Kevin Barral

Those who follow the Marlins minor league system closely have noticed the pattern. From March-May, Jacob Berry simply doesn't hit, and that's a problem for somebody whose value depends on their bat. At High-A in 2023, Berry was slashing .171/.204/.288/.492 through the end of May. It got even worse the next year with Double-A Pensacola, where he had a .155/.205/.217/.422 slash line through the same stretch of the calendar. By comparison, his 2025 season-opening slump wasn't as extreme (.181/.268/.306/.574), but he still ranked among the worst qualified Triple-A hitters. "Getting into the season, there's high expectations," Berry told Fish On First during a visit to Jacksonville this week. "Puts a little bit of added pressure instead of just going back out there and playing. Just have to worry about my last at-bat and next at-bat coming up and just letting it go in the past, which is all I can do." The slow starts have ruined his overall numbers in the minors, but the 2022 first-round pick has done more this time to recover. He slashed .303/.413/.492/.905 with five home runs and 22 RBI during June and July combined. In terms of wRC+, he has been an above-average hitter for the Jumbo Shrimp (102 wRC+). "Just took a step back and realized that it's not the end of the year," said Berry. "Still got a long year left and we've still got 48 games left. I am just trying to have quality at-bats every time I go up there." Similar to most of his Jacksonville teammates, Berry is making better swing decisions and stealing more bases than he has in the past. His walk rate has gone from 7.8% in 2024 to 11.7% in 2025 while his strikeout rate has remained stable. His 17 stolen bases is already a career-high. When new Marlins call-up Jakob Marsee was scratched from Thursday's AAA lineup, Berry filled his shoes in the leadoff spot. That could be his regular spot moving forward after being buried at the bottom of the order for much of this season. The timing of Berry potentially getting called up himself depends on where the Marlins see him defensively. He was originally drafted as a third baseman, but his playing time at the position has dropped each season (only 12 starts there in 2025). The majority of his appearances this year have come at second base. During Jacksonville's current series against Columbus, he's been exclusively in right field. "Learning different positions is something new," Berry said. "Feel like I can play them and starting to learn how to play them well is the biggest thing and I just gotta grow in every area." The 24-year-old switch-hitter will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft during the upcoming offseason. If his production over the final two months looks like the previous two months, Berry could be in consideration for a 40-man roster spot. View full article

On Thursday, the Miami Marlins dealt the longest-tenured position player on the team, Jesús Sánchez, to the Houston Astros in exchange for right-handed pitcher Ryan Gusto and prospects Chase Jaworsky and Esmil Valencia. Michael Schwab was the first to report that Sánchez was traded. This marks back-to-back years that the Marlins and Astros have struck a deal. In 2024, they swapped Jacob Amaya for Valente Bellozo. Sánchez, who the Marlins acquired alongside Ryne Stanek back in 2019 when they traded reliever Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards to the Tampa Bay Rays, finishes his career with the Marlins slashing .243/.310/.426/.736 with 69 home runs, 226 RBI and a 100 OPS+. Through 86 games in 2025, Sánchez is slashing .256/.320/.420/.740 with 10 home runs, 36 RBI and a 105 wRC+. After the Marlins trade to give him an opportunity to face more left-handed pitching in 2024, he's been primarily facing righties this season, which will likely be the case with the Astros. Sánchez ranks 23rd in Marlins history in games played (532). As for the return, Ryan Gusto was currently in the Astros rotation. He has posted a 4.92 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 9.10 K/9 and 2.93 BB/9 through 86 innings pitched. His last start came on July 30 against the Washington Nationals, going six innings, allowing one run on four hits, one walk and struck out five. Gusto's arsenal consist of a four-seam fastball, curveball, sinker, cutter, changeup, sweeper and slider. His fastball is his best pitch, posting a three run value, averaging 94.1 mph, generating a 28.4% whiff rate and 21.2% PutAway rate. With the Marlins surprisingly holding onto everybody in their major league rotation, expect Gusto to be optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. Infielder Chase Jaworsky was one of two prospects acquired in this trade. He is the 22nd ranked prospect according to Baseball America and 13th per MLB Pipeline. Through 57 games at the High-A level, he's slashing .242/.353/.359/.712 with three home runs, 29 RBI, 24 stolen bases and a 100 wRC+. Esmil Valencia, who isn't ranked in any Top 30 list, is currently in Low-A slashing .263/.325/.357/.682 with five home runs, 36 RBI, 50 stolen bases and a 103 wRC+. Right away, Valencia joining the organization puts him as the system's stolen base leader, ahead of Jakob Marsee who currently stands at. The 19-year-old outfield prospect is striking out 24.6% of the time, which is an increase from last year's 17.5% rate. Overall, the Marlins did well in this trade. They acquired Gusto, who was struggling a bit in the Astros organization, but has the makings of a middle-of-the-rotation starter, while the two other prospects have some nice underlying tools which the Marlins have been looking for in prospects ever since Peter Bendix joined the organization. View full article

Former Marlins first-round pick Jacob Berry speaks with Fish On First about moving all around the diamond defensively, his streakiness at the plate and learning from his teammates. View full video

Marlins pitching prospect Robby Snelling speaks with Fish On First about setting a new career-high in strikeouts, getting comfortable at the Triple-A level and more. View full video

Marlins outfield prospect Jakob Marsee speaks with Fish On First about his offensive improvement this season and being on the verge of reaching the major leagues. View full video

Marlins top catching prospect Joe Mack speaks with Fish On First after busting out of his slump on Tuesday, going 3-for-5 with a home run. View full video

JACKSONVILLE, FL—This is the player that the Miami Marlins were expecting when they acquired outfield prospect Jakob Marsee from the San Diego Padres in the Luis Arraez trade. Marsee enters Wednesday leading all Marlins minor leaguers in home runs (14) and stolen bases (47) while competing at the Triple-A level. However, the transition to a new organization did not go smoothly. Marsee spent most of 2024 with Double-A Pensacola where he slashed .188/.342/.303/.645. His underlying numbers were more encouraging and his results improved in 22 AAA games at the end of the season (.275/.370/.363/.732 slash line). Meanwhile in San Diego, Arraez went on to win his league's batting title for the third consecutive year. Looking back at it, the 24-year-old is thankful for the ups and downs. "I think last year, it was really good for me to fail and learn to stay within myself," he told Fish On First. "This year, sticking to my approach, knowing that if I get out, it's okay. Pitchers make good pitches and just learning from that each and every at-bat and just not trying to do too much. Last year, it got a little bit big at times, and this year, just cleaned up that stuff and just stayed within the middle of the field." Marsee is slashing .248/.379/.440/.820 through 97 games with the Jumbo Shrimp while drawing the most walks in the International League. He ranks in the 93rd percentile among all AAA hitters in chase rate, per Prospect Savant. Marsee's baserunning stands out as well. Baseball America evaluates him as a 60-grade runner, but that may be conservative. His 29.1 ft/sec Sprint Speed this season is second-highest on the Jumbo Shrimp, trailing only Andrew Pintar. He stole both second and third in the bottom of the first inning on Tuesday night. He has a 84.1% success rate during his minor league career when attempting to steal. "It just depends on what the pitchers are doing and just picking up on what he's doing," Marsee said in an interview on Turn 2 with Scott & Troy. "Always just trying to get in scoring position, or closer to home." a0QxWDlfV0ZRVkV3dEdEUT09X0JsZFVWQVlDVndJQUFBTUFBZ0FIVWc0REFGZ0FWMUlBVTExUkIxQlJDRkJjQlZkVg==.mp4 The Marlins have one starting outfield spot locked up for the foreseeable future with All-Star Kyle Stowers, but the other spots are unsettled. With the trade deadline just a day away, recent reports have indicated that teams are interested in Jesús Sánchez and Dane Myers. Moving either one of them would create room for Marsee to get his feet wet in the majors down the stretch of this season. "We all think about it every day," Marsee said. "It's hard not to. I've been dreaming about it ever since I was a little kid, so knowing I am close is really cool, but I also trust God and know that when the time comes, it'll come, and whenever it happens, it happens. I'm not really worried about that. Just focused on playing ball here and just winning games." With Marsee's contributions, Jacksonville has done plenty of winning, clinching the International League First Half Championship. The team is 20 games above .500 overall with a 61-41 record. View full article

Triple-A Jacksonville right-hander Morgan McSweeney speaks with Fish On First about his affiliated ball comeback and readjusting to being a starter. View full video

JACKSONVILLE, FL—After years of being one call away from the major leagues, Troy Johnston has received his long-awaited promotion. The Miami Marlins selected the contract of the longtime minor league first baseman/outfielder, filling the spot that previously belonged to catcher Nick Fortes. Johnston is in Tuesday's starting lineup to make his MLB debut against the St. Louis Cardinals, hitting seventh and playing first base. "It's amazing. He's ready," said Jumbo Shrimp hitting coach Mike Marjama. "It's been a long time coming. When we found out, me and (manager David Carpenter) were here yesterday—I was in the gym and he was in his office. We both heard screams from each side of the complex. We ran and met in the middle, just like killing each other. He means a lot to this team, to the staff and to the players here. Seeing this happen to this guy is pretty incredible." Johnston was selected in the 17th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Once he takes the field, he will become the 11th big leaguer produced by the Marlins from that draft class. Marjama said that being "open, transparent and honest" has made Johnston very coachable. He also praised Johnston's "development and prep, staying ahead of the game, continually working on the little things." Johnston played 636 minor league games and totaled 2,741 plate appearances, including parts of four seasons at the AAA level. Through 84 games this season with Jacksonville, the 28-year-old slashed .252/.333/.439/.773 with 12 home runs, 39 RBI, 31 stolen bases and a 108 wRC+. Johnston has been splitting time between first base and left field. "Mainly, when he was with me in Pensacola, he was at first base," said Kevin Randel, who was his Double-A manager. "New position, so obviously I've seen that get better over time, but the outfield numbers have really surprised me and his infield defense has been getting better year after year." Johnston fully embraced his time in Jacksonville, even partnering with Jumbo Shrimp broadcaster Scott Kornberg to co-host the Turn 2 with Scott & Troy podcast where they interview Johnston's teammates and discuss the minor league lifestyle. It's a fluid situation with the trade deadline only two days away, but as the Marlins roster is currently constructed, Johnston should be getting frequent starts at first base against right-handed pitching with Eric Wagaman handling first against lefties. View full article

The Miami Marlins have made their first 2025 trade deadline move, sending longtime backstop Nick Fortes to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for outfield prospect Matthew Etzel. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was first to report the deal on Monday. The Marlins announced it on Tuesday morning. Fortes, drafted by the Marlins back in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, made his MLB debut back in 2021 and has been on the major league roster ever since. Through 59 games this season, he is slashing .240/.288/.349/.637 with two home runs, 10 RBI and a 76 wRC+. Defense is primarily where Fortes' value comes from. He currently has seven blocks above average (92nd percentile among MLB catchers), two blocks above average (75th percentile), a pop time of 1.92 seconds (76th percentile) and six defensive runs saved. The 28-year-old is arbitration-eligible through the 2028 season. The Marlins had been juggling three catchers on their active roster for most of 2025. Following this move, rookies Liam Hicks and Agustín Ramírez can get an increase in reps behind the plate. Prospect Joe Mack could potentially be up before the end of the season as well. Going into Monday's slate of games, Rays catchers ranked 25th in wRC+. They will now roll out a duo of Fortes and Matt Thaiss following a separate trade on Monday that sent Danny Jansen to the Milwaukee Brewers. The return for the Marlins is 23-year-old outfielder Matthew Etzel. He was originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2023. Through 56 games this season, he has slashed .230/.360/.347/.707 with five home runs, 34 RBI, 17 stolen bases and a 115 wRC+. Etzel was placed on the injured list back on June 22. Expect him to report to AA-Pensacola when healthy. Peter Bendix's first trade after being named Marlins president of baseball operations was acquiring Calvin Faucher and Vidal Bruján from Tampa Bay in November 2023. They also collaborated on a three-team deal right before Opening Day in 2024. Overall, the Rays have been the Marlins' most frequent trade partner during Bruce Sherman's ownership tenure. The Marlins 40-man roster is now at 39. View full article

The expectation throughout this season was that the Miami Marlins would approach the MLB trade deadline as traditional sellers, focused on acquiring more young talent to develop for 2026 and beyond. As it turns out, with four days until the deadline, there is a chance for them to compete for a postseason spot ahead of schedule. They enter Sunday only five games back of a National League wild-card spot and they have one of the best records in the league dating back to early June. If the Marlins have an opportunity to plug a hole on their current roster while also getting a head start on next season's plans without losing any top prospects, would they do it? According to a recent report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Tampa Bay Rays have been "signaling to teams" that first baseman Yandy Díaz is among the veteran players they could move. The Rays have a 6-14 record in July, dropping them 2.5 games back of an AL wild-card spot. Trading one of their longest-tenured and most valuable players wouldn't necessarily mean giving up on the 2025 season, but an attempt to mix things up and address other needs. The Marlins could definitely use an upgrade at first base. A combination of Eric Wagaman and several others has produced -1.4 fWAR at the position this season, which is second-worst in the majors ahead of only the Colorado Rockies. Miami first basemen have a .209/.265/.322/.587 slash line with eight home runs. Meanwhile, the former AL batting champ Díaz is still performing at a very high level as he nears his 34th birthday. Through 99 games with Tampa Bay, he's slashing .286/.345/.475/.820 with 18 home runs, 61 RBI and a 128 OPS+. He continues to strike out at a low rate of 13.9% (the MLB average is 21.5%). He's dangerous against both left-handed and right-handed pitching. Defensively, Díaz used to play third base regularly, but he graded out poorly there in terms of both outs above average and defensively runs saved. All of his appearances over the past two seasons have come at first base and designated hitter. The Marlins have been lacking a veteran presence in their lineup. Díaz has been to the playoffs six times in his career and Miami president of baseball operations Peter Bendix knows him well from their time together in Tampa Bay. Díaz would stick around for at least one additional season beyond 2025. He is set to make $12M in 2026. For 2027, there is a $10M club option that could turn into a $13M vesting option if he reaches 500 plate appearances in '26. This is a solid investment for a Marlins team with the league's lowest payroll and the kind of acquisition that could energize the fanbase by showing a desire to compete. If this deal went through, it would probably squeeze Wagaman off the active roster with Liam Hicks being Díaz's backup at 1B. The debut of prospect Deyvison De Los Santos would be pushed back until 2026. What do the Rays get out of it? A big reason for Tampa Bay's slump has been bullpen blow-ups in high-leverage situations. The Rays took a step to address that when trading a draft pick for right-hander Bryan Baker earlier this month, but Baker has struggled with his new club and exited Saturday's game with a calf injury. They might part with Díaz if it meant getting Miami's most talented reliever, Ronny Henriquez. Henriquez, who the Marlins claimed off of waivers from the Minnesota Twins, has been a revelation in 2025, posting a 2.94 ERA, 3,88 FIP, 12.31 K/9, 3.67 BB/9 and six saves in 46 appearances (49.0 IP). Henriquez leads all National League relievers in strikeouts. He is still pre-arbitration eligible and only 25 years old. Henriquez would immediately be the Rays' main setup man for closer Pete Fairbanks and a cheap candidate to eventually replace Fairbanks, who can be a free agent after the 2026 season. The Marlins would prefer to trade other pieces of their bullpen instead of Henriquez, but ultimately, they shouldn't be growing too attached to individual relievers. They have been getting promising performances from a bunch of Double-A and Triple-A arms this season who have the stuff to help right away if called up. To fully balance this hypothetical trade, the Marlins would add Karson Milbrandt. Milbrandt was taken in the third round of the 2022 draft and has been a consistent presence on the Fish On First Top 30 list, but he still has not put it all together. Through 14 starts in High-A this season, he's posted a 3.74 ERA, 3.98 FIP, 10.53 K/9 and 5.43 BB/9. He has worked into the sixth inning only twice in those 14 starts. The 21-year-old has an above-average fastball and slider, but lacks control. Milbrandt is more likely to be a reliever than a starter long term. It is hard to believe that this kind of deal could really come to fruition, but as the Marlins continue stacking up wins, their front office may be ready to think outside the box and get aggressive. Yandy Díaz would be a great option at a position that's been holding the team back and they have enough pitching in the pipeline to cover for the losses of Henriquez and Milbrandt. View full article

Nothing was working for Otto Lopez at the plate on Wednesday as he went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts against the San Diego Padres. In the very next game, Friday's series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, he was the offensive star. Lopez cleared the bases with a double in the seventh inning to put the Miami Marlins ahead for good as they won by a final score of 5-1 in front of a soldout crowd at American Family Field. Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta gave his team five innings of one-run ball, only surrendering a home run to Kyle Stowers in the top of the third inning. He walked two and struck out nine. Milwaukee's relievers were not as effective. Lefty Aaron Ashby and righty Nick Mears combined to load the bases in the top of the seventh of a 1-1 game. That set up a high-leverage situation for Lopez, who had slashed .317/.423/.567/.989 under those circumstances going into Friday. He came through again, giving the Marlins a 4-1 lead. "I think they were just really high quality at-bats with people not trying to do too much," said manager Clayton McCullough. "You love when you get some opportunities early to break through. Freddy (Peralta) is a tough pitcher and we just continued to try to build innings and stay disciplined." After his clutch hit, Lopez advanced to third base on an error. Liam Hicks drove him on a sac fly, making it 5-1. Cal Quantrill matched Peralta and went five innings of one-run ball, allowing three hits and striking out four. He surrendered a solo homer to Jackson Chourio in the bottom of the fourth inning. For a second consecutive start, he didn't walk an opposing hitter. His first-pitch strike rate was 72.2%. Quantrill's cutter continues to be his best pitch, generating three whiffs and an average exit velo of 85.2 mph. He used it to strike out Joey Ortiz in the bottom of the fifth inning. "Cal has been throwing the ball well for the last couple of months," said McCullough. "I think he's done an excellent job of using his cutter both sides. Threw a couple good sliders today and his split-finger. Showed enough of the four-seam and the sinker and the ability to go both sides of the plate. I think that's what he's continually done and can very efficient pounding the strike zone, getting the ball off the barrel of the bat." 27a5cab6-b5b12339-0de6dfbb-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 McCullough took Quantrill out with only 65 pitches thrown, his second-lowest pitch count of the season. "I think it's where we were in that game, getting back towards the top [of the order]...Coming off an off day, we had different directions we could go and thought that what we got from Cal today was what we needed," McCullough said. Quantrill is the only pending free agent on the Marlins. Sources tell Fish On First that the team is very open to trading him ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. With the win, the Marlins are now 49-53, just four games under .500 and 5.5 games out of a NL Wild Card spot. Janson Junk will take the mound for the Fish as they aim for their fourth straight series win. First pitch is at 7:10 pm. View full article

Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara speaks with the media at loanDepot park after Wednesday's win against the San Diego Padres, which was his best start of the 2025 season. View full video