Kevin Barral

Highlights of five key prospects who signed with the Marlins on Thursday: SS Santiago Solarte (Venezuela), SS Ronny Muñoz (Dominican Republic), C Francisco Del Campo (Mexico), RHP Eliezer Peralta (Dominican Republic) and SS Maikel Acosta (Dominican Republic). View full video

Not even a week after trading Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs, the Miami Marlins have dealt left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers to the New York Yankees. The return is centered around outfield prospect Dillon Lewis and includes fellow position players Brendan Jones, Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus.The trade was officially announced on Tuesday evening. The Marlins acquired Weathers on the day of the 2023 MLB trade deadline, sending first baseman Garrett Cooper and reliever Sean Reynolds to the San Diego Padres. He pitched only 13 innings at the major league level with his new club that year, but impressed in their regular season finale was included on the National League Wild Card Series roster. Weathers made the 2024 Opening Day roster, but was bit by the injury bug, as he suffered a left index finger strain. This would be the first of three IL stints in Weathers' tenure on the Marlins. In 2024, he was threw 86 ⅔ innings, which was the most in a season with the Marlins, and posted a 3.63 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 8.31 K/9 and 2.49 BB/9 (career-low). In 2025, Weathers showed increased fastball velo during spring training, topping out at 99 mph multiple times. Unfortunately, he began the season sidelined, being placed on the injured list with a left flexor muscle strain. He wouldn't return until May 14. His final IL stint came following a start against the Tampa Bay Rays on June 7. He suffered a left lat strain, keeping him out until September, where he made three starts to wrap up the season. Weathers finished 2025 with eight starts, going 38 ⅓ innings pitched and posting a 3.99 ERA, 4.60 FIP, 8.69 K/9 and 2.82 BB/9. His fastball averaged 96.9 mph, which is the highest of his career up to this point. fk5yhk.mp4 Recently, Weathers and the Marlins settled on a $1.35M salary for 2026 to avoid arbitration. Especially early in the season, the Yankees will be relying heavily on the 26-year-old as veteran arms Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón are expected to start off on the IL. Weathers is under club control through 2028 for a total of three full seasons. Lewis comes in ranked as the Yankees eight-ranked prospect per Baseball America and 16th per MLB Pipeline. He spent the 2025 season between Low-A and High-A. He slashed .237/.321/.445/.766 with 22 home runs, 79 RBI, 26 stolen bases and a 121 wRC+ between both levels. He was one of just 12 players in the minor leagues to hit 20 doubles and 20 home runs while stealing 20 bases. Offensively, Lewis profiles more as a power-first bat with plenty of speed. "His impact potential showed up in a 90th percentile exit velocity of 107.7 mph that placed him in the same range as top prospects like Bryce Eldridge and Konnor Griffin," his Baseball America scouting report says. BA also describes Lewis as the Yankees' best defensive outfielder. In 2025, Lewis played primarily center field, spending 59 games at the position. He also played both corner outfield spots pretty evenly. Jones, 23, spent the 2025 season between High-A and Double-A where he slashed .245/.359/.395/.754 with 11 home runs, 69 RBI, 51 stolen bases and a 126 wRC+. The Marlins have been prioritizing speed throughout this entire offseason and the acquisition of Jones continues that trend. Defensively, it is likely that Jones will wind up in a corner outfield spot due to his arm strength, which Baseball America gave a 40-grade. Expect Jones to most likely begin the 2026 season in Triple-A Jacksonville. Jasso, a-23 year-old corner infield prospect, spent the 2025 season in AA where he slashed .257/.326/.400/.725 with 13 home runs, 76 RBI and a 115 wRC+. Ranked as Baseball America's No. 26 Yankees prospect, Jasso profiles more as a power-first type of bat, as his average and 90th percentile exit velocities are 90.8 mph and 103.7 mph. Jasso spent most of the 2025 season at third base, playing and starting 83 games at the position. For his career, he has split time between first and third. The expectation is that Jasso would begin the 2026 season in Triple-A Jacksonville. The final prospect included in the trade was Juan Matheus, who is a 21-year old infield prospect. He spent the 2025 season between Low-A and High-A, slashing .275/.365/.376/.742 with three home runs, 56 RBI, 40 stolen bases and a 115 wRC+. He primarily played third base, with a little bit of shortstop mixed in. Matheus will likely begin the 2026 season in High-A Beloit. Looking at the Marlins 2026 projected rotation, the one-two punch of Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez remains intact, but the rest is pretty murky. You have Max Meyer, Janson Junk, Adam Mazur and Ryan Gusto as candidates who made starts for the 2025 Marlins (Junk was the most effective of that group). Braxton Garrett is a total wild card, but his left-handedness and track record of filling up the strike zone may help his case. Then there are top prospects Robby Snelling and Thomas White. Snelling, who is knocking on the door, should have a much better chance at making the Opening Day roster following the trade. Fish On First's number three prospect in the organization threw in 136 innings between AA and AAA, posting a 2.51 ERA, 2.77 FIP, 10.99 K/9 and 2.58 BB/9. Once Snelling made it to AAA, he posted a 1.27 ERA and a 11.45 K/9. A very strong spring training may very well land him in the Opening Day rotation as the fourth or fifth starter. White, who MLB Pipeline rated as the best left-handed pitching prospect in all of baseball, posted a 2.31 ERA, 2.27 FIP, 14.55 K/9 and 5.12 BB/9 in 89 ⅔ innings pitched. White only made two starts in AAA. He still will need some time to develop, specifically to lower the high amount of walks. Following Weathers' departure, there is now an open spot on the Marlins 40-man roster. View full article

Since the inception of the World Baseball Classic in 2006, there have been a plethora of Miami Marlins players who have participated, including a few you may not have known about. As the sixth edition of the WBC inches closer and closer, Fish On First has created this all-time list of players who were part of the Marlins organization when the tournament took place. This list will be updated again following the 2026 tournament, which is being hosted at Miami's own loanDepot park. Marlins Players in the World Baseball Classic Year Name Country 2006 Alfredo Amézaga Mexico 2006 Miguel Cabrera Venezuela 2006 Dontrelle Willis United States 2009 Alfredo Amézaga Mexico 2009 Jorge Cantú Mexico 2009 Dave Davidson Canada 2009 Andy González Puerto Rico 2009 Chris Leroux Canada 2009 Hanley Ramírez Dominican Republic 2009 Rick van den Hurk Netherlands 2013 Henderson Álvarez Venezuela 2013 Steve Cishek United States 2013 Giancarlo Stanton United States 2017 Tayron Guerrero Colombia 2017 Martín Prado Venezuela 2017 Giancarlo Stanton 🏆 United States 2017 Edinson Vólquez Dominican Republic 2017 Christian Yelich 🏆 United States 2023 Sandy Alcantara Dominican Republic 2023 Luis Arraez Venezuela 2023 Johnny Cueto Dominican Republic 2023 Enmanuel De Jesus Venezuela 2023 Jesús Luzardo Venezuela 2023 Anthony Maldonado Puerto Rico 2023 Jean Segura Dominican Republic 2026 Sandy Alcantara Dominican Republic 2026 Owen Caissie Canada 2026 Yiddi Cappe Cuba 2026 Liam Hicks Canada 2026 Ian Lewis Great Britain 2026 Otto Lopez Canada 2026 Jakob Marsee Italy 2026 Agustín Ramírez Dominican Republic 2026 Javier Sanoja 🏆 Venezuela 2026 Jared Serna Mexico 2006 Miguel Cabrera (Venezuela)—Cabrera participated in all versions of the World Baseball Classic through the end of his Hall of Fame-caliber playing career, but only the 2006 one as a member of the Florida Marlins. In six games, he slashed .211/.400/.579/.979 with two home runs and five RBI. The 2006 season would be arguably his best as a Marlin, posting a .998 OPS in 158 games played. Dontrelle Willis (United States)—D-Train struggled in both of his outings, posting a 12.71 ERA while taking losses against Canada and Korea. Alfredo Amézaga (Mexico)—Also part of the inaugural World Baseball Classic, Amézaga slashed .250/.400/.250/.650 with one hit, two stolen bases and one hit by pitch. 2009 Hanley Ramírez (Dominican Republic)—Ramírez is one of the most electric players Marlins fans have ever seen. Representing the Dominican Republic, in three games, he went 2-for-9 with one RBI and two walks. Jorge Cantú and Alfredo Amézaga (Mexico)—After participating as a member of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2006, Jorge Cantú was a member of the Florida Marlins in 2009. In six games, he slashed .360/.407/.800/1.207 with two home runs, six RBI and overall, went 9-for-25 in that stretch. Amézaga appeared in just one game, where he went 2-for-5 with one home run and two runs scored. Rick van den Hurk (Netherlands)—van den Hurk spent almost a decade in the Marlins organization. Towards the end of his tenure, in 2009, he represented the Netherlands, where in two starts, he went 5 ⅓ innings pitched, allowing one earned run off of seven hits (one home run), five walks and struck out four. Dave Davidson and Chris Leroux (Canada)—In his lone appearance for Canada in 2009, Davidson went one inning, allowing one hit, one walk and struck out one. He went on to make one appearance for the Marlins during the regular season. As for Leroux, he was in the '06, '09 and '13 tournaments, making a total of four appearances. He was only a member of the Marlins in 2009 where in two appearances, he went 1 ⅓ innings, allowing one hit, one walk and struck out one. During the MLB regular season, he made five appearances posting a 10.80 ERA. Andy González (Puerto Rico)—In four games, González went 1-for-4 with a run scored. With the Marlins in 2009, he only played in 14 games posting a .333 OPS. González returned to the WBC in 2013, but he was under contract with the Chicago White Sox by then. 2013 Giancarlo Stanton and Steve Cishek (United States)—This would be Stanton's first of two World Baseball Classic's as a member of the Miami Marlins. In the 2013 installment, he played in five games slashing .235/.381/.235/.616 with one RBI and four walks. This would mark the one time Cishek participated in the WBC, but he made four appearances (2.1 IP) for the United States, posting a 3.86 ERA, allowing one run on no hits, walking two and striking out two. He was an excellent closer for the 2013 Marlins, throwing 69 ⅔ innings pitched, which still stands as a career-high. He led Major League Baseball with 62 games finished. Henderson Álvarez (Venezuela)—Álvarez only made one appearance, but in three innings of work, he allowed three runs off of five hits, walking one, hitting one and not generating a strikeout. Later that year, Álvarez went on to finish the 2013 season with a 3.59 ERA, 3.18 FIP, 5.0 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 102 ⅔ innings pitched. His season was cut short due to injury, only making 17 starts. 2017 Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich (United States)—In his second go-around in the WBC, Stanton slashed .227/.320/.455/.775 with one home run and four RBI. Stanton's home run came against the Dominican Republic. In his lone WBC appearance, Yelich played in eight games, slashing .310/.375/.448/.823 with three RBI. Yelich went on to have a great 2017 season with 18 home runs and a 120 OPS+. The United States won the tournament for the first time, defeating Puerto Rico, 8-0. During the ensuing offseason, the Marlins traded Stanton and Yelich to the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers, respectively. Martín Prado (Venezuela)—Prado played in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, but not as a member of the Marlins. In 2017, he played in five games, slashing .368/.429/.526/.955 with five RBI. Edinson Vólquez (Dominican Republic)—Vólquez had just signed with the Marlins that offseason leading up to the WBC, but he was a vet on that DR squad, having participated in 2009 and 2013 tournaments. In 2017, Vólquez started two games, going eight innings, allowing three runs (one earned) off of 10 hits. He also struck out eight. On June 3 of that year, Vólquez became the sixth Marlins pitcher in franchise history to throw a no-hitter, which came against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Tayron Guerrero (Colombia)—Guerrero was acquired by the Marlins at the 2016 MLB trade deadline in the infamous Andrew Cashner trade with the San Diego Padres. In his lone appearance of the WBC, Guerrero went one inning, allowing one hit and struck out two. 2023 Sandy Alcantara, Johnny Cueto and Jean Segura (Dominican Republic)—The National League's reigning Cy Young Award winner, Alcantara made the first start of the WBC for the Dominican Republic, where he allowed three runs off of five hits in 3 ⅔ innings pitched. He struck out two against Venezuela. Cueto, who had just signed with the Marlins in that offseason, made one start, going 4 ⅔ shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out five against Puerto Rico. Just like Cueto, Segura was a new Marlins free agent signing and was set to play third base for the team. In two games, he went 4-for-11 with three RBI. Segura flopped during the regular season, though. The Marlins dumped him at the 2023 trade deadline and he announced his retirement in 2025. Luis Arraez, Jesús Luzardo and Enmanuel De Jesus (Venezuela)—Arraez was just traded to the Marlins in exchange for Venezuelan teammate Pablo Lopez that offseason. In five games in his new ballpark, he gave Marlins fans a lot of hope, going 4-for-17 with two home runs, four RBI and scored four runs. Both of his home runs came against the United States. This went on to be Luzardo's best season as a member of the Marlins, but before that, he made one start for Venezuela, where he went four shutout innings, allowing four hits and struck out five. De Jesus had signed a minor league deal. He made one WBC appearance, which came against Israel, where in 3 ⅔ innings of work, he allowed one run on four hits, walked one and struck out five. MzU4N1ZfV0ZRVkV3dEdEUT09X0ExUUNVQVVEWGxRQUNGcFhYZ0FBVWdRREFGZ0hBbGNBQUZkUVUxVU1DQUpVQWdzQw==.mp4 Anthony Maldonado (Puerto Rico)—Maldonado—at the time a prospect in the Marlins system—made just one appearance where he struck out two against Nicaragua. 2026 Javier Sanoja (Venezuela)—The ultra-versatile Sanoja made two starts in center field during pool play, but then didn't set foot on the diamond again until the ninth inning of the WBC final. Pinch-running for Arraez in a 2-2 game, he stole second base and scored the go-ahead run on Eugenio Suárez's double. Thanks to his legs, Venezuela won its first-ever WBC championship. On a related note, Miguel Cabrera served as Venezuela's hitting coach. Sandy Alcantara and Agustín Ramirez (Dominican Republic)—Alcantara's lone start was unremarkable (3.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), but came in a winning effort. Ramírez was behind the plate twice. As a hitter, he went 1-for-6 with a walk. Owen Caissie, Liam Hicks and Otto Lopez (Canada)—Caissie shined the brightest among this Marlins trio. He slashed .412/.476/.765 in five games, with good corner outfield defense, too. Yiddi Cappe (Cuba)—Cappe defected from Cuba as a teenager. At age 23, he received the opportunity to represent his homeland in international competition again. The second baseman slashed .250/.308/.583 in pool play. Ian Lewis (Great Britain)—The switch-hitting Bahamian slashed .214/.214/.429 in pool play with a home run in Great Britain's lone victory. Jakob Marsee (Italy)—In six WBC games, Marsee posted a .174/.345/.217 slash line. His five walks were tied for the second-highest total on the team. Reaching the semifinals made this easily Italy's most successful run in tournament history. Jared Serna (Mexico)—A standout performer in the Mexican Winter League, Serna cracked his country's WBC roster in a utility role. He appeared in three of Mexico's four games, every time as a late-inning substitute. He was hit by pitches in both of his plate appearances. View full article

Less than a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, the Miami Marlins pitching staff isn't any stronger than it was when the 2025 season ended. Yes, they made a big investment in closer Pete Fairbanks, but they also found out that Ronny Henriquez would miss all of 2026 due to injury. Then they traded Edward Cabrera for a package that included only position players. Improvement is still very possible as a wave of talented pitching prospects headlined by Thomas White and Robby Snelling gets ready to graduate to the big leagues. However, it's risky to rely too much on rookies. Using Cabrera himself as an example, the former Top 100 MLB prospect was ineffective in his debut season—he didn't really put it all together until his fifth season with the Marlins. A source told Fish On First that although the Marlins would be content with their starting pitching depth, signing a veteran innings eater to a short-term deal has not been ruled out. Also, there has yet to be anything done to address the club's left-handed reliever shortage. With that in mind, the following free agents could be important, cost-effective pick-ups. RHP Zack Littell Littell, 30, was acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays as a waiver claim in 2023 when Peter Bendix was their general manager. Littell's previous teams had been using him out of the bullpen, but the Rays converted him to a starter. The experiment paid off as the right-hander made 65 starts in parts of three seasons in Tampa Bay, posting a 3.68 ERA in a total of 376 ⅔ innings pitched. Last season, Littell split his time between the Rays and the Cincinnati Reds. He handled by far the heaviest workload of his career (186.2 IP), posting a 3.81 ERA, 4.88 FIP, 6.27 K/9 and 1.54 BB/9. His walk rate ranked in the 98th percentile of MLB pitchers, per Baseball Savant. Littell's four-seam fastball has below-average velocity (92.1 mph). He also throws a slider, split-finger, sinker and sweeper. He pitches to contact, but ranked only in the 43rd percentile in ground ball rate. It is a weird but successful profile—he's been worth 5.0 fWAR since the Rays helped turn his career around. Littell allowed 36 home runs in his 32 starts last season. His ERA would probably rise in 2026 if that happens again, but the Marlins can offer him a more pitcher-friendly environment compared to his previous homes (Steinbrenner Field and Great American Ball Park). In Miami, Littell would be the fourth or fifth starter in the rotation. Our own Louis Addeo-Weiss explained why Lucas Giolito is another potential option to fill that role. LHP Martin Pérez In 2025, Pérez pitched with the Chicago White Sox, making 10 starts (11 appearances), posting a 3.54 ERA, 4.24 FIP, 7.07 K/9, 3.54 BB/9 through 56 innings pitched. It was unusual for the southpaw to spend that much time on the injured list—he threw more innings in each of the 10 previous seasons. Pérez's sinker continues to be his best pitch, with a run value of plus-seven. He throws his changeup to both lefties and righties and still misses bats with it at age 34. Having finished the season on the IL with a shoulder strain, perhaps Pérez would be available to the Marlins on a minor league deal. He would be the oldest player in camp. LHP Jalen Beeks On the reliever side of things, Jalen Beeks also crossed paths with Bendix while both were with the Rays. About two-thirds of Beeks' career innings have come with that organization. In 2025 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Beeks had a 3.77 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 7.38 K/9 and 3.14 BB/9 in 61 appearances. He had a 46.3% ground ball rate this past season, the second-highest of his career. His changeup is his best pitch, generating a 35.2 whiff% and a dominant .110 wOBA against it. His arsenal also includes a four-seam fastball and cutter. A one-year deal in the $5 million range should be enough to bring in Beeks as much-needed lefty bullpen help. View full article

This week's Edward Cabrera trade was simple from the Chicago Cubs' perspective. Coming off a wild-card berth in 2025, they believe he can make their starting rotation even stronger. Cabrera is coming off a career year and under club control through 2028. The right-hander's long list of past injury issues cannot be ignored, but by accepting that risk, the Cubs were able to get him without depleting their farm system. In exchange, the Miami Marlins received outfielder Owen Caissie and infielders Cristian Hernández and Edgardo De Leon. Here's what Marlins fans should know about each of them. Owen Caissie Caissie, 23, is the main piece of the return. This is a player who the Marlins have had their eye on for a while now, dating back to last offseason when they were in discussions with the Cubs about a potential Jesús Luzardo trade. These teams held Cabrera talks leading up to the July 2025 trade deadline and Caissie was made available back then, sources tell Fish On First. In Triple-A this past season, Caissie slashed .286/.386/.551/.937 with 22 home runs, 55 RBI and a 139 wRC+. The Cubs called him up towards the end of the season, and in 12 games, he slashed .192/.222/.346/.568 with one home run, four RBI and a 56 wRC+. He will very likely be on the Marlins Opening Day roster, slotting in right field, a source says. Caissie's swing decisions were a lot better compared to 2024, when he also played at AAA. He chased less outside the zone, going from 29.7% to 25.7%. He also made contact 52.0% of the time after only making contact 47.5% of the time the previous year. In Triple-A, Caissie had a barrel rate above 15%, hard-hit rate above 53%, average exit velocity above 92 mph, an xwOBA above .380, and a whiff rate under 28%. The only three MLB players to check all of those boxes last season were Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Ben Rice. QndvdmxfWGw0TUFRPT1fQXdaUkFsZFFWMU1BQUFjR1hnQUhBZzVYQUZrQkJsWUFVRndCVVZFRUF3cGRDUXBV (1).mp4 In his first taste of major league pitching, Caissie struck out 40.7% of the time against a 3.7% walk rate. Both of those marks will obviously need to improve for him to be successful. Pitches up and in to the left-handed hitter have given him problems, as shown by the graphic below. That is something the Marlins organization was able to address with Kyle Stowers last season. Slight mechanical adjustments turned him into an All-Star. YkI5OXdfWGw0TUFRPT1fQkZWUlUxVlNYZ0lBRFZ0V1ZBQUhWVk1EQUFNR1ZWUUFDMUJUVWdFRUFBQlNBQVpU.mp4 His power potential is elite, but expect Caissie to have growing pains in the majors. In a best-case scenario, his first full season of production could look similar to what James Wood provided for the 2025 Washington Nationals, consistently blasting extra-base hits to left-center field at loanDepot park. Cristian Hernández Hernández, 22, was a highly touted international prospect who signed with the Cubs out of the Dominican Republic in 2021. Unlike Caissie, he has not been showing much game power in the minors, with only 24 home runs through five professional seasons. This past season, in 115 games at the High-A level, he slashed .252/.329/.365/.694 with seven homers, 53 RBI, 54 stolen bases and a 99 wRC+. He was left unprotected for the Rule 5 draft and did not get selected. One positive is that Hernández has been putting more balls in play as the years go by. After posting a 30.3% strikeout rate in 2022, he has improved every year, dropping down to a 20.7 K% in 2025. "De Leon’s profile questions surround his bat-to-ball skills, as he ran a 34% whiff rate in 2025," notes Geoff Pontes of Baseball America. A lot of refinement is needed. De Leon has played both corner infield and both corner outfield positions in the past. He should be assigned to Low-A Jupiter. View full article

On Thursday, Miami Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix met with the media for about 15 minutes to discuss the moves his team has made up to this point in the offseason. Understandably, most of the questions concerned Wednesday's trade that sent Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs. "I think we're getting somebody who hits the ball very hard and hits for a lot of power—that's a hard thing to find," Bendix said via Zoom regarding the centerpiece of the trade return, Owen Caissie. "It's a hard thing to find in any area. It's usually very expensive to acquire and I think every good team needs power. With him, we're getting someone who has shown the ability to make adjustments as he's gotten older and as he's faced better pitching. He's still very young and has room for improvement offensively and defensively, but his performance to date in his career has been exceptional." Caissie slashed .286/.386/.551/.937 with 22 home runs, 55 RBI and a 139 wRC+ through 99 Triple-A games last season. As a left-handed-hitting corner outfielder, Caissie's similarities to 2025 Marlins All-Star are "pretty easy to see," Bendix admitted. "To have somebody who's on that career trajectory much earlier in their career, who crushed Triple-A pitching at a much younger age, that's really exciting," said Bendix. "It doesn't guarantee anything and doesn't mean that he's necessarily going to step in right away and hit 40 home runs or anything like that. There's certainly risk there, but it is unusual to have a player like Caissie, at his age, perform the way that he did at a high level, and that makes us really excited." Bendix also told the media that Caissie will still go to the World Baseball Classic, which takes place during spring training in March. He previously represented his native country at the 2023 WBC. "I think that's going to be a great experience for him," said Bendix. "I think the more high-level competition he and all of our young guys can get, the better it is for them and for us." Caissie will compete alongside one of his new Marlins teammates in shortstop Otto López. Canada is part of Pool A, which takes place in Puerto Rico. Along with Caissie, the Marlins acquired shortstop prospect Cristian Hernández and Edgardo De Leon, an 18-year-old infield prospect. Hernández, who spent last season in High-A, slashed .252/.329/.365/.694 with seven home runs, 53 RBI, 52 stolen bases and a 99 wRC+. He played 95 games at shortstop, where it seems like he has a chance to stick long term. In 2025, De Leon made the jump from the Dominican Summer League to the Arizona Complex League. In 43 games, he slashed .276/.353/.500/.853 with five home runs, 15 RBI and a 118 wRC+. "I think Cristian Hernández is tooled up, does a lot of things well. Certainly has a lot of things he needs to improve, but he's very young and has a lot of ingredients in place," Bendix said. "Edgardo De Leon, he's even younger and has further to go, but the power that he has shown, the exit velocities that he has shown, the aptitude that he has shown, is really exciting for an 18-year-old. When we were able to get a package of these three players that we think can help us this year and beyond, that ended up being what got us over the line." Cabrera had been the subject of trade rumors throughout the past couple of years. Last offseason, it seemed as if the Pittsburgh Pirates were a potential landing spot, then leading up to the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the Cubs and New York Yankees were among the clubs interested in the right-handed starter. During the Winter Meetings, it was reported that the Marlins and Baltimore Orioles were in discussions for Cabrera. Last Sunday, the Yankees reportedly re-emerged as a serious suitor. In 2025, Cabrera broke out, posting a 3.53 ERA, 3.83 FIP, 9.81 K/9 and 3.14 BB/9 in a career-high 137 ⅔ innings pitched. That marked the first time in his career surpassing the 100-inning threshold. Even then, the injury-prone 27-year-old landed on the IL twice, most notably towards the end of the season with a right elbow sprain, but still made two starts to finish the season. "There's risk with every player in baseball," Bendix said. "There's risk with Edward Cabrera. There's risk with just about anybody. There's no such thing as certainty. I think what we try to do is we try to get players who do things well and also have areas of improvement that we think we can help. That gets to the idea of developing players at all levels, including at the major league level." A source did tell Fish On First that although the Marlins feel comfortable with their current starting pitching options, they still may go out and sign an experienced pitcher who can eat innings, similar to the signing of Cal Quantrill last season. Bendix also did not rule out the possibility of a top prospect like Thomas White or Robby Snelling winning a rotation job out of camp. "I think there’s an opportunity there," said Bendix. "There’s competition there, there’s open space there, and there’s a chance for a lot of guys to step up and earn a spot. There’s nothing we’re writing off at this point." Prior to trading away Cabrera, the Marlins signed right-handed reliever Pete Fairbanks to a one-year deal worth $13M. Fairbanks, who Bendix knows well from this days with the Tampa Bay Rays, posted a 2.83 ERA, 3.63 ERA, 8.80 K/9, 2.69 BB/9 and a career best 27 saves in a career-high 60 ⅓ innings pitched. "I really like him, respect him as a person, and I think he's an excellent pitcher," said Bendix. "I think that there's more upside, even than what he's shown recently. He added a new cutter that has a chance to be really good. I think he's better understanding himself, his body, how to execute his pitches, and really to be a team leader. He's going to step into a situation where he's the veteran, he's the guy in the bullpen, and I trust in him to be able to execute that leadership as well as execute his pitches." The final acquisition which was touched on very quickly was the one of Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who the Marlins acquired in exchange for minor league pitcher Adriano Marrero. In 2025, Ruiz was primarily in AAA, where he slashed .304/.412/.511/.923 with 16 home runs, 61 RBI, 63 stolen bases and a 137 wRC+. During his MLB career, however, Ruiz's career slash line is only .241/.296/.343/.639 with eight homers in 197 games. "We think (Ruiz) is a really helpful, complementary piece, who's got upside beyond that," said Bendix. "He's one of the fastest guys in baseball, an elite base-stealing threat and made some real adjustments to his offensive game that we think are going to pay off huge dividends. We think he needs an opportunity to play and we can help him get a little bit more out of his game. It's the type of skills that are truly elite at the top of the scale that are hard to find and it's somebody who is still young and still improving and really fits our roster really well, too." "I think we're executing on our plan of building a club that we think can be really exciting in 2026 and also continuing on this plan to make our franchise competitive every single year for the foreseeable future," Bendix said. "I think we added a lot of really interesting talent and it's going to be fun to see how some of these competitions play out in spring training." Thursday also marks the deadline to exchange salary figures with arbitration-eligible players. With Cabrera now gone, the Marlins have six players (all pitchers) who they are attempting to reach settlements with. View full article

During a Fish On First Twitter space, Isaac Azout, Kevin Barral, Alex Carver and Nate Karzmer share their initial reactions to the Marlins trading Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs for a package of Owen Caissie, Cristian Hernández and Edgardo De Leon. View full video

It's been only a few weeks since Fish On First's previous 2026 roster projection, but the Miami Marlins have been very busy. Since then, they signed right-handed reliever Pete Fairbanks to a one-year deal worth $13 million, traded Dane Myers to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for outfield prospect Ethan O'Donnell, acquired Esteury Ruiz from the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitching prospect Adriano Marrero and dealt Eric Wagaman to the Minnesota Twins for pitching prospect Kade Bragg. The Marlins also lost right-handed reliever Ronny Henriquez to season-ending right elbow UCL reconstruction surgery. Accounting for those transactions, here is our Marlins Opening Day roster projection, version 3.0. Position Players Default Starting Lineup: C Agustín Ramírez, 1B Christopher Morel, 2B Xavier Edwards, 3B Graham Pauley, SS Otto Lopez, LF Kyle Stowers, CF Jakob Marsee, RF Griffin Conine, DH Heriberto Hernández Bench: INF/OF Connor Norby, UTIL Javier Sanoja, OF Esteury Ruiz, C/1B Liam Hicks Ruiz is the leading candidate to fill Myers' shoes. He isn't as good defensively, but can play all three outfield spots, and his speed makes him even more useful off the bench in late-game situations. Ruiz has hit much better versus left-handed pitchers during his MLB career (.720 OPS), so most of his plate appearances should come against them. The Marlins can use Ruiz's final minor league option at the end of spring training if another hitter in camp clearly outperforms him. Just Missed: OF Victor Mesa Jr., C Joe Mack, 1B Deyvison De Los Santos An injury to any of the left-handed-hitting outfielders listed above could open the door for Mesa to make his first career Opening Day roster. He appeared in 16 Marlins games in 2025 across two separate stints. Mack will likely finish the year as the club's most-used catcher. However, expect his debut to be delayed long enough for the Marlins to secure an extra year of club control over him. Once De Los Santos shows that his winter ball success can translate to affiliated ball, he'll get his opportunity to earn the full-time first base job. Pitchers Starting rotation: RHP Sandy Alcantara, RHP Edward Cabrera, RHP Eury Pérez, LHP Ryan Weathers, RHP Max Meyer Bullpen: RHP Pete Fairbanks, RHP Anthony Bender, RHP Tyler Phillips, RHP Calvin Faucher, LHP Cade Gibson, RHP Josh White, RHP Lake Bachar, RHP Janson Junk Edward Cabrera continues to draw widespread trade interest. Still, we can't assume his departure yet—the Marlins have made him available in the past without receiving what they consider to be a fair offer. Fairbanks essentially replaces the injured Henriquez. He will be the Marlins' highest-leverage reliever, pitching in most save situations. White is coming off one of the best seasons by a Marlins minor league reliever in recent memory, posting a 1.86 ERA and 1.65 FIP in 67 ⅔ innings pitched. He has zero left to prove in Triple-A. Relievers are so volatile that service time shouldn't influence the timing of his debut like it would for a starting pitcher or position player. His inclusion leaves the Marlins with only one left-hander in their bullpen, but keep in mind that White struck out more than 40% of the lefties he faced in 2025. Just missed: LHP Braxton Garrett, LHP Josh Simpson, LHP Andrew Nardi Garrett's overall career numbers are actually slightly better than Cabrera's. He would be the first starting pitcher called up in the event of a trade. Going down to AAA may help shake off the rust after spending last year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. The Marlins have had opportunities this offseason to squeeze Simpson and Nardi off their 40-man roster, but other players were sacrificed instead. That suggests the club truly believes in the positive flashes Simpson showed at the end of a difficult season and the progress Nardi is making in his comeback from recurring back problems. They will both be monitored closely during spring training. View full article

The Miami Marlins traded right-handed starting pitcher Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Outfield prospect Owen Caissie is the centerpiece of the package coming to Miami, joined by shortstop prospect Cristian Hernández and infield prospect Edgardo De Leon. The clubs have yet to make the deal official. Cabrera, who the Marlins signed for $100,000 in 2015, finally broke out in 2025 after inconsistencies with his command and control. He posted a 3.53 ERA, 3.83 FIP, 9.81 K/9 and 3.14 BB/9 in a career-high 137 ⅔ innings pitched. It marked the first time in Cabrera's career that he surpassed the 100-inning threshold. His walk rate was also the lowest of his career. The main concern is his injury history. Cabrera was placed on the injured list twice last season alone, first in March with a right middle finger blister and late into the season, he suffered a right elbow sprain. Many assumed that would not only knock him out for the remainder of the 2025 season, but jeopardize all of 2026 due to possible surgery. Instead, Cabrera returned on September 22, making two more starts, going four innings against the Philadelphia Phillies and five innings against the New York Mets to close out the season. President of baseball operations Peter Bendix would be taking a gamble by moving Cabrera, who is capable of having an even better season in 2026, but the Marlins are also banking on their crop of talented, less experienced starters—including top prospects Thomas White and Robby Snelling—to keep the team competitive. Cabrera is projected to make $3.7M in 2026 via arbitration and will be under club control through 2028. Northside Baseball ranked Caissie as the No. 1 overall prospect in the Cubs organization. At the Triple-A level last season, he slashed .286/.386/.551/.937 with 22 home runs, five stolen bases and a 139 wRC+ in 99 games. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter played 12 games at the major league level. He slashed .192/.222/.346/.568 in that limited opportunity. Hernández, a 22-year old shortstop prospect, is ranked 16th on Baseball America's recently released top 30 prospects list. MLB Pipeline has Hernández ranked 11th. He spent the entire 2025 season in High-A, slashing .252/.329/.365/.694 with seven home runs, 53 RBI, 54 stolen bases and a 99 wRC+. He was regarded as the fifth-best prospect in the 2021 international signing class, per Pipeline. As for De Leon, he slashed .276/.353/.500/.853 with five home runs, 15 RBI and a 118 wRC+ in the complex league. Standing at 6'0," 170 pounds, De Leon played first and third base, with some outfield sprinkled in as well. This is what you can call a throw in with some upside to see what you can get. In addition to the Cubs, Cabrera's other reported suitors this offseason included the New York Yankees, New York Mets and San Francisco Giants. With the trade, the Marlins Opening Day starting rotation now projects to be Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Ryan Weathers, Max Meyer and Janson Junk. A source has told Fish On First that the Marlins could sign a veteran starting pitcher in free agency for additional depth, similar to what they did with bringing in Cal Quantrill last year. View full article

On Friday, the Miami Marlins announced that they have traded Eric Wagaman to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for left-handed minor league pitcher Kade Bragg. Wagaman, who signed a split deal as a free agent during the previous offseason, played 140 games in a Marlins uniform. He slashed .250/.296/.378/.674 with nine home runs, 53 RBI and an 85 wRC+. He finished second amongst National League rookies in hits, fourth in RBI and second in doubles. He received playing time at both corner infield and both corner outfield positions, but he mainly handled first base. The only bright spot in Wagaman's 2025 season was his production against left-handed pitching. He slashed .283/.321/.462/.783 with five home runs and 26 RBI with the platoon advantage. Expect him to continue in that role in Minnesota, filling in for former Marlin Josh Bell against lefties. Although Bell is a switch-hitter, he had significant platoon splits last year (.804 OPS vs. RHP, .552 OPS vs. LHP). Wagaman had been designated for assignment to make room for newest Marlins outfielder Esteury Ruiz. As for the return, left-handed pitcher Kade Bragg split the 2025 season across three levels (Low-A, High-A and Double-A). Overall, he had a 2.94 ERA, 3.73 FIP, 10.96 K/9 and 4.14 BB/9 in 67 ⅓ innings pitched (42 appearances). The year before, he was limited to only six appearances due to injury. Bragg, 24, could potentially find himself as a spring training non-roster invitee. He'll be Rule 5 draft-eligible following the 2026 season. View full article

The final Miami Marlins trade of 2025 was a relatively small one on the surface. They acquired outfielder Esteury Ruiz—a classic "Quad-A player"—from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for pitching prospect Adriano Marrero. The Marlins were very high on the 18-year old pitcher Marrero, who signed for $350,000 out of Cuba. But it should be noted that he failed physicals with two other MLB teams before turning pro with the Fish. Also, the organization has a handful of rookie-level pitchers who they value even more, so this was dealing from an area of strength. Looking at Ruiz, he has a long history of great minor league production. We've seen that his elite speed translates to the majors, but so far, the rest of his skill set hasn't. Ruiz was originally signed by the Kansas City Royals, then traded to the San Diego Padres with whom he made his major league debut in 2022. Flipped to the Milwaukee Brewers later that season in the Josh Hader trade, he joined the Athletics in the 2022-23 offseason as part of the three-team deal that sent Sean Murphy to the Atlanta Braves. Although his MLB experience is spread out across four different seasons, most of his playing time came with the A's in 2023. In 197 games at the highest level, Ruiz has slashed .241/.296/.343/.639 with eight home runs, 59 RBI, 79 stolen bases and a 81 wRC+. While the high number of steals jumps out, the rest of those stats are about the same as the man he's replacing, Dane Myers. The Dodgers barely used Ruiz on their way to another World Series title, but he did catch fire with their Triple-A affiliate, slashing .303/.411/.514/.925 with 16 home runs, 60 RBI, 62 stolen bases and a 137 wRC+. These numbers should be taken with a grain of salt as he already dominated the upper minors back in 2022. It's exciting that Ruiz has been able to cut down on his chase rate. In the majors, his career rate is 33.6%; in AAA this past season, he was at 35.6%, putting him in the 67th percentile among AAA hitters, per Prospect Savant. The problem for Ruiz is he usually doesn't hit the ball hard enough. His MLB hard-hit rate since debuting in 2022 is 20.9%, barely half the league average. Only Tyler Wade, Tony Kemp, José Herrera and Steven Kwan rank lower than him during that span (min. 500 PA). This past season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, it was up to 27.6%. That still leaves him relying far too much on his speed to create production. That being said, it's surprising to see Ruiz's barrel rate in the 66th percentile. On the rare occasions when he crushed balls, he made them count by hitting them in the air and pulling them to left field. Being able to identify mistake pitches and swinging at max effort allows him to be more of a power threat than his small 5'10" frame would make you believe. z2pw0d.mp4 Marlins player development has a motto: "hit strikes hard." They seem to have targeted a guy in Ruiz who began doing that in 2025. Now, the important part is putting this adjustment to the test in the majors. The Marlins will use Ruiz primarily against left-handed pitching. Due to limitations with his throwing arm, he fits best as a platoon left fielder, seeing action on days that Kyle Stowers and/or Jakob Marsee are on the bench. Expectations should remain low for a player like Ruiz. After all, the Dodgers are in "win-now mode" and if they felt he was close to a breakout, they would've found a way to keep him. Worst-case scenario, the Marlins are deep with AAA outfield options who could take over for Ruiz by the middle of the season. View full article

Pete Fairbanks went into his free agency with no expectations, just looking to talk to teams and see what was out there, until his former boss Peter Bendix came calling. After various conversations, he signed a one-year, $13M deal to become a member of the organization. On New Year’s Eve, Fairbanks met with the media to discuss the process that led him to Miami. "What Pete (Bendix) is doing here was definitely a pleasant surprise," said Fairbanks. "Definitely had some appeal there. My wife and I sat down and we really talked about it. I think that the people who we talked to throughout the process seemed great on the pitching side. Four hours from St. Pete and we're expecting our third kid basically on Opening Day, so that, the proximity, coupled with meeting everything else that we were looking for, is what made it a pretty good choice." A major factor in Fairbanks choosing Miami was having a conversation with Bendix, hearing how much has changed and the direction that the organization is going in under this new regime. He even noted that the Bendix-era teams were much better than those of the 2021 and 2022 Marlins. The Marlins and Rays split the 2025 Citrus Series, snapping a long streak of Rays victories. "To hear all the things that he's been doing over his tenure down in Miami, from what I've heard previously to what I have now, how much things are changing and how much he has been attempting to put his stamp on things. I felt like that made it a pretty easy choice, and I am excited to see the direction that he takes." Fairbanks is the first pitcher to sign a major league free agent deal with the Marlins since they began calling pitches from the dugout last September. The team explained that this process doesn't lead to extra pitch clock violations, which is important to Fairbanks who works very slowly on the mound, averaging approximately 13.1 seconds with the bases empty last season (third-longest time in MLB). "Whether it comes from the dugout or the catcher, I figure I'll be just fine," he said. After a season where he had a career-high in saves, Fairbanks was asked if there were any conversations regarding what his role would be with the team. The Marlins did not have a clear-cut closer in 2025, with nine different pitchers recording a save. "I'm quite familiar with how the leverage-based bullpen gets ran, as I did it for quite a while until, really, the past three years," Fairbanks said. "Whether it's improving the counting stats in the ninth, or facing the heart of the eighth, whatever is asked of me is going to be what I do." Fairbanks, 32, posted a 2.83 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 8.80 K/9, 2.69 BB/9 and 27 saves (career-high) in a career-high 60 1/3 innings pitched. One major decline for him has been the strikeout rate, which was roughly the same as his career-low of 8.74 from 2024. From 2019-2023, he averaged 12.9 K/9. “I think that there's plenty of ways to skin the cat," said Fairbanks. "If that comes via strikeout or via first pitch pop-up to first, I'm not going to complain about it either way." Towards the end of the season, Fairbanks began to experiment with a cutter, which he ended up throwing 42 times (4.3%). He will be using it a "decent bit" in 2026, he told Fish On First. "I'm good at getting on the outside of the ball," said Fairbanks. "Whenever I was messing around with (Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder) pregame, I was like, 'eventually I'm just gonna start throwing whiffle sliders for fun.' Turns out, it grades out well, and I'm able to throw it in the zone...It just seems like the it's an easy spot for my hand to get into throughout the delivery. As long as we're able to continue making the ball move how the intention behind it, and it's not blending with any of the other breaking balls, I think we should be pretty good." Fairbanks also has a changeup in his arsenal—he threw it 4.9% of the time last season and opponents posted a .353 batting average against it. He doesn’t expect to increase its usage, noting that "four (pitches) would be a lot for a one-inning guy." View full article

On Saturday, the Miami Marlins traded Dane Myers to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for 23-year-old outfielder Ethan O'Donnell. The timing of the deal was not random—the Marlins had just reached an agreement with free agent Pete Fairbanks and needed to make a corresponding move to open up a 40-man roster spot for him. They got whatever they could for Myers, whose three-year tenure with the Fish had some great stretches, but ended with an ugly half-season slump and yet another injury. This was a sell-low situation. That being said, O'Donnell is capable of being much more than just organizational filler. Selected in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, O'Donnell destroyed Low-A pitching later that summer. In 23 games, he slashed .350/.447/.600/1.047 with a 180 wRC+, including a streak of homering in four consecutive games. That's a rare feat for anybody in the Florida State League. Moving up to High-A in 2024, O'Donnell slashed .269/.358/.416/.774 with 10 home runs, 40 RBI, 31 stolen bases and a 124 wRC+ in 104 games. He was among Minor League Baseball's hottest hitters in August (1.076 OPS). The Marlins are getting O'Donnell coming off his worst statistical year as a pro. It included a .236/.327/.325/.652 slash line with seven home runs, 56 RBI, 20 stolen bases and a 90 wRC+ in 125 Double-A games. He struck out 25.6% of the time, but also walked 10.7% of the time. Just as it was looking like the Reds would be limiting O'Donnell to the outfield corners moving forward, he gave them reason to believe that center field is still a possibility. He played 64 games there, followed by 50 in left field, where he has more than enough arm strength to be successful. On the surface, O'Donnell's .314 batting average on balls in play may look normal. However, he has a long history of being more productive thanks to his combination of above-average speed, hard contact and skilled bunting. His overall BABIP topped .400 in 2023 when combining college and the minors and he was at .357 in 2024. Perhaps there is some bounce-back potential for him in that category. It also needs to be noted that the Southern League is an extremely pitcher-friendly league where the average slash line is .230/.321/.340/.660. Since becoming affiliated with Double-A Pensacola, the Marlins have seen a bunch of their prospects take huge steps forward offensively upon being moved up to Triple-A Jacksonville, with Jakob Marsee and Kemp Alderman as recent examples. We'll see if O'Donnell can benefit from the change of scenery like they did. One area of focus for O'Donnell should be refining his approach against left-handed pitching. In 2025, he struck out 37.8% of the time vs. lefties with zero homers in 98 plate appearances. Even if O'Donnell winds up as a platoon player at the major league level, that's an outcome the Marlins would be happy with given the tools he has to impact winning in other aspects of the game. View full article