Kevin Barral

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

MIAMI, FL—In a game that the New York Mets needed to win, their franchise's all-time home run leader stepped up. Pete Alonso took care of business early, immediately giving the Mets the lead and later adding to his homer total. Alonso out-hit the Miami Marlins all by himself in a 5-0 Mets victory. Eury Pérez, who was making his final start of the season, gave the Marlins 5 ⅓ innings, allowing three runs on three hits, three walks and struck out a career-high 11 batters. Pérez also set a career-high with 100 pitches thrown. Through 20 starts in 2025, the right-hander posted a 4.25 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 9.91 K/9 and 3.02 BB/9 in 95 ⅓ innings pitched. "It was great to see him come out of the gates after a slow first inning," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "Especially with the strike-throwing, behind a lot and was able to get through the first inning with just the one run. Other than the Alonso home run, 3-2 pitch, his level of conviction and aggressiveness picked up from the second inning on. He saw a lot of fastballs at 100 (mph) or higher and certainly the stuff speaks for itself. We all know what Eury is capable of doing and really happy that he was able to get through a shaky first and to pitch as well as he did the rest of the game." During that "slow" first inning, Alonso hit his National League-leading 41st double of the season, driving in Francisco Lindor and giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. Alonso hit his 38th home run in the top of the third, extending New York's lead to 2-0. Pérez left the game with a runner on second, who scored off of Lake Bachar. "There's a ton of power that this guy puts up year after year," McCullough said regarding Alonso. "He's been a prolific power hitter in this league since he debuted. The thing I appreciate about watching Pete play is that he's a real winner. He loves to play and he loves to compete. He's always a threat when he's in the box and he got some mistake pitches and that's what he's very capable of doing." The Mets put the nail in the coffin on the game in the top of the ninth inning when Lindor drove in Francisco Alvarez on an RBI single, making it a 4-0 game. A wild pitch from George Soriano plated the fifth run. The lone Marlins hit was an Xavier Edwards single off of Clay Holmes in the third inning. Connor Norby and Eric Wagaman each hit deep fly balls against Mets relievers that died on the left field warning track. With the loss, the Marlins fall to 78-83 on the season and the 83-78 Mets remain alive in the National League Wild Card race. However, they'll likely need some help from the Cincinnati Reds, who as of this writing are up big against the Milwaukee Brewers and closing in on their 83rd win as well. The Reds own the tiebreaker over the Mets if they wind up with the same record. First pitch of the regular season finale will be at 3:10 p.m. ET. View full article

MIAMI, FL—For as much as the Miami Marlins overachieved at the major league level in 2025, the main story for the organization this year was their great results in the minors. Some of their top-ranked prospects moved closer to reaching their full potential and under-the-radar players took leaps forward, too. It led to a lot of winning in MiLB competition, and that should trickle up to the majors in the coming years if the Marlins continue to be on the cutting edge of player development innovation. "Incredible year," said director of minor league operations Hector Crespo. "Testament to our entire player development staff and our players as well...I think if you look at it from a whole, four of our seven affiliates made the playoffs, we had our best winning percentage as an organization since 2015. Pitching-wise, top five in strikeout percentage, walk percentage, strikeout-to-walk percentage, miss percentage and chase percentage. Offensively, our best season in walk rate and chase rate. Defensively, led all of baseball in metrics that we value as far as movement, range, burst and reaction. So many good things that happened." The Marlins recognized the winners of their 2025 Organizational Minor League Awards on the field prior to Saturday's game against the New York Mets. Several of the winners could not attend because the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp were on the other side of the country preparing to play in the Triple-A National Championship Game. The Shrimp won in walk-off fashion. The Marlins selected catcher Jeremy Almonte as their Student of the Year and High-A Beloit manager Angel Espada as their Staff Member of the Year. The following nine players earned awards for their on-field performance. Hitter of the Year: Kemp Alderman During Pensacola Blue Wahoos media day, Alderman told a small group of reporters that he wanted to have a 20/20 season. He followed through on that with 22 home runs and 22 stolen bases between Double-A and Triple-A while slashing .285/.338/.482/.819 with a 135 wRC+. "Tough season last year just from an injury perspective," Crespo said. "Played half of the year in the Arizona Fall League. So happy with him really taking his training into games and his deficiency—which was fastball velocity in the zone—and seeing him continuously train that, be bullish about it, be willing to fail so that he could set himself up for a really good year." After being promoted, the 23-year-old outfielder posted an average exit velocity of 95.0 mph, which was a top-10 mark among all AAA players this season, per Prospect Savant. Expect Alderman to receive an invite to big league spring training camp and debut with the Marlins during the first half of 2026. Pitcher of the Year: Robby Snelling Acquired from the San Diego Padres last year as the main piece in the Tanner Scott/Bryan Hoeing trade, Snelling has turned his career around with the Marlins organization. After starting the season in AA, Snelling was promoted to AAA where in 63 ⅔ innings pitched, he was even more dominant with a 1.27 ERA, 2.62 FIP, 11.45 K/9 and 2.40 BB/9 in 11 starts. Between both levels, he finished his year with a 2.51 ERA, 2.77 FIP, 10.99 K/9 and 2.58 BB/9 through 136 innings pitched (25 starts). Snelling's fastball improved in terms of both velocity and command, leading to more swing-and-miss. He was also able to manage the quality of contact against him, going from a 43.8% ground ball rate in 2024 up to a 50.8% this season. Snelling is ready to contend for a spot in the Marlins starting rotation. Triple-A MVP: Jakob Marsee Marsee was looking like the obvious choice for Player of the Year, but he played so well that the Marlins called him up two months ago. Underlying numbers indicated that he was running into bad luck in 2024. That luck evened out in 98 games with Jacksonville, where he slashed .246/.379/.438/.817 with 14 home runs, 37 RBI, 47 stolen bases and a 126 wRC+. His production has actually been better than that in the majors—he's been the most valuable player on the Marlins since the start of August. Marsee works long at-bats and makes a big impact on the bases while showing the ability to play all three outfield spots. The Marlins may have developed a true long-term everyday player. Double-A MVP: Thomas White Fish On First's number one prospect put himself in the conversation for MiLB's best left-handed pitching prospect. White pitched to a 2.83 ERA with the High-A Beloit Sky Carp before earning the promotion to Pensacola. This was by far his best stretch of baseball, posting a 1.59 ERA, 2.24 FIP, 14.89 K/9 and 4.76 BB/9 through 45 ⅓ innings pitched. White was promoted to Triple-A Jacksonville and in two starts, he posted a 3.86 ERA. Crespo described the duo of Snelling and White as "the cream of the crop from a left-handed pitcher perspective as far as the entire organization and system and really league-wide." Turning 21 years old on Monday, White has already filled out his 6'5" frame and touched 100 mph several times in game action. White will likely begin the 2026 season back in Jacksonville. High-A MVP: Karson Milbrandt While with Beloit, Milbrandt posted a 3.26 ERA, 3.20 FIP, 11.75 K/9 and 5.00 BB/9 through 77 ⅓ innings pitched. He looked sharp in his two starts versus AA competition as well. "He probably had his best offseason from a physicality standpoint," said Crespo about the 2022 draft pick. "You guys have heard us talk about strength and conditioning be our foundation and I think the way he prepared his body coming into the spring this year was really the separating dynamic for him to be able to pitch over the course of the year as well. I think we always knew he had the stuff—it was just more so the consistency of it." Milbrandt made a big jump in the strikeout department from a 8.39 K/9 to a career-high 11.75 K/9. The right-hander noted that adding a cutter was "probably the big thing this year—just having a bridge pitch off the fastball and all the other sweeper, curveball and changeup." The Marlins are sending Milbrandt to the Arizona Fall League after a minor injury limited his workload early in the season. Low-A MVP: Eliazar Dishmey It was a rocky end for Eliazar Dishmey in 2024, forcing him to repeat the level this season. He made the necessary adjustments and finished the 2025 season with a 2.90 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 9.79 K/9 and 4.35 BB/9 through 99 ⅓ innings pitched (which includes his five High-A starts). He allowed only three home runs. Dishmey will begin the 2026 season in High-A and continue to try establishing himself as a long-term starter. FCL MVP: Nate Payne Selected in the 18th round of the 2024 MLB Draft, Payne made 17 total starts between the complex league and Low-A. He finished the season with a 3.20 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 11.66 K/9 and 5.91 BB/9 through 56 ⅓ innings pitched. Opponents only hit .176 against him, but consistently throwing strikes was an issue. Payne will begin next season in Low-A and get an opportunity to work deeper into his starts DSL Miami and DSL Marlins MVPs: José Castro and Luis Cova Castro had the biggest jump in production from 2024 to 2025, going from a 70 wRC+ to a 136 wRC+. In 52 games, he slashed .264/.399/.585/.985 with 16 home runs—that's a new single-season Dominican Summer League record. Another major improvement for the 18-year-old outfielder was cutting his strikeout rate from 33.3% to 26.1%. 1vHMcAJ1ltBzJSRe.mp4 It came as a surprise that Cova, who signed for $1.4 million in 2024, spent a second full season in the DSL. He showed there's nothing left to prove after stealing 35 bases and slashing .299/.422/.537/.959 with nine home runs, 35 RBI and a 154 wRC+. He was DSL Miami's regular center fielder. Expect both players to come stateside in 2026 and begin the season in the FCL. View full article

The Miami Marlins were eliminated from 2025 postseason contention following their 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday. The fact that the previous sentence was written on September 25 is a credit to manager Clayton McCullough, the coaching staff and all the players who contributed this season. A team that was almost universally projected to finish with 70 wins or fewer currently stands at 77-82 with three games remaining to spoil the New York Mets' Wild Card chances. "We set out from spring training that our number one focus was going to be to just try to get better every day and try to raise the floor—not only of the players that we were gonna have on the roster at a given time and try to get everybody a little bit better as we went along, but also our staff and players creating a culture and put something in a place that we believe is gonna lead to sustainability. " McCullough said postgame. "While disappointing to get here and know that our season is going to end on Sunday, doesn't take away from taking a step back and a 30,000-foot view on so many what we feel like were real steps that we took throughout this season and the strides that a lot of our players have made." After being limited to one total (unearned) run by the previous two Phillies starting pitchers, the Marlins offense didn't fare any better against Walker Buehler. Signed by the Phillies to a minor league deal less than a month ago, Buehler went five innings, allowing three hits, three walks and struck out two on 74 pitches. Taijuan Walker followed him by throwing two innings, allowing only one hit and struck out three. Matt Strahm and David Robertson handled the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. It was the 10th time this season that the Marlins have been shut out. They did a good job making contact, but only collected eight hard-hit balls. They had no extra-base hits, though Agustín Ramírez came close with a 114 mph line drive off the left field wall. It was a short leash for Marlins starting pitcher Janson Junk, going 4 ⅔ innings. He only surrendered one run on five hits, no walks and struck out four. In the bottom of the first inning, Junk allowed a leadoff single to outfielder Harrison Bader, then struck out Kyle Schwarber and allowed a second base hit, this time to Bryce Harper, who was making his first appearance this series. Alec Bohm grounded out, but Bader was able to score. Junk went on to retire eight straight before Harper had his second hit of the night. Junk was signed to a minor league deal and initially sent down to Triple-A Jacksonville. The Marlins selected his contract on May 24. Early on, he was used in long relief, not making his first start with the team until June 20 against the Atlanta Braves. He will finish the season posting a 4.17 ERA and a 3.15 FIP through 110 innings pitched as a big leaguer. Per the team, Junk walked just 13 of the 447 batters, posting a 2.9 BB%, the lowest mark in MLB this season and the best single-season mark in club history (min. 100 IP). "He goes out there and fills it up," said McCullough. "He did exactly what we needed tonight...Great season for Janson and another start where we got what we needed." It's rare to get that kind of production from somebody acquired on a non-guaranteed contract. The only other minor league free agent signing from last offseason to pitch over 100 innings in 2025 was Toronto Blue Jays starter Eric Lauer, who finished the regular season with 103 ⅔ innings pitched, posting a 3.21 ERA and 3.88 FIP. It's unclear what role Junk will have with the Marlins in 2026. He is out of minor league options, so that positions him well to make the active roster even with talented arms coming back from injuries and making the case to be promoted from Triple-A. "We know Janson can (start or pitch out of the bullpen)," said McCullough pregame. "We'll come into spring training not knowing what the landscape is going to look like next year, but we will get Janson prepared to be a starter for us going into spring training, someone who's going to be on our team next year in some capacity. Those are just questions that we will answer down the road." In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Marlins deployed Ronny Henriquez, who struck out both Max Kepler and Harrison Bader swinging. Per the Marlins, it marked his 59th appearance with at least one strikeout, tying the club record shared by Kyle Barraclough (2016) and Tanner Scott (2023). The Marlins finish their season against the New York Mets with Sandy Alcantara taking the mound on Friday opposing rookie Brandon Sproat. First pitch is at 7:10 pm. "We're going to go home, have our last three, go out and try to win each one of those games and go about it in a very similar manner," said McCullough. View full article

The Miami Marlins pulled off an improbable comeback late Tuesday night. Held scoreless until the eighth inning, they took down the Philadelphia Phillies in 11 innings by a final score of 6-5. Heroics by Heriberto Hernández forced the game into extras, Xavier Edwards drove in the eventual winning run, and Josh Simpson turned out to be the winning pitcher. The Marlins are still four games back of the third and final NL Wild Card spot. "I love the sense of urgency that the guys are coming here and playing with," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough following the game. "They're just playing pitch to pitch and trying to play this thing out, every out of the games. I think that's something that we've seen in this group all season long. I think now knowing that we don't have much of a leash, it's every day do-or-die—and that might not be enough, but we're going to keep giving it a shot as long as we have one." Edward Cabrera (right elbow sprain) made his first start off the injured list. He looked uncomfortable from the beginning, though his fastball velocity was impressive as usual—he averaged 97.8 mph and topped out at 99.4 mph. Kyle Schwarber gave the Phillies a first-inning lead by smacking a sinker for his 54th home run of the year. Cabrera went four innings, allowing three runs off of five hits (two homers), walked one and struck out three. He went changeup-heavy, using that pitch 39% of the time. "I thought his stuff was was exceptional," McCullough said. "He came out of it feeling great. The first couple innings, he didn't really have the same kind of feel for his breaking stuff like he's had and stressful first couple of innings. Then I thought the last couple of innings he looked good." Trailing 3-0 in the top of the eighth inning, Griffin Conine hit his second home run of the season off former Marlins reliever David Robertson. It was a full-circle moment for Conine, who hadn't played in the majors since April 19 due to suffering a dislocated shoulder against this same Phillies team at Citizens Bank Park. The solo homer left the bat at 106.7 mph and went 381 feet to right field. Also against Robertson, Otto Lopez kept the inning alive with a two-out single, which was followed by a single from Liam Hicks, who was pinch-hitting for Brian Navarreto. Lopez was able to go from first to third, and then a throwing error from Harrison Bader allowed Lopez to score and make it a one-run game. Going into Tuesday's game, Phillies reliever Jhoan Duran had a 1.99 ERA during a season that has solidifies him as an elite closer. After striking out Connor Norby to begin the inning, designated hitter Heriberto Hernández took Duran deep to left field, hitting the most important home run of the his career to tie the game. It was only the third home run Duran had surrendered this season. "He's throwing 102-103 sometimes, so I am just looking for the fastball. Doesn't matter the count—I was ready for that fastball," said Hernández following the game. The Marlins turned to Calvin Faucher in the bottom of the ninth inning, but after a leadoff base hit and four total pitches, the game went into a rain delay. Play resumed one hour and nine minutes later, but the Marlins had to turn to Michael Petersen, who struck out Max Kepler, induced a fly out from Weston Wilson and line out from Bryson Stott to hold the score at 3-3. In the top of the 10th, the Marlins knocked in two runs. Liam Hicks' RBI single drove in Griffin Conine and moved Troy Johnston to third. Jakob Marsee drove Johnston in on a sac fly, making it a 5-3 lead. The most puzzling sequence of the game came in the bottom of the 10th. After Otto Kemp and Harrison Bader both lined out against Petersen, McCullough opted to intentionally walk Schwarber, bringing the winning run up to the plate in Alec Bohm. Bohm's RBI single made it a one-run game. Josh Simpson entered the game to match up with lefty Brandon Marsh, but the Phillies brought in Nick Castellanos to pinch-hit. Simpson allowed a game-tying RBI single to Castellanos before ending the inning with a strikeout. "The decision to walk Schwarber, I didn't really think that much about it," said McCullough. "He's just not going to be the one that I was going to lose it with." All it took in the top of the 11th was an Xavier Edwards sac fly to drive in Norby to retake the lead, 6-5. Simpson would go back out for the bottom of the inning and induced three straight ground balls to end the game. His ERA dropped to 7.85. Dane banged up In the bottom of the second inning, Kepler hit a double off the right field wall. Dane Myers made a leaping attempt to catch it, but missed and suffered a painful knee injury in the process. Myers was lifted onto a cart without putting any pressure on it. Myers' 2025 season is over as a right knee laceration will send him to the injured list, McCullough confirmed. Expect Joey Wiemer, who was removed from Jacksonville's playoff game moments after Myers' injury, to join the team in Philadelphia. Wiemer had just been optioned on Monday in a corresponding roster move to make room for Conine. NL Wild Card update Realistically, the Marlins need to continue to be perfect over their final five games to potentially get the third Wild Card spot, and even that may not be enough. The New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks won their matchups on Tuesday, while the Cincinnati Reds lost theirs and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants. The Marlins' tragic number is down to two—that is the combination of Marlins losses and Mets wins required to officially eliminate Miami from reaching the postseason. Former rotation mates Ryan Weathers and Jesús Luzardo will face off on Wednesday. First pitch is at 6:45 pm. View full article

The Miami Marlins are in agreement with two highly rated players in advance of the 2026 international signing period, sources tell Fish On First. Venezuelan shortstop Santiago Solarte and Dominican shortstop Ronny Muñoz will join the club when the signing period officially opens on January 15, with both of them due to receive bonuses of at least $1 million. The Marlins have a total bonus pool of $7,357,100. The Marlins have deals in place with 19 total players so far for the 2026 signing period, per source. The class is heavy on position player talent, in contrast to the pitcher-focused 2025 class. Solarte is ranked 16th on MLB Pipeline's Top 50 international prospects lists. He's a 50-grade prospect overall with 45-hit, 65-power, 55-run, 50-arm and 55-field tools. "Physical specimen type of build at 6’5” with raw explosiveness and top-of-scale strength," said one scout. "Advanced body control and athletic actions for someone that size and age." a9k409_1.mp4 Solarte briefly participated in Venezuela's professional summer league (LMBP), where the average player was more than a decade older than him. In nine games with Samanes de Aragua (mostly off the bench), he slashed .143/.250/.143 with one hit, one walk, two strikeouts and one stolen base. Solarte has been trained at Academia Carlos Guillén. The Marlins will also be signing outfielder Raunny Figueredo (unranked by Pipeline), who trained at that academy as well. Ronny Muñoz (#27 on Pipeline) is another 50-grade prospect (55 hit, 55 power, 60 run, 60 arm and 45 field). "Traits-based prospect with explosive raw tools that has some of the most electric hand speed I’ve ever scouted," one scout said about the 5'11" right-handed hitter. "Even though he’s on the smaller side, he really packs a punch displaying plus bat speed, raw power, plus speed and plus arm strength." Muñoz has already seen action in what are called "committed games," hitting a home run to straightaway center field. The 2025 international period remains open through December 15. Fish On First has been tracking the Marlins' signings here. View full article

The last time Miami Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine played in a major league game was on April 19 against the Philadelphia Phillies. More than five months later, he will be making his return to the Marlins lineup at Citizens Bank Park, the same place where he suffered the shoulder injury that cost him most of the 2025 season. Conine was reinstated from the 60-day injured list on Monday, heading into a three-game series against the Phillies. In his absence, Miami has shockingly played well enough to stay mathematically alive in the race for the third NL Wild Card spot. Conine, who has been in the Marlins organization since 2020, made a slow climb up the minor league ladder. Being the son of a franchise legend did him no favors as the left-handed power hitter didn't make his MLB debut until August of 2024 when he was already 27 years old. His offensive production since then has come as a pleasant surprise. In 50 total games, Mr. Marlin Jr. has slashed .274/.338/.445/.783 with four home runs and 19 RBI. His 117 wRC+ over the last two seasons combined ranks third among all Marlins players with at least 100 plate appearances, trailing only Jakob Marsee and Kyle Stowers. For what it's worth, Conine crushed the ball during his just-completed rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville. In nine games, he slashed .292/.514/.583/1.098 with two home runs and nine RBI, walking more times (11) than he struck out (9). Along with strong offensive contributions, Conine provides good defense in the corner outfield spots. He ranked in the 96th percentile in arm strength among MLB outfielders last season, per Baseball Savant. His home run robbery during the opening series of the season still stands out as arguably the catch of the year for the Marlins. 9UoLesxJ8g-iqETZ.mp4 In a small sample of 327 innings, Conine's defense has been valued at four defensive runs saved and minus-one outs above average. Trailing both the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets by four games with only six games left to play, there is a 99.9% chance that the Marlins' season ends this week without a Wild Card berth. Regardless, Conine is in agreement with Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Winter League to get more game reps during the offseason, making up for the time that his shoulder injury took away from him in preparation for 2026. View full article

MIAMI, FL—It was a tough start to September for the Miami Marlins, mainly because they couldn't figure out how to beat the last-place Washington Nationals. In five head-to-head meetings so far this month, the Nats had won all five, and it looked as if that trend would continue on Wednesday after the Fish fell behind 3-0. This time, however, the offense came to life and the bullpen did its job perfectly to flip the game around for an 8-3 victory. It's the first time since August 1 against the New York Yankees that the Marlins have come back from a deficit of three runs or more to win. The Marlins were being shut out by Jake Irvin until a four-run bottom of the sixth inning. With both Maximo Acosta and Xavier Edwards on, Jakob Marsee drove Acosta in on an RBI single, making it a 3-1 game. Otto Lopez reached first on an RBI fielder's choice and Marsee avoided the tag at second base to produce another run. Agustín Ramírez, whose birthday was on Wednesday, tied the game with an RBI single. Eric Wagaman followed with a go-ahead RBI single himself. "Sometimes it's just more exit placement than exit velocity," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough about the sixth-inning rally. "It was nice to see us pass the baton and just keep moving along like we did and then to go to tack on as well late once we had the lead." Marsee finished with a four-hit game, his second of the season. Through 39 career games, he's now slashing .336/.404/.573/.977 with five home runs, 27 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He ranks top 10 among all qualified MLB hitters in batting average since being called up at the beginning of August. "I think it's a lot of just what we've seen since he's debuted," said McCullough. "He's hitting the ball to all fields and putting himself in good counts, swinging at the right pitches and always ready to hit. I think we continue to learn about Marsee in a short time up here (that) this guy really wants to win, and you see how he attacks every facet on the bases, defensively and in the batter's box. He's a really terrific competitor and we've just seen him from the offensive side continue to roll out one good at-bat after another." Otto Lopez gave the Marlins a two-run cushion in the bottom of the seventh inning with an RBI single, driving in Xavier Edwards. Lopez's 72 RBI put him just behind Kyle Stowers (73) for the team lead. Lopez is almost certain to finish first in that category with Stowers unlikely to return this season. In the bottom of the eighth, Edwards hit his third home run of the season. It was his first career home run at loanDepot park. Earlier on this homestand, the Marlins gave their leadoff hitter back-to-back days off hoping that the mental reset would help snap him out of an extended slump. "It's a step in the right direction," said Edwards about Wednesday's performance. "Just to show that some of the work I've been putting in hopefully is paying off." Between his previous two starts, Eury Pérez allowed a combined 12 earned runs in 4 ⅔ innings pitched. He bounced back by going 5 ⅔ innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, no walks and struck out seven. He generated 15 total whiffs, most notably seven with his four-seam fastball, which was averaging 98.0 mph and topped out at 99.8 mph. 61fd3622-a25500f2-ed165d86-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 With the win, the Marlins move to 67-78 and aim for a series split on Thursday. Fully recovered from a left lat strain, Ryan Weathers will be activated off the 60-day IL and make his first start since 6/7. First pitch is at 6:40 pm. View full article