Kevin Barral

Let's check in on how the Arraez deals have worked out for the Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins and San Diego Padres so far. The Miami Marlins made one of the most interesting trades of the 2022-23 MLB offseason when they sent starting pitcher Pablo López, infield prospect Jose Salas and outfield prospect Byron Chourio to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Luis Arraez. Still only 25 years old at the time, Arraez had just won the American League batting title. The next season, he went on to easily win the NL batting title, 17 points ahead of the next-best qualified hitter. That would prove to be Arraez's only full season in Miami. On May 4, 2024, the Marlins flipped him to the San Diego Padres. They ate most of his remaining salary and received four minor leaguers in return: outfielders Dillon Head and Jakob Marsee, first baseman Nathan Martorella and reliever Woo-Suk Go. The strange timing of this one—barely a month into the regular season—made it the center of the baseball world's attention. Yet another batting title followed. These trades are still fresh and we will have to wait several more years to determine who ultimately "won" them, but it is worth taking a moment to update how things are progressing so far. Marlins perspective Going into 2023, it was evident that the Marlins needed to acquire a bat via free agency or trade that would bolster their lineup. They had pitching to spare that would keep them in games, but to win, you need to score runs. It was well known that López was available—they came very close to moving him at the 2022 trade deadline. At the time, this trade was viewed as an overpay by the Marlins and a risky one. Their farm system was, at best, middle of the pack in terms of talent. Trading Salas and Chourio only made matters worse. Arraez came to Miami as a clear offensive upgrade, but the Marlins were also counting on him to improve his play at second base and tap into a little bit more power. In his lone full season with the organization, he succeeded in both areas. Arraez had a career year, slashing .354/.393/.469/.861 with ten home runs (career-high), 69 RBI (career-high), 3.3 fWAR (career-high) and a 128 OPS+ (matching career-high). He was named to the National League All-Star team and became the first player to ever hit for the cycle in a Marlins uniform. Arraez had four defensive runs saved, a .933 fielding percentage and led National League second basemen with 93 double plays turned. He finished eighth in National League MVP voting and was a fan favorite in Miami. The Marlins posted an 84-78 record, reaching the postseason for the first time in a full season since 2003, but were swept by the Philadelphia Phillies. It was a successful season for the Marlins, but the momentum did not carry over to 2024 whatsoever. Principal owner Bruce Sherman and general manager Kim Ng mutually parted ways after the postseason. Peter Bendix was hired as the president of baseball operations. During spring training, Arraez publicly expressed his desire to sign a contract extension with the Marlins. Bendix never made a formal offer to him. Instead, 33 games into a dismal season, Arraez was traded to the Padres. Waiver claim Otto Lopez has taken over Arraez's spot at second base. Despite hitting for a much lower average, he has produced more value overall thanks to a great glove. Lopez won't reach free agency until after the 2029 season. The prospect performances have been a mixed bag. Dillon Head (Fish On First's #9 prospect) suffered a hip injury almost immediately after the trade. The athletic former first-round draft pick is back on the field this season and slashing .224/.298/.408/.706 with a 94 wRC+ in 13 games with Low-A Jupiter. Jakob Marsee (FOF #24) is closest to the majors. He leads the International League with 16 stolen bases. He's slashing .239/.420/.448/.868 in 21 games with Triple-A Jacksonville. Nathan Martorella finds himself repeating Double-A and is slashing .178/.315/.244/.559 with only five RBIs in 13 games. Woo-Suk Go is hurt and the Marlins had no expectations for him to begin with. Go struggled between AA and AAA last season. Minnesota Twins perspective The Twins were coming off a 78-84 season in 2022, missing the postseason. Their offense ranked 13th in fWAR and 10th in wRC+. Pitching on the other hand was an issue, ranking 20th in fWAR, 19th in ERA and 20th in K/9. They needed to add an arm and were able to move off of a bat. The Marlins and Twins were perfect trade partners. Arraez was at the peak of his value coming off a season where he was an AL All-Star and Silver Slugger award winner while still having three years of club control left. They felt that they could fill his shoes with homegrown infielders including Royce Lewis, José Miranda and Edouard Julien. Within the first month of the 2023 season, López agreed to a four-year, $73.5 million contract extension with Minnesota that ran through his age-31 season. The extension has looked like a good investment for the most part. Overall in 2023, López posted a 3.66 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 10.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in a career-high 194 innings pitched. He was selected to his first MLB All-Star Game. The Twins won the AL Central division with an 87-75 record. López led them to a Game 1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Wild Card Series, which snapped the franchise's 18-game postseason losing streak. He was even better against the Houston Astros in the ALCS, going seven shutout innings with one walk and seven strikeouts. In 2024, Lopez regressed a bit, posting a 4.08 ERA in 185 ⅓ innings pitched. He got off to a great start in 2025, but he's been out for two weeks due to a hamstring strain. Meanwhile, the team has been a major disappointment early on, going 7-15. It's the second-worst record among AL teams ahead of only the Chicago White Sox. The prospects involved in the initial Arraez trade are still far away from potentially reaching the majors. Jose Salas was dealt coming off a solid season between Low-A and High-A. He was playing a lot of shortstop, stealing bases efficiently and received an invitation to the Arizona Fall League as a 19-year-old. Ever since the trade, his bat hasn't developed as hoped. In 195 games with High-A Cedar Rapids, he is slashing .209/.275/.301/.577 with eight home runs, 38 stolen bases and a 68 wRC+. Salas was used a utility player in 2024, making starts at six different defensive positions. He's currently on the IL. As for Chourio, he is repeating Low-A after struggling in 2024. Through 13 games this season, he is slashing .293/.509/.317/.826 thanks to an incredibly high walk rate. Neither Salas nor Chourio rank among the top 20 Twins prospects, according to Twins Daily. They are also both unranked on the latest Baseball America and MLB Pipeline Twins top 30 lists. San Diego Padres perspective It was easy for the Padres to pull the trigger on acquiring Arraez. There was heavy pressure on them to contend, it barely cost them any money and none of prospects they gave up were ready to contribute in the big leagues. Arraez debuted with a 4-for-6 game and served as San Diego's leadoff hitter for the rest of 2024. The Padres went 76-51 with him on the roster, which was the third-highest winning percentage in MLB during that span. They swept the Atlanta Braves in the NL Wild Card Series, but were eliminated by the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. Arraez did not make an impact in October, slashing .226/.226/.226/.452 in seven games. In 139 total regular season games as a Padre, Arraez is slashing .313/.344/.402/.746 with a 112 wRC+, which is below his career norms. He is making more contact than ever (3.2 K%), but also rarely drawing walks (3.4 BB%). The 28-year-old has also made the position switch to first base. Arraez was involved in a scary collision last Sunday while hustling down the first base line. He's been placed on the 7-day IL with a concussion, but he is not expected to miss much time. The Padres continue to enjoy team success in 2025. They enter Tuesday with a 16-7 record. Arraez, a pending free agent, is likely to spend the rest of the season in San Diego. Beyond that, though, he may wind up moving to his fourth team in as many years considering the team's existing long-term payroll commitments. Who's the winner? The Padres have the clearest path to "winning" the Arraez trade tree if he helps them capture their first-ever World Series title. However, any way you break it down, they have gotten the worst version of Arraez in terms of individual production. It depends how you value intangibles—"La Regadera" is one of the most beloved teammates in the sport. Arraez was absolutely essential to the 2023 Marlins and he will continue to be appreciated by the fanbase. Unpopular as it would have been, the front office probably regrets not trading him away during the 2023-24 offseason when there were more teams to negotiate with. Things have gone downhill for the Twins since 2023. Still, López is an extraordinary clubhouse leader and community ambassador as well. They're grateful to have him leading their starting rotation long term. 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Miami Marlins right-hander Max Meyer speaks with the media at loanDepot park after punching out 14 Cincinnati Reds batters over six scoreless innings in Monday's win. View full video

Making his MLB debut, Marlins catcher Agustín Ramírez was behind the plate for Meyer's special night and contributed two hits. MIAMI, FL—Max Meyer mania may have peaked in Monday night's 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds as the right-hander recorded one of the highest strikeout totals in franchise history. Making his Major League debut behind the plate, Agustín Ramírez called a great game and immediately showed his offensive potential. Meyer became the first MLB pitcher this season and just the eighth in Marlins history to strike out 14 batters in a game. The Minnesota native joined the late José Fernández (July 28, 2016) as the only Marlins starters to ever reach 10 strikeouts within the first four innings. It was also Meyer's fourth straight quality start—nobody else on Miami's staff has produced even one. "Gross," said manager Clayton McCullough to begin his postgame press conference. "That's a good start against a good offensive club...You could tell he was in control right from beginning. I think he had everything working. The fastball played well, had the hard breaking ball, he could strike with the sweeper, threw some really good changeups. It was his ability to strike with so many pitches and then able to get below the zone as well to get swing-and-miss. It was really fun to sit back and watch him just cruise along." Per usual, Meyer relied on his slider, using it 43% of the time to generate 16 whiffs and 11 strikeouts. The other three came on changeups. Following his start, he is now tied with Zack Wheeler for the second-most strikeouts (41) in the National League, only trailing MacKenzie Gore of the Washington Nationals (45). "You have five starts a year that everything feels like it's clicking and every pitch is doing exactly what you want it to do," said Meyer. "You get strike one and then you can just play around after, so yeah, I hope to watch the video and keep trying to do that every single start." Fish On First's number three prospect Agustín Ramírez was hitting sixth and behind the plate after being called up from Triple-A Jacksonville the night before. He finished Monday's game going 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base while calling the pitches for Meyer. "Gus was terrific," said McCullough. "He really received the low ball well, had some really good blocks with two strikes. They seem to be in sync there and they had a great conversation between innings with (pitching coach) Daniel (Moskos) setting up the next inning. Gus kept a good rhythm and tempo, followed Max along well." The lone left-handed batter in the Marlins lineup, Jesús Sánchez, drove in the first run of the game off Reds starter Nick Lodolo. His RBI single to center field in the bottom of the first inning scored Otto Lopez. Designated hitter Ronny Simon, who was also making his Major League debut, drove Ramírez in on an RBI single up the middle, giving the Fish a 2-0 lead. Eric Wagaman extended his hit streak to a career-high nine games with his third home run of the season to make it 3-0. The ball left his bat at 104.9 mph and went 407 feet to dead center. The free agent signing has rebounded from an early slump to be a reliable bat for his new club. "This is a really good version of Wagaman," said McCullough. "I think we all believe in Wag's chance to be a solid offensive player. He's hitting righties and lefties, putting together good at-bats. Right now he's on time, balanced, using the whole field, so hoping for more to come from Eric." ZzY4b0RfWGw0TUFRPT1fVkFBSFUxWlZWd01BRHdaWFZRQUhCd2NGQUZrTlVsQUFVRkJUQWxkVEFBRUFBd1ZW.mp4 Kyle Stowers pinch-hit for Dane Myers in the bottom of the seventh inning and took Reds reliever Alexis Díaz deep for a three-run shot to left field, breaking the game open with a 6-0 lead. It marked Stowers' first career pinch-hit home run and the second of the season for the Marlins, with Matt Mervis doing it on April 13 against the Washington Nationals. The Marlins have now won back-to-back games and are 10-12 on the season and will send Edward Cabrera to the mound for game two of this three-game set. First pitch on Tuesday is at 6:40 pm. View full article

The organization's top catching prospect is making his way to Miami. Per FanDuel Sports Network's Craig Mish, the Miami Marlins are calling up catcher Agustín Ramírez. He will join the team for their upcoming series against the Cincinnati Reds. Fish On First's number three prospect was one of three players acquired from the New York Yankees in last year's Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade. In 2024 while playing at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, Ramirez slashed .267/.358/.487/.845 with 25 home runs, 93 RBI and 22 stolen bases in 126 games. He is off to a solid start to 2025 with AAA-Jacksonville, slashing .254/.313/.479/.792 with three home runs, 12 RBI and five steals. The one downside offensively has been an increase in strikeout rate from 18.6% in 2024 to 23.8% in 2025. Ramírez, 23, has been in the minors deep enough into the season that the Marlins' club control of him now runs through 2031. The big question about Ramírez's future is his defense. Although there was improvement seen throughout spring training, he is still having issues receiving the ball (seven passed balls this season) and transferring it on stolen base attempts (22 SB allowed). Despite that, the Jumbo Shrimp have used him exclusively as a catcher on defense. Rob Brantly exited Sunday's game due to right shoulder discomfort. Ramírez is already on the Marlins 40-man roster. Placing Brantly on the 10-day IL is the likely corresponding move to get him on the 26-man active roster. Ramírez will split time behind the plate with fellow rookie Liam Hicks until Nick Fortes recovers from his oblique strain. View full article

One of the bright spots on a youthful Marlins team, the rookie outfielder will be sidelined until midseason, if not longer. It looked bad in the moment and that turned out to be the case. The Miami Marlins have placed Griffin Conine on the 60-day injured list after he dislocated his left shoulder sliding into second base during Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Ronny Simon had his contract selected from Triple-A Jacksonville and will replace Conine on the 26-man roster. "I'm doing as well as I could be given the circumstances," Conine told the media on Sunday morning. "I've already heard from tons of people, just reaching out to support. That obviously feels good and it helps." He is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the full extent of the injury. Conine made his MLB debut on August 26, 2024 and showed enough in a 30-game sample to stick on the Marlins 40-man roster throughout the offseason. He entered spring training competing for a spot in Miami's outfield, which he earned after continuing to contribute both offensively and defensively. He was the starting right fielder on Opening Day against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Through 20 games in 2025, Conine is slashing .281/.352/.438/.790 with one home run, seven RBI and a 120 wRC+. After striking out over 30% of the time in the minor leagues, he's now striking out at a career-low 26.8% rate. He also made one of the season's most memorable defensive plays by robbing Jack Suwinski of a go-ahead home run on March 29. Even when veteran outfielder Jesús Sánchez returned from injury recently, Conine still forced his way into the lineup on a daily basis. Conine will not be eligible for reinstatement until June 19. Earlier in the week, the Marlins also lost Derek Hill to a left wrist sprain. The combination of these injuries allows Kyle Stowers to continue playing every day while leading to more opportunities for Dane Myers and Javier Sanoja. Ronny Simon was off to a phenomenal start at AAA. He is slashing .354/.441/.521/.962 with one home run, nine RBI and a 165 wRC+. Similar to Sanoja, Simon can provide versatility having played second base, third base and shortstop as well as the corner outfield spots. On the topic of roster moves, the Marlins designated Patrick Monteverde for assignment and selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Cade Gibson, who like Simon, would be making his Major League debut. The Marlins look to snap a five-game losing skid on Easter Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies, who will send Jesús Luzardo to face his former team. First pitch is at 1:35 pm. View full article

Although the Miami Marlins fell to the Philadelphia Phillies, it was a win for Patrick Monteverde, who made a long relief appearance in his Major League debut. It was a long road for Patrick Monteverde to make it to Citizens Bank Park on Saturday afternoon. Overlooked as a soft-tossing high school prospect and set back by injuries, the 27-year-old left-hander made his Major League debut and gave the Marlins length they needed in a 11-10 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. The first stop of Monteverde's collegiate career was a Division III school, Virginia Wesleyan University. In his lone season there, he was named 2017 ODAC Rookie of the Year, 2017 All-State Second Team in Virginia, 2017 All-State Rookie of the Year and 2017 ABCA Second Team All-Region South. Monteverde then transferred to Division II Seton Hill, where he spent three years, but was limited to 91 ⅔ innings due to Tommy John surgery and the COVID pandemic. Next, after posting a video of one of his bullpen sessions on social media, Monteverde finally received interest from 34 Division I schools including Miami, Alabama, Auburn, Indiana and UCF. He chose to play at Texas Tech. In his lone season with the Red Raiders, Monteverde posted a 3.75 ERA in 86 ⅓ innings pitched. Texas Tech went 39-17, reaching the Lubbock Super Regional. Monteverde was selected in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Marlins. Nearing his 24th birthday, he received only a $47,500 signing bonus. Monteverde continued to overachieve and the Marlins developed him as a starter. In 2023, the Pittsburgh native was one of two players selected to represent the organization in the MLB Futures Game where he closed out a win for the National League. The MVP of that game? His organizational teammate, Nasim Nuñez who is now with the Washington Nationals. This season, Monteverde was invited for a second consecutive year to big league camp and in three appearances, he posted a 3.18 ERA, striking out nine and not walking anyone. He was reassigned to minor league camp and later sent to begin the season in Double-A Pensacola. He was quickly promoted to Triple-A Jacksonville, posting a 4.82 ERA in three appearances (all out of the bullpen). On Friday, he received the greatest call of his life from Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp manager David Carpenter while at the team's hotel in Memphis. "We were just in my room playing Mario Kart," said Monteverde on Saturday. "(Carpenter) called me and said, 'Hey what are you doing, you going to the (Memphis Grizzlies) game?' Cause I thought he was going to go and I thought he just wanted to meet up or something. I was like, 'No, we're here. We're at the hotel.' He said, 'Well, they're gonna need you in Philly tomorrow. You're going to big leagues.' So I was like, 'Woah.' That's not where I thought this conversation was going." In relief of a struggling Cal Quantrill, Monteverde went on to give the Marlins 3 ⅔ innings, allowing four runs on nine hits, one walk and three strikeouts. He threw 87 pitches, marking one of the longest relief appearances in franchise history. Monteverde went with his slider (47%), four-seam fastball (16%), changeup (14%), curveball (14%) and sinker (9%). The slider generated five whiffs and two of his four strikeouts. "He gave us much needed length today," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "Yesterday our bullpen had to cover quite a bit. Today was shorter start than we were hoping for, but for Patrick to get through basically the bulk of that game there and do the job he did in his Major League debut there was a lot asked and then stretched him out. For him to come here and do that for us, while we end up losing this game, you hope that at least sets you up in a better position for tomorrow." Quantrill made his fourth start of the season and it was probably his worst. The Phillies offense knocked him out after 3 ⅓ innings pitched. He allowed seven runs on eight hits and three walks. The last time Quantrill went a start without striking out anyone was in his final start with the Colorado Rockies in 2024. "Just some mistakes in the middle of the plate that they were able to get to," said McCullough. "Just couldn't get some of the misses there late in the count and guys were able to get on some pitches that stayed more up in locations he probably didn't like, but Cal's a really good pitcher and he'll get right back on the horse and get ready for his next one." In the top of the sixth inning, Griffin Conine knocked in his seventh RBI of the season, but it came at a cost. As he slid to second, he grabbed his left arm in pain and was removed from the game. The Marlins later announced that Conine suffered a left shoulder injury and is being evaluated. kpnegm_1.mp4 In the top of the ninth inning, the Marlins made it very interesting despite initially trailing 11-4. Jesús Sánchez led the inning off with a double and Eric Wagaman followed him with a base hit. Dane Myers, who pinch-hit for Kyle Stowers, hit his first home run of the season to make it 11-7. Javier Sanoja reached on an infield single and Connor Norby grounded into a fielder's choice. After defensive indifference advanced Norby into scoring position, Graham Pauley drove him in on an RBI double. This marked Pauley's first career three-hit game. He was sent down to AAA when the Marlins reinstated Norby, but recalled the next day when Derek Hill landed on the 10-day IL. Liam Hicks hit his first Major League home run to make it a one-run game. The Rule 5 Draft pick became the second catcher in Marlins history to record four hits, four RBI and a home run in a game. This was Hicks' first career four-hit game. Once the Phillies deployed closer José Alvarado, Xavier Edwards flew out to right field to end the Marlins rally. It marked the 17th time in franchise history that the Marlins scored six-plus runs in the ninth inning or later. It was only their fourth loss in that situation. "Love the way it finished," said McCullough. "Love the way that we fought back in there late in the game to scratch back and end up bringing the tying run to the plate, then to get their closer in. Hats off to our whole crew for hanging in there and continuing to play and keep going all the way through 27 outs. So from that end, it was great." The Marlins have now lost five straight. They will look to snap the streak and salvage the series against the Phillies on Sunday as they will send Connor Gillispie to the mound. On the other side, former Marlin Jesús Luzardo will not only face his former team, but his hometown team. First pitch is at 1:35 pm. View full article

Friday's start was one of the shortest of Sandy Alcantara's career. Its now been four starts and the Miami Marlins are still searching for the Sandy of old. In a 7-2 loss, Sandy Alcantara was only able to complete two innings and surrendered six runs on four hits (one home run). He now has a 7.27 ERA this season and the Marlins fell to 8-11, losing their fourth straight. "Got some two-strike counts and I think there was trouble putting guys away today," said manager Clayton McCullough. "He really ran the pitch count up early and then there were some pitches he just didn't execute as well and they were able to put some swings on it. Just the unfortunate nature of just getting a lot of those foul balls and inability to put them away when you had two strikes and for the pitch count to get up to where it was after a couple of innings." To say the least, this was a concerning start for Alcantara. He's been known for his high ground ball rate, posting a career 50.7% ground ball rate and through the first three starts of this season, 65.1%. It was down to 33% on Friday night. He was also threw two wild pitches. The Phillies offense wasted no time getting it going. In the bottom of the first inning, Bryce Harper took Alcantara deep for his fifth home run of the season, crushing it 418 feet to the second deck in right field. That was only the second time in his career that Harper has taken the Marlins ace deep. In the second inning, Alcantara walked Max Kepler, allowed a base hit to former Marlin J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm knocked in the third Phillies run. Johan Rojas followed Bohm with an RBI single. After throwing his first wild pitch of the game, Alcantara gave up his fifth run on a Bryson Stott sacrifice fly. Alcantara allowed the sixth run on a wild pitch. Most of the damage that Alcantara allowed came on 0-2 counts, including the Harper home run, Bohm's RBI and the second wild pitch. The Marlins ace attributes that to missing his spots. "I tried to go cutter up and in and just left it out there in the middle-middle and it was easy peasy for him," said Alcantara regarding the home run he gave up to Harper. "If you're gonna find any kind of silver lining, I think we feel good about where the stuff is tonight," said McCullough. "It is more of an execution thing and just trying to put them away with two strikes." Following the game, Alcantara expressed his frustration: "I don't feel happy about the job I've been doing the past couple of starts. I think it's time for me to get back into Sandy mode and just be out there every fifth day and do what I do." Anthony Veneziano, a Hackettstown, New Jersey native—just an hour and 30 minutes away from Citizens Bank Park—came in relief of Alcantara. In front of friends and family, he went 2 ⅓ innings, allowing one run on a home run to Kyle Schwarber. He struck out two. On the other side, Phillies ace Zack Wheeler turned in his best start of the season, striking out 13 through seven innings of work. He generated 20 whiffs, with 11 of them coming on his four-seam fastball. Four of his 13 strikeouts came on the sinker, three of them strikeouts looking. "Early on, we talked about the fastball and how well it plays," said McCullough. "I think that we weren't able to take that away from him. Early on, he got a lead and was able to settle in there and get into a groove and then started to mix his pitches a little bit more." The only run that Wheeler allowed came in the top of the sixth inning. Eric Wagaman took the Georgia native deep for his second home run of the season. It was a two-run shot to left center field, leaving the bat at 105.9 mph and going 427 feet. After a slow start to the season, Wagaman is now slashing .260/.339/.440/.779 with two home runs and six RBI. The Marlins will look to bounce back on Saturday as Cal Quantrill will get the start. As for the Phillies, they will deploy Taijuan Walker who is off to a nice start in 2025. First pitch will be at 1:05 pm. View full article

For the first time this season, the Miami Marlins were swept. The D-backs stole five bases off of Edward Cabrera and Miami's offense couldn't take advantage of their many scoring opportunities. MIAMI, FL—The series finale between the Miami Marlins and the Arizona Diamondbacks produced one of the weirdest box scores you'll see this season. Despite out-hitting Arizona, 13-5, the Marlins fell by a final score of 6-4 and were swept for the first time in 2025. After a nice season debut, Edward Cabrera regressed to his career norms on Thursday afternoon. Cabrera surrendered five runs on four hits, walked three and struck out six. In the top of the first inning, Corbin Carroll manufactured the first run of the ballgame by stealing second and third, then scoring on a sacrifice fly. Jupiter native Pavin Smith made it 2-0 when he took a Cabrera four-seam fastball deep for his third home run of the season. Smith had an incredible series overall, going 6-for-11 with three walks. In his previous start, Cabrera's fastball averaged 97.9 mph, topping out at 99.5 mph. On Thursday, his fastball velocity saw a significant dip, averaging 95.6 mph (a 2.3 mph decrease) and topping out at 96.8 mph. "They started running some deep counts," said manager Clayton McCullough. "When he got ahead, they tightened up there when he had count leverage and was a lot of foul balls and then they ran the pitch count up along with some of the walks and it just got up on there. Overall for how it went, he did a good job of just keeping it in there and doing his best to continue to go as long as he could. The pitch count got to him there, especially in his second start coming back." The Diamondbacks stole five bases while Cabrera was on the mound. He noted postgame that he needs to be more unpredictable. "We're always discussing ways, varying times or holding the ball," said McCullough. "They have some guys very capable on their roster. Unfortunately, the ones that do get on base, they have that ability and days like this happen will. We need to try to do our best to just vary up the timing." Third baseman Connor Norby made his season debut following a stint on the injured list due to a left oblique strain. He played third base and hit second in the lineup and went 1-for-5. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Norby got to reliever Ryan Thompson, knocking his first base hit of the season and moving Rob Brantly to second. "I think the first at-bat was a little antsy," said McCullough. "I think he was really aggressive, and to be expected. For him this is kind of like Opening Day this season. The last couple of at-bats, he started to settle, to slow things down a little bit, let the action come to him which I think that's just very normal for anyone that missed the start and now is just getting back into it." When catcher Nick Fortes landed on the IL last week, the Marlins called up Rob Brantly from Triple-A Jacksonville. On Thursday, he made his second start of the season and went 3-for-3 with three singles. It marked his first multi-hit game since September 28, 2017 when he was with the Chicago White Sox and first three-hit game since June 8, 2013. He became the second-oldest catcher in franchise history to record a three-hit game. Mike Mordecai was 36 in 2004 when he did so as an emergency catcher. The Marlins put runners on base in all nine innings, but also struck out 16 times. Brantly was the only starting position player without any Ks. The Marlins are 8-10 on the season and will now take on the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Sandy Alcantara will take the mound for the Marlins on Friday and go up against Zack Wheeler. First pitch is at 6:45 pm. View full article

Marlins infielder Connor Norby speaks with the media at loanDepot park about being reinstated from the injured list after missing the first 17 games of the season due to an oblique strain. View full video

For the fourth time this season, the Marlins surrendered double-digit runs. MIAMI, FL—For the fourth time this season, the Miami Marlins have surrendered double-digit runs, falling to the Arizona Diamondbacks by a final score of 10-4. Starting pitcher Connor Gillispie struggled on Tuesday, going five innings, allowing eight runs off of eight hits (two home runs), walking two and striking out six. The Diamondbacks put up four runs in the top of the second inning. Corbin Carroll drove in the first run of the game on an RBI double and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo took Gillispie deep for a three-run shot to the left field second deck. Former Marlins prospect Josh Naylor hit his second home run of the season in the third inning, extending the Diamondbacks lead, 5-1. Gillispie would go on to retire nine in a row until the top of the sixth inning when he surrendered back-to-back base hits to Lourdes Gurriel and Eugenio Suárez. Catcher Gabriel Moreno drove in Gurriel on an RBI single, putting the Diamondbacks up 6-1 when Marlins manager Clayton McCullough took the righty out. "Little bit of a mixed bag," said manager Clayton McCullough. "I think he looked at probably the one mistake with Perdomo, just didn't get a cutter where he was hoping to get it with two outs. Some traffic on second and he gives up the home run. Then I thought he really settled in well and threw the ball very nicely into the sixth. He may have wanted a pitch or two back." McCullough deployed George Soriano out of the Marlins bullpen and after former Marlin Garrett Hampson reached first on a fielder's choice, Corbin Carroll took Soriano deep for his third career grand slam, essentially putting the nail in the coffin as the Diamondbacks increased their lead to 10-1. Jesús Sánchez, who made his season debut, went 1-for-4 with a walk while starting in center field. " I thought he looked great," said McCullough. "Bat speed was there, hard contact the majority of his plate appearances. I thought he tracked the ball really well. Last at-bat, he got a walk there against the lefty, which was a good sign." Veteran right-hander Merrill Kelly entered the night with.a 7.20 ERA, but enjoyed his best start of the season in Miami. He struck out nine over six innings with only one run allowed. The Marlins made some noise in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring two runs to make it a 10-3 game, but with the bases loaded, Eric Wagaman struck out swinging. In the ninth, Griffin Conine crushed a 117.4 mph double, easily the hardest hit of his MLB career. He came around to score on a Graham Pauley sac fly. The Marlins fell to 8-8 on the season. They will look to get back over .500 on Wednesday as Max Meyer will make his fourth start of the season at 6:40 pm. View full article

Miami Marlins outfielder Jesús Sánchez speaks with the media at loanDepot park about completing his recovery from an oblique strain and returning to a team with a winning record. View full video

Alderman is tapping into his plus power more consistently so far this season with the help of mechanical changes. Prior to the Double-A season beginning, Miami Marlins outfield prospect Kemp Alderman told reporters that he wanted to have a 20/20 season (20 home runs, 20 stolen bases). That seemed to be an unlikely goal for a player who had only nine homers and nine steals over the previous two minor league seasons combined. Through nine games, Alderman is well ahead of that pace, slashing .375/.432/.750/1.182 with three home runs, 11 RBI and five stolen bases. That earned him a selection to MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Week. Miami's second-round draft pick in 2023, Alderman missed nearly half of the 2024 season due to a hand injury. He reached the AA level for the first time in September, but slashed .174/.174/.348/.522 with one home run and three RBI through six games played. Fish On First spoke to Alderman about his limited experience in Pensacola and he said it "opened my eyes a lot." "As you go up in the levels, you learn that you're not just up there swinging—you have to have a plan," said Alderman. "Just having my plan, my approach, sticking to it, and if it works, it works and if it doesn't, we'll go from there." To make up for lost time, Alderman went to the Arizona Fall League. His plus power was on display during a phenomenal nine-game stretch where he slashed .306/.375/.833/1.208 with six home runs and eight RBI. "It's a great experience," said Alderman. "Just getting to play with different guys, different orgs and see what they do, see what worked for them. Just playing against some really great competition, facing good arms...It was probably the most fun I've ever had playing the game of baseball, to be honest." Alderman lost some weight entering 2025 to prove himself as "a big guy who can run," but another development has been his all-around improvement as a hitter. Carrying over from the AFL, the 22-year-old has switched to a new batting stance, holding his hands higher and his bat at a more horizontal angle. The clip below shows Alderman's September 2024 stance on the left and his current stance on the right. Kemp Alderman split screen.mp4 In these photos, you can more clearly see that his hands were previously at the letters as the pitcher began their delivery. They are now above his shoulders. Swinging down at the ball has understandably caused his groundball percentage to spike up (from 49.0% to 58.3%), but the production doesn't lie. He is hitting for average and getting on base a lot more. Alderman is a strong candidate to be added to the FOF Top 30 list following our next update. View full article