big leagues. That’s not the problem. The problem is execution. McCullough, who came to Miami after four seasons as the Dodgers’ first base coach, has shown an over-reliance on the numbers without the in-game flexibility to adjust when the situation calls for it.
This isn’t about being anti-analytics. Data is essential in modern baseball, but data is a tool, not a script. Too often this season, bullpen management has felt automated, pinch-hitting moves have ignored hot bats or matchups, and moments that called for defending his players have been met with silence. From the outside looking in, it appears McCullough is managing to satisfy a spreadsheet rather than the flow of the game in front of him. Yes, we as fans don’t see everything- there are health updates, scouting reports, and advanced metrics we aren’t privy to, but when the same visible mistakes repeat themselves, the pattern is hard to ignore.
To peak behind the on-the-field operations, it’s not difficult to admit that Bendix’s tenure so far has been far from a disaster. Holding the roster together at the deadline was a statement in itself, and the long-term health of the organization feels stronger than it has in years, but even the best executives miss sometimes.
From the outside, sending Cade Gibson back to Jacksonville instead of struggling lefty Josh Simpson, designating for assignment one of the only left-handed relievers (Anthony Veneziano) instead of George Soriano, and recalling Soriano over other MLB-ready arms were questionable calls. There may be behind-the-scenes reasons for each move, but the results speak for themselves- and in these cases, they haven’t been good.
Here’s a hard truth: this team probably isn’t playoff-ready. The hot streak showed what they can be when everything clicks, but the inconsistencies are still there. Bullpen depth, inconsistent hitting with runners in scoring position, and the development curve for several key players are all factors keeping them from being a true contender right now. And barring something unexpected, McCullough isn’t going anywhere this season. A talented roster can win in spite of a manager, but over 162 games, poor in-game management is hard to outrun.
The good news is that the future is bright. The Marlins’ farm system has impact talent on the way, and some of it will be ready sooner rather than later. We’ve already seen flashes from this young core, and the version of the Marlins we saw in that 50-game stretch after the Rockies series could be just the beginning.
This rebuild is still in progress, but for the first time in a while, it feels like it’s on track. Whether or not they make a serious playoff push in 2025, this season has given fans something we haven’t had in years: a reason to believe the best is still to come.
So enjoy the ride. The season isn’t over, and the Fish have shown they won’t go down without a fight.

Marlins receive: OF Jo Adell
Angels receive: 3B/DH Jacob Berry (MIA #21 prospect) and RHP Josh White
 
Jo Adell gives the Marlins a super high upside project for the new MLB staff to work with. Adell is coming off a 90 wRC+ 0.1 fWAR season in 130 games but a heap of mental errors and unluckiness on batted balls ( .317 xwOBA vs .296 wOBA) brought his production down in 2024. But he was been progressing his game throughout his MLB career and has 3 more years of club control.
Berry while starting to finally looked like the #6 overall pick that he was selected to be still lacks true upside due to his lack of overall power and abysmal defense. White is coming off a strong 3.02 ERA season mostly as a reliver at the A+ he is nothing more than a sweetener in this deal.
 
Marlins receive: RHP Jaden Hamm (DET #7 prospect), 2B Max Anderson (DET #17 prospect)
Tigers receive: LHP Braxton Garrett
 
The MLB pitching market appears to be scorching hot with Montas and Boyd getting bloated deals. The Marlins should take advantage of this. Unfortunately this means parting ways with a former first round pick, But they have the depth especially for an inbetween year to look ahead to the future
Hamm is coming off an electric 2.64 ERA campaign over 99 IP at the A+ level. He boasts an elctric fastball that sits low to mid 90s with insane ride that carried him to one of the best K%-BB% at the A+ level last year. Anderson is a solid "just put the ball in play" that can hopefully fill some organizational depth and maybe become an MLB bench bat
 
Marlins receive: OF Jhostynxon Garcia (BOS #12 prospect) and OF Allan Castro (BOS #19 prospect)
Red Sox receive: RHP Edward Cabrera and RHP Anthony Bender
 
Jhostynxon 'The Password' Garcia is coming off a super strong .892 OPS season between A, A+ and AA. Although his walk rate outside of A ball leaves a lot to be desired (5.1 BB%) he makes up for this by swinging early and often and makes consistent quality contact while elevating and looks to be an intriguing addition to a future MLB OF. Allan Castro is almost the opposite; he lacks Garcia's raw tools he makes up for it with a sparkling 14 BB% and 14 homers.
For Edward Cabrera, frustration after years of noty being able to locate the zone has warranted letting another team take a chance on a super high upside arm. He could also benefit a lot from thier heavy sinker philosiphy. His sinker out performed his 4seam by .038 xwOBA and gave up 6 HRs on the 4seam vs only 1 on the sinker. Bender has been an above average RP for a couple years with the Marlins but to take a chance at a future starting corner OF, it's worth the value
 
Marlins receive: RHP Jaxon Wiggins (CHC #10 prospect) and OF Jonathon Long (CHC #28 prospect)
Cubs receive: RHP Calvin Faucher
 
Calvin Faucher after being attached in the Vidal Brujan trade now looks like the center piece. He posted a spectacular 3.19 ERA and 2.50 FIP as well as becoming the defacto closer post deadline. However, relievers are replacble and I don't believe the team is ready to compete yet so we're going to sell high on a stellar late inning arm.
In return the Fish will get a hard throwing pitcher who struggles to find the zone at times in Jaxon Wiggins and a super underrated bat in Jonathon Long. Wiggins despite control issues posted 28.0K% and .194 BAA. At the very least his heater and slider should allow him to fill in the 'pen if he fails to stick as a starter. Long is a bat only prospect to put it bluntly. Due to his 30 grade speed and 5'11 stature he's an awkward fit for anywhere on the diamond but at the plate he slashed .283/.391/461 for a 149 wRC+ between A+ and AA. The key components to his success offensively are his plate discipline (14.1 BB%) and his power (17 HR and 38 XBH) in in a 489 PA sample size
 
Marlins recevie: RHP Gavin Williams
Guardians receive: OF Victor Mesa Jr and RHP Juan De La Cruz
 
Gavin Williams will be a solid answer to be in the backend of the rotation while it recovers from the hit it would take in this exercise after Cabrera and Garrett are gone. He's a solid 4 currently with possible upside of a low end 3. For us he will be the backend guy to provide consistant starts. While VMJ is a long time marlins fan favorite prospect due to his +glove and speed I'm not sure how his game will translate to the next level since he struggles so much agasinst velo. Juan De La Cruz is a semi-interesting lower level prospect with some interesting characteristics that Cleaveland may like

I am not sweating the managerial situation. It's far less important than other moves in the scheme of things. I suppose keeping someone around, continuity, has some merit. But let's not act as if there is a need to genuflect to the Tom Kellys of the world, as much as I liked Tom. More power to them and their organizations. But, to steal a line from Men in Black, that means exactly what to me? 
We've already seen the obligatory "Roberts does not get enough credit" blather. He's a magician who somehow (somehow!) kept all the egos in check long enough and overcame injuries (he had the only team that had injuries, of course) to win it all! Pay no attention to the $400 million payroll, or whatever it was. The mantra is par for the course from the tiresome parrots in mainstream baseball and want-to-be-relevant YouTubers. Had the Yankees won, of course, Boone would be the vindicated, misunderstood genius browbeaten by the unforgiving New York fans. The parrots: I told you so! I told you so! Boone will win! Boone will win! Put Roberts (or Boone) with the Pirates, Marlins, or Giants and see how it goes. No calls for the Hall of Fame then, I bet. So tiresome and so predictable. 
Luckily, the ubiquitous managerial carousel allows the middling guys who win tons regular season games to hang around long enough to get the "great" moniker. Great for attendance and fan interaction, which are legitimate value propositions, sure, I acknowledge it. But no one, and I mean no one, is satisfied with that, nor lots of division titles, for that matter. These are steppingstones to on-field success or they're balm for fans. Alternatively, why not just supply $350+ million payrolls for a decade until we get the proverbial blind squirrel outcome (or there's a surreal, unattended, contrived pandemic "tournament" we can masquerade as legitimate - we make the damn rules, you peasants)? 
Consider the handwringing, for example, that occurred when the Cubs ridiculously overpaid Craig Counsell, The Brewers are lost! The Brewers are lost! Maybe the Cubs will win a few World Series in the Counsell era. (Cough.) Yes, there are (apparent) exceptions, like Bruce Bochy, who seems to have the magic touch. Guys like Baker and Showalter and Cox, et al., lose and lose in the playoffs until they finally win after thirty years (it's a crapshoot, after all), and the drumbeating for the Hall of Fame begins because, well...they won a lot of regular season games, darn it! Fine fellows, all, I am sure. All those playoff losses, again and again, are just bad luck (no, it's a crapshoot). Otherwise, why would so many teams continue to lazily pick from the managerial carousel? We're the damn experts here and we prove it by recycling these guys who get really close! We had four numbers on the Powerball - we're close, I tell you! It's a modern Gnosticism in action. The secret knowledge of Magus Counsell or Magus Baker will take us to the promised land!
Even losers, when it suits the parrots, get the mantra that overrides the so-called meritocracy of baseball. Michael Kay can howl all he wants about how there's no one better to replace Boone. It's foolish to blame him, blah, blah. He got them to the World Series! Who would dare question his value? Only the Neanderthals who buy the tickets, merchandise, and subscriptions. Idiots! Don't they know we know how much the clubhouse loves Boone? New York is a tough place! New York is a tough place! If he can make it there... But he didn't make it, again. Cashman and Boone! Continuity! We are the Yankees, listen to us!
So, as counterintuitive as baseball often turns out (or because it's a crapshoot), the late- and/or third-choice managerial selection of the Marlins will be perfectly suitable. And, may I add, a whole lot cheaper than Counsell (genuflect). 

The Leading Moments to the Sherman era
After decades of being renowned as possibly THE worst owner in MLB after sinking baseball in 2 cities and 2 different countries (Miami and Montreal) Jeffery Loria finally decided he had enough of dealing with a begrudged fanbase and a running in place baseball team, he made the decision that lit a spark in all south Florida baseball fans' eyes. He decided to sell the team. During the process there became two front runners: Jorge Mas and Bruce Sherman. Jorge Mas was an eccentric billionaire who had already had his hands in Miami Sports. Sherman was the gritty half billionaire that had two aces up his sleeve. An at the time future HoF SS in Derek Jeter and an extra $30 Million dollars he was willing to to throw down to purchase the team.
On the 2nd of October 2017 the deal was done and the ink was set to dry. Bruce Sherman had become the next owner of the Miami Marlins. When he arrived both he and Jeter were barraged with questions over why and how they would be able to right the ship of a lost at sea franchise. The moniker of the regime quicky became that this isn't a rebuild, we're building this team and it'll be done through waves and waves of talent that will surface through the farm system.
 
The Opening Moves
In his first offseason with the team with Jeter in charge of baseball operations was to trade current MLB stars for prospects hand selected by Jeter himself. This was originally met with controversy from the fans and media because it appeared to be just another fire sale in which the Marlins are practically synonymous with, but we were reassured that this will be the right move. The real controversy was after the players had become aware of Derek Jeter's plans. The stars of the team became openly frustrated with the situation which ultimately lead to all 4 of our young superstars to be dealt in the next 16 months, 3 of which would take place in this 2017 offseason.
The new regimes first offseason resulted in trading reigning MVP Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees for 2B Starlin Castro, INF prospect Jose Devers, and pitching prospect Jorge Guzman. Marcell Ozuna to the Cardinals for SP Sandy Alcantara, SP Zac Gallen, CF Magneuris Sierra, SP Daniel Castano. Christian Yelich to the Brewers for CF Lewis Brinson, CF Monte Harrison, INF Isan Diaz SP Jordan Yamamoto, Dee Gordon and IFA money to the Mariners for SP Nick Neidert, SP Robert Duggar, INF Christopher Torres and I saved the first trade for last SP prospect Michael King and IFA money for 1B Garrett Cooper and SP Caleb Smith.
This offseason really set the stage and the future did seem bright. Many of the prospects like Lewis Brinson and Sandy Alcantara were regarded very highly by the national media. It felt like only a matter of time until Miami fans would see good baseball once again.
 
The Fruits Of Their Labor
By the end of the 2019 season the fans had endured 2 more losing seasons with a combined record of 120-203. But that was part of the plan and most fans knew that. But as long as they amassed talent that would be the faces of future teams it seemed worth our time investment. As the 2019 team settled They were praised for becoming one of the most talented minor league systems in baseball.
Let's categorize the prospects based on how they were acquired to get a better understanding in how much the Marlins themselves are responsible for each player's development.
The biggest prospects they traded for were: Lewis Brinson, Monte Harrison, Isan Diaz, Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen, Jazz Chisholm Jr, Jesus Sanchez, Lewin Diaz, Jorge Alfaro, Sixto Sanchez, Nick Neidert, Jose Devers. Out of these groups of players only 4 are every day starters, and 2 of them are in the upper crust of the league and 1 of those players was traded in his rookie year for only a good player and not the elite talent that Gallen has become.
Most of these hitting prospects came up with other orgs until they were in the upper minors then all showed very similar flaws when they got to the Marlins and to the MLB level. Swing and miss, Chasing bad pitches and an inability to hit the ball at advantageous angles with power. To trade for eight different players that would grace popular top 100 prospects lists and to only get three players to become roster-able players is un utter embarrassment.
Maybe we can try to give them grace and hope they were just taken advantage of in trades and let's see how the hand selected homegrown talents have turned out.
Since the first draft under the new regime only 4 position players or starting pitchers have been drafted, signed, developed and debuted for the Marlins. That's right! In 6 years of drafts they've only managed to find themselves 4 possible starters for the future. Those 4 being Nick Fortes, JJ Bleday, Peyton Burdick, and Max Meyer.
Fortes has been an intriguing defense only backup catcher, JJ Bleday struggled through out his minor league career and was traded to Oakland where he finally turned the corner, Peyton Burdick has 139 career PA's with a 38.1 K% and Max Meyer is recently recovered from TJ and look more like a middle innings reliever than a future corner stone in the rotation that he was built up to be. 
The international free agency side is probably where the most amount of expanded investment has taken place, with an academy built in the Dominican Republic and more money pumped in to the behind the scenes at the lowest levels of minor league baseball. Their top investments have been in Victor Victor mesa, Victor Mesa Jr, Jose Salas, Yiddi Cappe, Junior Sanchez, Ian Lewis. The only one that looks promising of the group Is Victor Mesa Jr. But they were able to find a crown jewel in the rough in RHP Eury Perez who looks to be one of the top pitchers in baseball at just 22 years old. UTIL Javier Sanoja also looks like a possible MLB caliber player but lacks a true upside that makes him hard to project him to be an everyday player.
 
The Minor League System Overview
Under Jeter/Denbo/Kim one thing became known amongst Marlins fans and the league. The Marlins do not know how to develop hitting at all, and became one of the worst in practically every important metric. As time marched forward every cry you'd hear from Marlins fans were cries for bats. All of the once vaunted prospects had all flamed out and either had been traded or have since retired from baseball or still fighting for their careers outside of affiliated ball. The pitching side of things has seen a decent amount of success with Sandy, Gallen, Lopez, Garrett, Rogers, Perez and Luzardo but very few had been developed at the minor league level with the Marlins.
The most frustrating part was watching almost every highly regarded prospect or fresh draftee slowly fade into irrelevance the longer they spent in the organization. The 2019 draft in particular looked like an absolute slam dunk with Kameron Misner, Peyton Burdick and JD Orr exploding out of the gate and then proceeded to greatly decline and show bigger and bigger flaws in their games as they advanced through the minor leagues. Then the absolutely dreadful part was the excitement for new bats in the system to immediately flop. JJ Bleday, Connor Scott, Joe Mack, Kahlil Watson were all first round picks that either immediately struggled or flashed warning signs of their potential may not have been what it was cracked up to be.
 
The Deficiencies In Team Building
One of my biggest qualms with the organization Pre Peter Bendix was how the assets were managed. The two biggest flaws of how the roster was managed came from their handling of veterans. With few exceptions practically every free agent signing was an absolute bust for the Fish. Corey Dickerson, Avisail Garcia and Jean Segura were all negatives for the team with Garcia and Segura being some of the worst players in baseball in their with the fish.
My other annoyance with the team had been the refusal to trade veterans who had no future with the team. Namely Miguel Rojas, Jesus Aguilar and Starlin Castro, were all held on to for far too long and were either released or traded for very little in return. Good teams realize when a player isn't going to get them any closer to the playoffs or a championship and trade them for younger players that can hopefully be a part of future successful teams. With the only caveat being you have to select the right players and you need to give them the right tools and guidance to become successful MLB players which simply did not happen under the Jeter/NG regimes.
 
The Peter Bendix Era And The Role Analytics Plays In Baseball
From an outsiders perspective many claim that the Marlins threw away a playoff team and new GM Peter Bendix has ran the team into the ground to become one of the worst teams in baseball. While on the surface this is technically true, those of us who have followed the entire organization throughout the the Sherman's ownership have been pointing out signs of rot that have been emanating up and down the Marlins system. The lack of developing hitters and trading away pitchers and prospects to make up for 7 years of failures had left the organization rotting from the inside. There has been no future for a while now and I have been pounding the table for a rebuild for a couple years now and I finally have my wish.
After the first season under Peter Bendix he has also come to the conclusion that this organization needs a complete makeover if they ever want to be a serious competitor. His main goal was to once again trade MLB players for prospects of his choosing. However, this time he did not have a reigning MVP and three superstar hitters to trade away. He was handed down good role players but not a single true star or superstar. Nonetheless he was able to deal 11 MLB players for 20 prospects. While like the previous regime you can see them chasing high upside players with obvious faults like De Los Santos, Jun-Seok Shim many of his new prospects are guys that have made a name for themselves based on good plate discipline, swing decisions and optimal launch angles like Jakob Marsee, Jared Serna and Agustin Ramirez.
The other interesting pattern the ability to acquire decent players for next to nothing. Otto Lopez, Jonah Bride, and Declan Cronin are 3 prime examples of such and they all fall into a similar bucket "Sabermetric Darlings" Otto Lopez is an elite defender with around a league average bat with ++ base running, Jonah Bride is a the perfect example of how pulling flyballs will get you good results and Declan Cronin managed a 2.58 FIP and didn't surrender a homerun until mid September.
Peter has secretly told us some of his thoughts on the previous regime and his own philosophies in a very secretive manner. Throughout his trades and the draft he brought in 29 bats and only 12 arms. It clear that he saw the talent level and protypes of hitters in the org and knew there needed to be a change. He also told us how the actual development process should be ran. He has fired most of the baseball ops employees he inherited and has insisted on getting as many of his own guys in house and as many people in house as he can to help with the development of prospects. As former senior analyst of the Marlins Bradley Woodrum stated there used to be only three people made up the analytics department at one point. He later stated that he believes that Bendix wants there to be about 40. A 13x increase in personnel sounds astonishing until you realize the gap of success that the Rays (Bendix's last team) and the Marlins success at drafting and developing MLB caliber players.
Only time will be able to tell us about how this new experiment will end up, but i for one am supremely confident in Peter Bendix's ability to build an organization and future successful MLB teams.

Dear Miami Marlins Organization, 
Let’s start with a simple pop quiz about Miami baseball. What is significant about the year 1982 as it relates to Miami baseball?  
I was waiting to ask this question. You had just swept the Rockies and were heading to Oakland with a chance to start a streak and correct the hole that the team created. There was optimism and belief, but now you have decided that this season is over, and we must start again. 
I have been a fan since the major league baseball announced that Miami was given an expansion team. I have gone through multiple fire sales as a fan, hoping the last one was the last. But again, it appears history is repeating itself. Since it seems history is repeating itself, here are my questions: 
What is the vision of the team? Define Marlins culture. Besides the athletic attributes, what other characteristics are you looking for besides “asset value” in a player? Are you looking for players who have grit and determination? Do we have players who lead by example and players who are vocal and will hold other players accountable when the team is mired in mediocrity? Are you looking for players who will teach the younger players how to win? Are those players on the roster right now? Will you trade those players or keep them as part of your plan to rebuild the team? The problem with fire sales is that it creates a culture of losing and mediocrity. There is no player accountability. Why? Because upper management does not care about excellence. I challenge your analytics department to explain why my thesis is wrong and provide me with examples. Please find me a team that is continually in fire sale mode that creates a culture of excellence.  If I am right, why do we repeatedly do the same thing? The economics of the game is only a narrow part of analyzing a team. If the economics of the game is all that you value, then Mr. Sherman, please get more investors or sell the team to an ownership group committed to winning.  What revenue range should the Marlins need to be competitive in the free-agent market? I am sure that the organization has a number.  Please share that range.  I ask these questions because we expected this ownership group not to conduct fire sales. Teams go through growing pains, but this is getting ridiculous. Do I expect you to be the New York Yankees? No. The Yankees have history and tradition. But here’s what you have that very few major league baseball teams have-you are sitting on top of a culture of baseball excellence found in South Florida’s high schools and colleges. Put another way, you are a beggar sitting atop a gold mine and do not realize or appreciate it. 
Now, to answer the question, “What is the significance of 1982 in Miami baseball?” It was the year that the University of Miami won its first College World Series. From the years Ron Fraser coached to now, University of Miami baseball and excellence were synonymous. Besides that, multiple high schools, both private and public, have won state titles or were considered the elite in the state of Florida. If you are unaware of this history, then I suggest that the organization learn it well. If you need names, please let me know. This is the natural history of Miami baseball. Miami is more than a destination spot, the gateway to Latin America, or a spring training tradition. Our true history is in excellence and not being flashes in a pan. 
So, I look forward to reading your response. Silence is not optional. 
Sincerely, 
Arthur M. Freyre

Look, blowing a seven-run lead is rare, but losing the game, to boot, truly hurts. Remember the 20th win in a row for the Oakland A's as depicted in "Moneyball?" The Royals stormed back from a huge deficit. Of course, Hatteberg's home run walks it off, and all is well - the win and the streak are saved. The Marlins loss to the Nationals on Sunday had no such happy ending. The team now owns the worst record in baseball. Peter Bendix is swimming against a tide of fan despair and anger.  We fans cannot see the entire picture - finances, internal discussions, expectations, and anticipated timelines are all unavailable. While I suspect the brain trust is honestly surprised at this level of ineptitude, they certainly WANT to win and draw fine crowds. Wags counter that these two obvious things are pollyannish or delusional. OK, fair enough. Win with these players? Ask people to attend games to see such a poor team, at an inconvenient ballpark, on top of past spurious situations? 
However, we must take a step back. For our mental health and because, well, it's only baseball and not life and death. I read several posts on "X" that call the year a total loss. Even if that is so, the season is qualified to be the often-rough start to important, systemic changes. It's a purge of our baseball system. We know the scouting and developmental foundation of the franchise must be amended. Low-income franchises must excel in this area to attain long-term competitiveness. We can look to the Orioles and Astros for comfort (or my oft-referenced Montreal Expos developmental prowess, starting from dead scratch as an expansion team in 1969).  We simply must acknowledge those teams' agonizing seasons as a component - medicine, so to speak - that has led to amazing success (Astros) and a current robust, young, exciting team (Orioles). Yet, it is important to realize those teams did/do not face the challenges the Marlins have when it comes to payroll limitations. 
Bendix is fighting a two-front war without the support of the civilian population (sorry for the martial metaphor). Perhaps (continuing with the metaphor), he will be our George Washington - losing many battles, but staying true to the disciplined plan, gaining strength, and prevailing.  If history, much less baseball history, reveals anything, it is that "hopeless" situations turn around and groups rise again. The Dodgers could spend their $3 billion in the next five years (to go along with the billions already spent in the Roberts era) and have only the pathetic 2020 fishbowl "championship" to show for it. Nothing is guaranteed. Atlanta won only one World Series in their dominating decade of the 1990s.
David Samson is right (cringe) when he states that he would rather have two championships in thirty years and stink for the other twenty-eight years than be "competitive" throughout and win nothing. No fan is truly happy being "competitive," or winning regular season games. Ask the Dodger fans if they would trade their great regular seasons. No one cares. Similarly, like Sunday's game, it hurts a lot more to lose that one than a 10-2 drubbing ever will. Yes, I realize the new playoff system is the impetus for a "just get in" mentality. That is smart and realistic - sorry. It will be the ticket for the Marlins again, as well. 
So, while we are rightly frustrated, embarrassed, and ticked off, let's give Bendix a chance. When the team wins number three, it will be incredibly sweet. Wouldn't it be fantastic if the Marlins won number three before the Dodgers, Braves, or Yankees won it all again?  Oops!

(Another archived rant that I wrote a while back.)
The oddness that was the 2020 season? Sixty games, ever-changing rules, no fans, neutral sites, and on and on with the inane pile emanating from that entire year of dog crap. I put no stock in any of it, including the so-called World Championship, which is a disgraceful doppelganger of real championship seasons. MLB should be embarrassed that they rammed through that makeshift crap. Of course, the owners are hardly guardians of the game's integrity. This is so only to the extent it affects business, which is not unreasonable per se. So, telling us moon-eyed, drooling fans that this disgrace of a season is equal to the other real seasons dilutes the value of the so-called World Championship. Thankfully, the Dodgers "won," and not the Marlins. Imagine the howls and gnashing of teeth had the Marlins won their THIRD championship since the last Dodger title in 1988. Oops! Since LA won, it is, certainly, legitimate. Sure, it is. MLB's pathetic owners are never done with their sullying of the National Pastime. That's the one area in which our current crop of POS owners excels! Accordingly, look for more uniform ad patches, including a brand name across the asses of players, and lots more gimmicky rule changes. We must change with the times, right? 

(Putting my Marlins and general baseball comments/rants here to get my new blog started. Here is one of 'em.)
Of course, Greg Maddux, Gaylord Perry, and Bert Blyleven would be slaughtered if they pitched in today's game. They didn't throw 97 mph. Pretenders! Then, the endlessly parroted gibberish goes like this: Starters don't go deep into games anymore. Those short starts add up and diminish the bullpen over the season. But we can't allow starters to go into the dreaded third time through the order, heaven forbid.! Baseball's league average over the years is ridiculously tepid, even after/with the "savior element" (the DH). Still, six innings is a quality start, and we should be so elated if there is one. Who can ask for any more than that for a guy making $25M to do so every five days? Luckily, though, the games are shorter, we monitor "disengagements," and have all sorts of cool video-game-esque stats on the screen to watch in between the pitch clock resets. Oh, and Jazz is on the cover of a video game, so he is awesome, dude (in the one-half of our games that he plays)! 

(Another beautiful rant from a bit ago.)
I agree that Miguel Cabrera has a HOF career resume. Moreover, Marlins fans identify him with their World Championship. But we need to be very real about the unmitigated disaster that his 8-year extension has been. The first year, 2016, was excellent (with a 7.4 WARP) and this would have been the time to move him at his peak value point, setting up the team’s future. Instead, the next seven years, SEVEN, are horrific by consuming a huge percentage of the team’s payroll in one ineffective player and taking up a valuable roster spot. Cabrera SEVEN-YEAR WARP from 2017 to 2023 is 5.1 (less than 0.75/year) at the cost of $216 million! That’s over $43 million for each win above replacement over the last seven years. Forty-three million dollars per over replacement win. Perhaps only Strasburg’s contract is arguably worse in the entire history of baseball. So, this future HOFer leaves the scene with the last SEVEN years of his career as an utter failure, not just mediocrity.  
Joey Votto, another player who may have a HOF case, is another unmitigated disaster for his Reds team. Votto’s ridiculously unwise extension, where he, too, should have been moved at a peak value registers a 7.4 WAR for the last SIX YEARS at a cost of over $150 million (1.23/year over that stretch). Perhaps more than Detroit, Votto’s anemic production has hamstrung his team, effectively flushing those years during which his salary was a preposterous percentage of their total payroll. Votto’s last six-year legacy is $20 million per over replacement wins. Twenty million dollars. Even the New York Mets are paying less than $1.9 million per win in this, their very disappointing season.  
Can anyone argue that these two men did not hamstring their clubs for six or seven seasons? Even if we remove the 2020 season from the equations, there is no redeeming quality. Fans may perceive a future HOF enshrinement as a combination of tangible (team loyalty, merchandise, etc.) and intangible (team reputation, pride, legacy) value. Make no mistake, however, if forced to tell the truth, both teams and their owners would gladly turn the clock back, make a trade, or forego the respective extensions altogether, if they had the chance. Seeing these men enter the HOF with another cap would be just fine when balanced against over $357 million, wasted seasons, and missed opportunities. 

Hola a todos los hispanohablantes!
A partir de hoy estaremos comentando las noticias más importantes del equipo. Cada semana haremos un resumen de lo que pasó y lo que viene para el equipo. Empezaremos esta temporada 2024 con el roster actual, los juegos de entrenamiento primaveral y las expectativas de cada uno de los integrantes de la página en inglés de Fish on First.
Por ahora, las noticias más importantes son la llegada de Tim Anderson a jugar el campocorto, la primera sesión de bullpen de Sixto Sánchez, el primer juego de la Liga Toronja será para Ryan Weathers y algunos nombres interesantes que se encuentran en el equipo con invitados non-roster.
Los mantendremos informados!