Kevin Barral

One of the more shocking moves of the MLB offseason thus far has been the Tampa Bay Rays declining the $11M club option on longtime reliever Pete Fairbanks. He finished his stint with the Rays throwing 256 ⅔ innings, posting a 2.98 ERA, saving 90 games (third in franchise history) and posted a 5.7 fWAR. Clearly, there will be a major market for Fairbanks in what is already a pretty loaded marker with Edwin Diaz and Robert Suarez leading the charge, but Fairbanks could potentially reunite with his former boss Peter Bendix in Miami. The Texas Rangers drafted Fairbanks in the ninth round of the 2015 MLB Draft and was traded to the Rays in a one-for-one deal, sending Nick Solak to the Rangers in 2019. Bendix at that point was the Rays vice president, which who knows how much of a say he had when that deal is made, but certainly should mean something that the team traded for Fairbanks at that point. Solak went on to slash .252/.327/.372/.700 with 21 home runs, 93 RBI and a 91 OPS+ in his four season with the organization. He was later traded to the Cincinnati Reds for cash considerations and has been bouncing around the league ever since. The trade went on to be a clear win for the Rays. In 2025, Fairbanks posted a 2.83 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 8.80 K/9, 2.69 BB/9 and a career-high 27 saves through another career-high 60 ⅓ innings pitched. His four-seam fastball was his best pitch per Run Value (four), averaging 97.3 mph and generating 21.9% whiff rate with opposing hitters posting a batting average of .221 and slugging percentage of .319. The one pitch that took a major dip in production was his slider, going from a seven run value down to zero (league average) and a major reason for that was that he wasn't able to strike out many hitters with it, going from a 25.8 PutAway% to 19.7%. He did get many to whiff on it, going from a 23.6% whiff rate in 2024 to 30.8% this past season. This past season, Fairbanks added a cutter to his arsenal, which he began to use midway through the season, ended up being an elite pitch that he is using to better manage contact against him. That pitch had a run value of three, averaging 90.5 mph and hitters whiffed on that pitch 34.4% of the time. Now with the opportunity to use that pitch for a full season, it'll be interesting to see how far along that pitch can go and how much more usage he will give it. If the Marlins go out and sign Fairbanks, he would be at the highest end of the realistic price range that the team would spend and maybe Bendix, knowing the player from his time with the Rays, would go out and make a bit of a stronger push. Fairbanks would immediately become the team's everyday closer regardless of what has been said with a possible closer by committee. The team wants a high-leverage reliever per many reports and now, if they add one like Fairbanks, who is coming off a career year and has playoff experience, he needs to be the closer, shifting Ronny Henriquez over to the setup man. The likeliness that this happens is low, but it never hurts to dream assuming all the prior connections between the now two former Rays members. View full article

On Wednesday, the Miami Marlins announced their first flurry of roster moves since the end of the 2025 season: George Soriano was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles and Troy Johnston was claimed by the Colorado Rockies; Jesús Tinoco and Tyler Zuber were both activated from the 60-day injured list and outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville; and Valente Bellozo, Freddy Tarnok and Brian Navarreto were outrighted to Jacksonville as well. Miami's 40-man roster is now at 39. Soriano was one of the longest-tenured players in the organization, having signed with them as an international free agent in 2015. But it was time to move on. After a strong 2023 campaign, the right-handed reliever was never able to recapture that success, posting a 6.75 ERA in 2024 and 8.35 ERA in 2025. Soriano was out of minor league options entering 2026. Johnston's departure was the biggest surprise amongst the roster moves made. Drafted in the 17th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, Johnston was consistently productive at the plate during his MiLB career. He was named Marlins Minor League Player of the Year in 2023 after a 20/20 season. As a rookie this season, he slashed .277/.331/.420/.750 with four home runs, 13 RBI and a 109 wRC+ through 44 games played. After finishing with MLB's worst record, the Rockies were first in the waiver order and they jumped at the opportunity to claim Johnston. With the ability to play both the outfield and first base, the 28-year-old should have a strong chance of cracking Colorado's Opening Day roster. First base was already an area of weakness for the Marlins and this doesn't help. They still have Eric Wagaman and prospect Deyvison De Los Santos as well as Liam Hicks, though he is undersized for the position and primarily a catcher. In 2024, Bellozo started 13 games, posting a 3.67 ERA, 5.73 FIP, 5.77 K/9 and 2.75 BB/9. His luck began to even out toward the end of this season, finishing 2025 with a 4.65 ERA and 5.20 FIP in 32 appearances (six starts). Turning 26 in January, he was the youngest player to lose his roster spot on Wednesday. Although the Marlins didn't trust in Bellozo's ability moving forward, his production to this point was useful. Acquiring him from the Houston Astros in a one-for-one swap with infield prospect Jacob Amaya was a good under-the-radar deal. Tarnok had a nice season in Jacksonville, posting a 3.28 ERA through 68 ⅔ innings pitched. He only made five appearances at the major league level. If Tinoco wasn't outrighted, he was going to be non-tendered later this month. After undergoing underwent UCL hybrid reconstruction surgery, he will miss the entire 2026 season. Zuber's season-ending injury was a right lat strain. Claimed off waivers from the Mets, he only pitched in nine games, posting a 11.70 ERA. Navarreto could be someone that the Marlins aim to bring back on a minor league deal to provide some catching depth. All of the outrighted players can now elect minor league agency. By November 18, the Marlins have to decide which Rule 5 draft-eligible prospects to protect with 40-man selections. Assuming that catcher Joe Mack isn't the only protected prospect, there will need to be additional roster moves between now and the deadline to create room. View full article

While we still await the first player transactions of this Miami Marlins offseason, changes are already being made to the coaching staff. The Chicago White Sox have hired Marlins assistant hitting coach Derek Shomon to be their lead hitting coach. In Shomon's place, Miami will have two assistant hitting coaches in 2026: Chris Hess and Corbin Day. Hess, 30, is a former infielder who was drafted in the 17th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees. He made it to High-A, and after a short stint in independent ball, Hess retired and went back to his alma mater, the University of Rhode Island, to become the team's assistant coach. Hess began his professional coaching career in 2021 with the Boston Red Sox organization. Hess was the Double-A Portland hitting coach for the past two seasons. In 2024, his Sea Dogs led the Eastern League in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. That team featured top prospects Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel, all of whom are now in the big leagues. Portland's roster wasn't as talented in 2025 and the results reflected that, with a 106-point drop-off in OPS (from .753 to .647). As for Day, 28, he played two years of college ball at Mount Mercy before going into coaching. He spent three years as an assistant coach at Kirkwood Community College and notched his first pro ball job as the hitting coach for High-A Cedar Rapids (Minnesota Twins affiliate). In 2024, he was moved up to become the hitting coach at AA-Wichita. His most recent role before joining the Marlins was in advance scouting for the Twins at the big league level. Shomon's departure comes after only one season in Miami. It's unsurprising that he is getting a promotion from the White Sox considering how he helped an inexperienced Marlins roster exceed expectations in 2025. He'll turn 36 in February. It does seem as if Pedro Guerrero will return as Marlins hitting coach, but nothing has been formerly announced by the club. View full article

On Sunday night, Javier Sanoja became the ninth different player in Miami Marlins history to be named a National League Gold Glove winner. What made it unique was he did so as a utility player, becoming the franchise's first Gold Glover with that designation. Miguel Rojas (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Jared Triolo (Pittsburgh Pirates) were the two other finalists for the award. "Chiquito," as the team calls him, posted zero outs above average (OAA) in 2025, but plus-seven defensive runs saved (DRS). His glovework rated best at second base (5 DRS/1 OAA) and third base (4 DRS/1 OAA). He committed only three errors in 118 games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Sanoja was one of 10 major leaguers to appear at seven positions during the 2025 season. He also became the fifth Marlin to play seven or more positions in a season, with right field and catcher being the only spots he didn’t man (yes, he pitched as well, and a lot). The utility Gold Glove was created in 2022 so that players exactly like him don't fall through the cracks. Prior to Sanoja, catcher Charles Johnson (1995-97), first baseman Derrek Lee (2003), second baseman Luis Castillo (2003-05), third baseman Mike Lowell (2005), pitcher Mark Buehrle (2012), left fielder Christian Yelich (2014), second baseman Dee Strange-Gordon (2015) and left fielder Marcell Ozuna (2017) won Gold Gloves for the Fish. Outfielder Adam Duvall was honored in 2021, but he finished that season with the Atlanta Braves. Sanoja and Johnson are the only Marlins to win their awards as rookies, and Yelich is the only one who was younger than Sanoja at the time of receiving his award. Xavier Edwards (second base) and Kyle Stowers (left field) were also finalists at their respective positions. Those awards went to Chicago Cubs teammates Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ instead. Gold Glove Award winners were also announced on the minor league side, with left-hander Robby Snelling winning the award for best defensive pitcher. Snelling converted all 17 of his defensive chances for a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. With a quick delivery from the stretch and deceptive pickoff move, 15 of 22 runners were caught attempting to steal against him this season (68.2 CS%). cx2fa7.mp4 This marks back-to-back seasons that a Marlins prospect has won a Gold Glove—Joe Mack was the MiLB award winner at catcher in 2024. “I am very honored to be presented with this award,” said Snelling via a Pensacola Blue Wahoos press release. "The focus on filling up the zone throughout the entire season, coupled with the trust of my defense behind me, gave me the utmost confidence walking out onto the mound every week. I’m looking forward to competing in 2026 with my teammates again!” Expected to make his MLB debut at some point next season, Snelling will be a welcome addition to a Marlins pitching that allowed 191 steals last season, by far the highest total in the league. View full article

With three weeks to go until the annual MLB tender deadline, the Miami Marlins have some difficult decisions to make on arbitration-eligible pitchers who suffered season-ending injuries. Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports in her most recent newsletter that left-handed reliever Andrew Nardi and right-handed reliever Jesús Tinoco will likely be non-tendered before the deadline, which would make them both free agents. Nardi, 27, was drafted by the Marlins in 2019 and made his major league debut during the 2022 season. Despite very poor performance as a rookie, Nardi made the 2023 Opening Day roster and he completely flipped the switch. He was one of the league's best high-leverage lefties, posting a 2.67 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 11.46 K/9 and 3.30 BB/9 through 57 ⅓ innings pitched. Nardi was particularly effective with runners on base. He posted a 2.81 FIP in those situations and stranded 35 of 40 (87.5%) of his inherited runners. His breakout season ended on a sour note. Nardi allowed a grand slam to Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series, which essentially eliminated the Marlins from the playoffs. In 2024, Nardi regressed, with a 5.07 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 12.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 through 49 ⅔ innings pitched. The magic touch he had with runners on didn't carry over from the previous season (4.48 FIP) and he allowed 20 inherited runners to score. He made his last appearance on August 21 before suffering a left elbow muscle injury. Nardi was "a bit behind" the other Marlins pitchers when ramping up for 2025 spring training due to lower back inflammation, according to manager Clayton McCullough. Several times throughout the year, he began a throwing progression, but always experienced setbacks. He was placed on the 60-day injured list on March 15 and remains there as of this writing. Although the Marlins do not feel that Nardi belongs on their 40-man roster at the moment, maybe there is a world where they can bring him back on a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. As for Tinoco, the Marlins claimed him off waivers from the Chicago Cubs in July 2024. He posted a 2.03 ERA and 2.08 FIP through 26 ⅔ innings pitched with them that season. In 2025, Tinoco only made 20 appearances, posting a 5.12 ERA and 4.01 FIP. He also missed time with a lower back injury, but the more serious issue was his right forearm. On September 3, he underwent UCL hybrid reconstruction surgery with an estimated recovery time of 13-14 months. With Tinoco doubtful to pitch at all in 2026, he could be a candidate for a two-year minor league deal, similar to what the Texas Rangers did with former Marlin Declan Cronin earlier this month. De Nicola also reports that starting rotation candidates Braxton Garrett (Tommy John surgery) and Max Meyer (hip labral repair surgery) will be tendered contracts. Garrett only made seven starts in 2024, posting a 5.35 ERA, 3.81 FIP, 8.3 K/9 and 1.0 BB/9 through 37 innings pitched. He underwent elbow surgery in December, ending his 2025 campaign before it even began. The left-hander received a $1.53 million salary while rehabbing this year and should be renewed at the same price for 2026. Meyer is an interesting case approaching his first year of arbitration eligibility. He got off to a hot start in 2025 before a hip injury contributed to his struggles. Overall, he posted a 4.73 ERA, 4.47 FIP, 9.5 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 through 64 ⅔ innings pitched. The former top draft pick still hasn't proven that he can physically handle a full-season starter's workload. With so many other internal rotation options moving forward, the Marlins may finally experiment with using Meyer out of the bullpen in order to protect his health and get more consistent results from him. View full article

It's a thought that has crossed my mind and the minds of many Miami Marlins fans, it seems: What if the Marlins tried bringing back Luis Arraez this offseason? Arraez's 2023 season will go down as one of the best offensive seasons in franchise history. As Miami's starting second baseman, he set the franchise single-season record for batting average (.354) and cruised to the National League batting title. He was the biggest contributor to their postseason berth that year. During the following spring training, Arraez expressed a desire to remain with the Marlins long term, but his wish was not granted. Just over a month into the 2024 season, new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix shipped off the fan favorite to the San Diego Padres in exchange for prospects Dillon Head, Jakob Marsee, Nathan Martorella and Woo-Suk Go. It was one of the toughest days in what turned out to be an 100-loss season. In hindsight, Bendix made a smart decision. In 55 major league games, Marsee has produced just as much fWAR (2.2) as Arraez did during his 271 games with the Padres (2.0). Marsee is expected to be the Marlins' everyday center fielder in 2026. Head, a former first-round draft pick, is still one of the organization's top outfield prospects. Indirectly, Arraez's departure opened up more playing time for Otto Lopez, who has since established himself as the club's starting shortstop. Meanwhile, Arraez will enter free agency next week and he's projected to cost far less now than if the Marlins had extended him coming off his career year. Although Arraez won the 2024 NL batting title, there was a 40-point dip from the previous season and even bigger differences in his on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He provided even less offensive value in 2025, slashing .292/.327/.392/.719 with eight home runs, 61 RBI and a 104 wRC+. Defensively, Arraez has made the move over to first base, playing 117 games there this season compared to only 14 at second base. He had three defensive runs saved at his new position with a career-high .999 fielding percentage, but also minus-seven outs above average. With that being said, this version of Arraez still likely makes the Marlins better in the short term. Eric Wagaman, who was the team's primary first baseman this season, slashed .250/.297/.378/.674 with nine home runs, 53 RBI and an 85 wRC+. Troy Johnston emerged late in the season, slashing .277/.331/.420/.750 with four home runs, 13 RBI and a 109 wRC+, but he only played against right-handed pitching. Prospect Deyvison De Los Santos struggled in his first full season with the organization, posting an 85 wRC+ at the Triple-A level and only hitting 12 home runs after a 40-homer year in 2024. It's a question of how Arraez compares to some of the other veteran first basemen available in free agency or potentially via trade. The 28-year-old continues to be the very best in MLB at putting balls in play, only striking out 3.1% of the time in 2025. He finished second to Bobby Witt Jr. with 181 total hits. Part of that is durability—Arraez has averaged 149 games played over the last four seasons and just set a new career-high with 154. Something else to consider: In 2025, the Marlins ranked 27th in home runs, obviously showing the need for a power bat. Signing a spray hitter like Arraez to play first base would put the pressure on young players at other positions to step up in that area. Someone like Griffin Conine could help if he’s able to stay healthy through the course of a full season. Coming up through the minor leagues, the organization also has Kemp Alderman and Joe Mack, who were the top two home run hitters amongst Marlins prospects in 2025 and are likely to debut next season. Defensively, Arraez's flaws could be partially covered up by having good infielders around him. Xavier Edwards is a Gold Glove finalist at second base, while Otto Lopez and Graham Pauley graded out positively at shortstop and third base, respectively. The ability to make contact with everything made Arraez a fan favorite. His antics at the plate and pure love for the game would help the Marlins on the marketing side of things. The Arraez family resides in Florida during the offseason, so geographically, it's a comfortable fit—maybe it is more than a coincidence that he had his greatest success in a Marlins uniform. When it comes to Arraez's price range, would he be willing to take a one-year deal with a salary similar to the $14 million that he earned in 2025? From the Marlins' perspective, they will want the option of flipping him for more prospects at the trade deadline if they are in a position to sell and Arraez is having a strong season. Being younger than most players in the 2025-26 free agent class but having a limited skill set, Arraez is a complicated free agent case. View full article

The 2025 Miami Marlins had one of MLB's least-experienced bullpens. That might not be the case next season as the Marlins "plan to add a high-leverage reliever," per a recent report from Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Ideally, the Marlins could use more left-handed options and relievers who reliably get strikeouts—those were weaknesses for the team this year. However, expect president of baseball operations Peter Bendix to explore all possibilities if the value is fair. As usual, there will be many relievers to choose from when free agency begins next month. You can compare their 2025 stats here. At the very top end of the market, it's fair to assume that the Marlins won't spend enough to acquire All-Star closers like Edwin Díaz and Robert Suárez, but they can still make significant upgrades on more efficient contracts. RHP Devin Williams 2025 team: New York Yankees A source tells Fish On First that Williams is a name the team will target. He is coming off a season where he posted a career-worst 4.79 ERA, but he also had a 2.68 FIP—almost identical to his previous full-length season in 2023. Williams set career-highs in innings pitched and appearances while having a 13.1 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. In four appearances in the playoffs, Williams tossed four innings of shutout baseball. Williams had a rocky month of March/April for the Yankees, where he posted a 9.00 ERA and lost his closer's job. After that stretch, he went on to post a 3.98 ERA and 2.46 FIP. By the end of the season, his whiff% ranked in the 99th percentile among MLB pitchers, which is what we are accustomed to seeing from him. Per multiple reports, the opportunity to return to a closer's role will play a factor in which team Williams decides to go to. The Marlins went with a closer by committee in 2025. Even if Williams does not pitch the ninth inning every time, we can assume he would be deployed in the highest leverage situations possible. RHP Raisel Iglesias 2025 team: Atlanta Braves Iglesias had a "down year" in 2025, posting a 3.21 ERA, 3.17 FIP, 9.76 K/9, 2.14 BB/9 and 29 saves through 67 ⅓ innings pitched. The year before, the Braves reliever posted a 1.95 ERA and notched 34 saves, which was sixth in all of baseball. A lot of the damage against Iglesias (six of his eight home runs allowed) came off of his slider, despite him only throwing it 9.9% of the time. His changeup also didn't perform up to expectations, with a run value that plummeted from plus-nine in 2024 to minus-three this past season. Opposing hitters posted a .277 batting average and .410 slugging percentage off the changeup, but on the bright side, it generated a 41.0% whiff rate. Iglesias used his fastball more than ever, even with a small decrease in velocity (averaged 94.8 mph). It led to a .129 batting average against. Before the All-Star break, Iglesias had a 4.42 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, allowing seven home runs and blowing four saves. Following the break, Iglesias looked like his 2024 self, posting a 1.76 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and allowed just one home run (six earned runs overall). Iglesias relied even more on the fastball during that period. Turning 36 in January, Iglesias would likely be open to signing a one-year deal. From the Marlins' perspective, this would be an opportunity to energize the local Cuban baseball community like they did when signing Jorge Soler in 2022 and Yuli Gurriel in 2023. RHP Kyle Finnegan 2025 teams: Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers The longtime Nationals closer was not particularly impressive during the first half of the season. He flipped the script after arriving in Detroit, posting a 1.50 ERA, 1.97 FIP, 11.50 K/9 and 2.00 BB/9 in 16 appearances. He also made six appearances during the postseason. Thanks to his nasty splitter, Finnegan has had reverse splits for much of his career, performing better against lefties than righties. That was the case again in 2025—his 37.3 whiff% with the splitter was his best since the shortened 2020 season. Finnegan's history in the National League East means he is familiar with loanDepot park. In 12 career games in Miami, he has never allowed a run. RHP Kenley Jansen 2025 team: Los Angeles Angels The active MLB saves leader, Kenley Jansen has won a World Series, been named an All-Star four times and won the Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award twice. After spending his prime years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jansen has bounced around the league on short-term deals recently. With the Angels in 2025, Jansen posted a 2.59 ERA, 3.98 FIP, 8.69 K/9, 2.90 BB/9 and 29 saves through 59 innings pitched (62 appearances). Jansen's cutter makes him predictable because he throws it 82% of the time, yet it continues to be an elite pitch, generating a plus-13 run value. Hitters posted a .163 batting average against it. The huge difference between his ERA and FIP suggests that Jansen was somewhat lucky in 2025. His strikeout rate was barely above the MLB average and he stranded 85.2% of runners on base, which would be difficult to repeat. That being said, Jansen was at his best over the final three months of the season (1.19 ERA) and didn't allow a single hit over his last 10 outings. For what it's worth, there is a familiarity between Jansen and current manager Clayton McCullough, who was previously with the Dodgers. The veteran presence of somebody who has pitched in the postseason in 10 separate years and performed well on the biggest stage could be especially valuable in Miami. LHP Danny Coulombe 2025 teams: Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers Coulombe had a dominant start of the season with the Minnesota Twins, posting a 1.16 ERA. After being traded to the Rangers, he blew up, posting a 5.25 ERA in 15 appearances. Combining his numbers with both teams, the lefty finished the season with a 2.30 ERA, 3.30 FIP, 9.00 K/9 and 3.77 BB/9 through 43 innings pitched. He missed some time with forearm and shoulder injuries. Coulombe's velo is much lower than the other pitchers in this article as his four-seamer averaged 90.3 mph. His best pitch in 2025 was the cutter, with a plus-six run value. It had a whiff rate of 36.2% and generated soft contact for him (84.8 mph average exit velo). He threw that pitch 40.3% of the time. It's as clear as day that the Marlins are in major need of a left-handed reliever. Andrew Nardi is coming off of a serious back injury, and although Cade Gibson was a nice surprise in 2025, he has less than a full year of MLB experience. Signing Coulombe in addition to one of the right-handers covered above could dramatically improve the Marlins bullpen. View full article

MIAMI, FL—If I told you that Heriberto Hernández would end up being the best right-handed hitter on the 2025 Miami Marlins, you would've assumed that the team suffered through another 100-loss season. Instead, the minor league free agent signing emerged as a key piece of the Marlins outfield throughout the last four months, helping them to a 79-83 record. Originally signed by the Texas Rangers a few days before his 18th birthday, Hernández put up great numbers in Minor League Baseball. He finally ran into issues at the Triple-A level in 2024 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Even with a strong finish to the season—.264/.369/.583/.952 slash line over his final 20 games—the Rays let him leave as a free agent. Hernández had a positive outlook when he reached a deal with the rebuilding Marlins in November. "When I signed here, I knew there was a big opportunity here for me to make my dreams come true and potentially become an everyday big leaguer," the Dominican outfielder said in Spanish. "The biggest thing for me was the hard work that I put in during the offseason," Hernández added. "I didn't play winter ball to focus and make sure that my body was 100% to make sure that I could play an entire season wherever I was." A non-roster invitee at Marlins spring training, Hernández was sent down to AAA at the end of camp where he split time between left field and designated hitter for Jacksonville. He had mixed results with the Jumbo Shrimp, slashing .220/.319/.454/.773 with nine home runs, 21 RBI and a 107 wRC+, while striking out in 35.0% of his plate appearances. With several hitters on their active roster underperforming, the Marlins called up Hernández on May 30. "I'm just so grateful for the opportunity that the Marlins gave me," Hernández said. "I think this was an amazing season, because when I got here, I found really good chemistry and everyone received me well." He stayed in the majors from the point forward. For the first week, Hernández was only in the starting lineup against left-handed pitchers. As he continued to produce, his role expanded. Overall, Hernández slashed .266/.347/.438/.784 with 10 home runs, 45 RBI and a 118 wRC+. He played in 87 of the final 108 Marlins games. Amongst National League rookies, Hernández finished 10th in batting average, fifth in home runs, sixth in RBI, sixth in on-base percentage, eighth in slugging percentage and ninth in OPS. Hernández cut down his strikeout rate from 35.0% in Jacksonville to 26.2% with the major league team. He still whiffs at a high rate, but only chased 21.5% of pitches outside the zone, per Baseball Savant. That chase rate ranked in the 90th percentile of MLB hitters this season. Also, Hernández was equally successful when facing pitchers of either handedness. As the Marlins offseason gets underway, Hernández is set up well to make the 2026 Opening Day roster. Something to keep in mind—although he never saw any game reps at first base, the 25-year-old did some pregame work at the position this season. If the Marlins don't sign any veteran first basemen in free agency, they could give Hernández a shot to prove his defensive versatility. View full article

MIAMI, FL—On Wednesday, Miami Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix met with the local media to discuss the end of the 2025 season. After finishing with a 79-83 record—a 17-win improvement from the previous year—Bendix said that he expects to have a "really competitive team" in 2026. "The goal remains to be as good as we possibly can be for as long as we possibly can, to build a team that's competing for the National League East division and competing for the playoffs every single year,” he added. Fans already buying into the vision The Marlins opened the press conference by noting that they ranked among the top five MLB teams in percentage attendance growth from 2024 to 2025. There were five sellouts at loanDepot park—the highest single-season total in the stadium’s history. Fish On First has been told that any game with at least 34,500 paid tickets qualifies as a sellout. Also, television viewership on FanDuel Sports Network Florida increased by 92% compared to the previous season. Possible coaching staff changes Clayton McCullough's first season as Marlins manager was a mixed bag, with some instances where his in-game decisions led to tough losses. However, Bendix left no doubt that McCullough will continue in that role for a second season. "Really happy with with our entire coaching staff, starting with Clayton," Bendix said. "I think Clayton came in here, established a positive winning culture from day one. He is a phenomenal leader and support person to help players get better. He grew a lot throughout the season. Being a manager is an incredibly difficult job. Being a first-year manager is beyond difficult. I think he handled himself exceptionally well. Worked together with myself, with the front office, with players, with all different departments, really, really well. I think that the growth he showed was really impressive. I'm excited for year two with him." When asked about the status of the other coaches on McCullough's staff, Bendix said "we're still gonna have some conversations about that, and we'll have more information." In recent days, the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers have announced managerial changes, creating new opportunities around the majors for current Marlins coaches to potentially consider. Agustín Ramírez catching experiment not over yet As the primary catcher for the Marlins this season, Ramírez had a league-leading 19 passed balls, 10 errors and 83 stolen bases allowed (compared to only eight caught stealings). Despite that, Bendix said the 24-year-old still has "the ability to be a major league catcher and also needs to improve a lot to be able to consistently achieve that level." Through 136 games played, Ramírez slashed .231/.287/.413/.701 with 21 home runs, 67 RBI and a 91 wRC+. As a designated hitter, he posted a .780 OPS, and as a catcher, it was a .627 OPS. This wouldn't be the first example of a player's defensive position affecting their offensive performance—Xavier Edwards turned around his season after making the switch from shortstop to second base. On the new Fish Unfiltered episode, FOF founder Ely Sussman speculated that Ramírez would continue to catch early in the 2026 season until the Marlins secure an additional year of club control over top catching prospect Joe Mack. Once Mack is called up, Ramírez may get moved off the position assuming that he's still struggling at that point. nmvi0h.mp4 Another winter of Sandy Alcantara trade speculation Although the Marlins starter finished with a career-worst 5.36 ERA through 174 ⅔ innings pitched, he trended in a positive direction after the All-Star break. Alcantara posted a 3.33 ERA over his last 13 starts, completing seven innings in seven of those outings. He reportedly drew interest from several teams leading up to the trade deadline, but none of them were willing to offer what the Marlins considered to be a fair deal. It's fair to assume that the 30-year-old former Cy Young Award winner increased his market value during the second half of the season. Bendix was non-committal about the future of the longest-tenured Marlin. "I'm not going to speculate on any individual player or go player by player," Bendix said. "It's important to to always be looking for ways to improve our club, and that's really what I've done since I've gotten here. I'm going to try to stay as disciplined as possible to doing that—making our 2026 really competitive and to building for a sustainably successful future." Alcantara is entering the final guaranteed year of his contract, but there is also a $21 million club option for 2027. Alignment with ownership Bendix explained that he and principal owner Bruce Sherman are "trying to build something that I don't think the Marlins organization has ever had, which is being competitive every single year for a long period of time." He declined to get into the specific kind of transactions that would allow the franchise to make the leap from a sub-.500 record to a postseason berth. "That's what we're going to talk about this offseason, but it's still about improving this club for the short term and the long term." In FanDuel Sports Network's Craig Mish final pregame segment of the season, he said that "it's fair to say that the Marlins will be active in free agency—probably in a way that we haven't seen over the last couple of years." Mish highlighted relievers Ryan Helsley, Devin Williams, Kyle Finnegan and Raisel Iglesias as potential targets because of their ninth-inning experience. Bendix's biggest free agent investment since being hired by Sherman two years ago was a $5 million deal to get shortstop Tim Anderson. The Marlins released Anderson midway through the 2024 season. Regarding the possibility of contract extensions, Bendix reused one of his favorite lines: "we're always going to have those conversations." He acknowledged that the Marlins "have a bunch of really good young players" who could be extension candidates. Bendix's next media availability is expected to be during the annual Winter Meetings in December. For a third straight year, Fish On First will have boots on the ground for that. View full article

Three days after the end of the 2025 Marlins season, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix discussed the progress that the organization has made and what next steps are needed to reach the postseason. View full video

The Miami Marlins enter the 2025-26 offseason feeling confident about their depth at most positions and the impactful prospects who are close to arriving at the major league level. However, there is one obvious roster hole that cannot be ignored. Assuming the Marlins have more financial flexibility and motivation to spend on upgrades than they did in years past, the biggest item on Peter Bendix's shopping list should be first base. In 2025, Marlins first basemen ranked 24th in Major League Baseball in fWAR (-0.5) and 28th in wRC+ (83). The majority of that production came from rookie Eric Wagaman. To his credit, Wagaman had a strong finish to the season when he began platooning with fellow rookie Troy Johnston. When he wasn't catching, Liam Hicks also got occasional reps there. Each of those players could contribute in the future, but they lack the power that is normally expected to come from that position. In the minor leagues, Deyvison De Los Santos and Nathan Martorella have not developed as hoped since being acquired in trades during the 2024 season. De Los Santos in particular is likely to make his MLB debut in 2026, but the Marlins cannot rely on the 22-year-old to be successful right away considering the disappointing season he just had at the Triple-A level. It makes a lot of sense for the Marlins to pursue short-term help in free agency. 1. Pete Alonso 2025 team: New York Mets The cream of the crop within the first base market is Pete Alonso, who announced about ten minutes after Sunday's game that he would be opting out of his contract and entering free agency for a second straight offseason. The all-time Mets home run leader is coming off a season where he slashed .272/.347/.524/.871 with 38 homers, 126 RBI and a 141 wRC+. He was especially awesome when facing the Marlins (.389/.441/.815/1.255, 5 HR and 19 RBI in 13 G). Alonso was born in Tampa and played college ball at the University of Florida. He seems to love loanDepot park—since becoming a big leaguer, he has hit more home runs at the venue (15) than any other visiting player. Alonso would easily be the best power hitter that the Marlins have had since Giancarlo Stanton. He would also be easily the team's most expensive player ever in terms of annual salary considering that he is declining a $24 million player option to test the market. 2. Josh Naylor 2025 teams: Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners Reuniting with their former first-round draft pick would be another dream scenario for the Marlins. Josh Naylor is coming off a career year, slashing .295/.353/.462/.816 with 20 home runs, 92 RBI and a 128 wRC+. He has been a consistently good contact hitter and 2025 was no exception as he cut down his strikeout rate to 13.7%. On a more surprising front, Naylor stole more bases (30) than anybody on the Marlins did. The majority of those steals came after he moved to Seattle in a deadline deal. With Naylor only being 28 years old, he will be aiming for a long-term deal that almost certainly is out of the Marlins' price range. 3. Ryan O'Hearn 2025 teams: Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres Outside of Alonso and Naylor, the next-best options at first base profile as platoon players rather than true everyday solutions. A first-time All-Star in 2025, Ryan O'Hearn slashed .281/.366/.437/.803 with 17 home runs, 63 RBI and a 127 wRC+. He got 80% of his plate appearances against right-handed pitching, though he performed just as well in his limited opportunities against lefties. O'Hearn was valuable on the defensive side, posting six outs above average and four defensive runs saved. Although he has plenty of experience in right field, the Marlins have a lot of depth there and would be viewing the 32-year-old only as a first baseman moving forward. This is O'Hearn's third straight year of playoff experience, which never hurts. 4. Paul Goldschmidt 2025 team: New York Yankees Paul Goldschmidt would be the epitome of a veteran presence in the clubhouse. A borderline Hall of Fame candidate once he retires, the 2026 season would be his 16th in the league. Goldschmidt was the NL MVP in 2022, but he has clearly declined since then. He finished the 2025 regular season slashing .274/.328/.403/.731 with 10 home runs, 45 RBI and a 103 wRC+, with almost all of his production coming off of lefties (169 wRC+). After signing for $12.5 million as a free agent last offseason, it's safe to assume his price would dip even more this time around. 5. Josh Bell 2025 team: Washington Nationals Josh Bell was well respected by those who were around him when he spent a year with the Marlins organization. In Washington, the journeyman switch-hitter quietly hit at a very high level from the middle of June through season's end to recover from a slow start to 2025. Overall, he slashed .239/.326/.421/.747 with 22 home runs, 63 RBI and a 109 wRC+. Bell has an impressive history of durability, reaching 140 games played in every full-length season he's been a part of. His salary was only $6 million with the Nats, so affording him won't be an issue. View full article

MIAMI, FL—Infielder Graham Pauley was amongst the many bright spots for the Miami Marlins this season. Multiple injuries to Connor Norby forced the Marlins to rely on Pauley more than they expected, but he took advantage of the playing time and will be fighting for the starting third base job in 2026. "I feel like it's been a long season, but at the same time it's been quick," Pauley told Fish On First prior to Sunday's game. "I've had ups and downs. Early in the year, I struggled. Went back to Jacksonville, started to find my stride, came back and felt like I was playing well, and then got hurt, was out and then just now coming back to finish the season. I think it's just been ups and downs. Overall, I'm happy with how I overcame things and continue to progress throughout the year. I think I've made big strides this year, both like physically and mentally." Pauley looked like a longshot to make the Marlins Opening Day roster until the second-to-last spring training game when Norby suffered a left oblique strain, requiring a stint on the injured list. Instead of going down to Triple-A Jacksonville, Pauley began 2025 as the big league team's third baseman, starting 14 of Miami's first 17 games. When Norby returned in mid-April, Pauley switched to a bench role. In his first 28 games, Pauley slashed .210/.261/.284/.545 with five RBI. The Marlins demoted him to Jacksonville on May 29. He turned things around almost immediately—his slash line in 34 games with the Jumbo Shrimp was .260/.340/.496/.836 with seven home runs and 18 RBI. The Marlins called him back up on July 13 when Norby hurt his left wrist. "A lot of it was mental," said Pauley. "I think getting that confidence back, understanding that it's the same game when I come back up here and that I can perform at this level. Made some swing changes, continued to work on defense and going into next year, I just want to continue to progress and get better." Pauley's problem at the plate early on was that he was "getting too long and trying to do too much. Was trying to generate power when I don't really need to try. I'm powerful enough when I just keep my swing simple and short." He boosted his slugging percentage to .450 over his final 34 games despite slowing down his bat speed. His hard-hit rate dropped, but the quality of his at-bats improved overall. In that second Marlins stint, Pauley's defensive impact was more noticeable as well. He demonstrated the ability to get rid of the ball quickly and make accurate, off-balance throws. In his 52 games played at third base, he posted six outs above average—best by a Marlins third baseman over the last 10 seasons—and three defensive runs saved. "Going into this year, if you had told me that, I wouldn't have believed it," said Pauley. "I really didn't ever see myself as an elite defender. The work that I put in dating back to last year, towards the end of the year coming over here, and then spring training going into the season, I put in a lot of work to try to get better over there. I think it showed throughout the year. Excited to keep working on that and continue to get better." Pauley plans to go back to go back home, take some time off and begin hitting again towards the end of October. View full article

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough speaks with the media at loanDepot park following Sunday's season-ending victory, which had huge playoff ramifications for the New York Mets. McCullough's club finished with a 79-83 record. View full video