Kevin Barral

Jesús Luzardo would've been a lock for the 2025 Marlins starting rotation. In his absence, Mazur will be among the young arms competing to fill his spot. Starting rotation depth was supposed to be a strength of the Miami Marlins entering last season, but that wasn't exactly the case. Injuries forced the team to make constant changes and the results were mediocre. In 2025, they may have to once again rely on inexperienced starters, especially following Sunday's trade that sent left-handed pitcher Jesús Luzardo to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for two prospects. Following the trade, the projected rotation includes Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, Ryan Weathers and Braxton Garrett. With Eury Pérez rehabbing from the Tommy John surgery, the question is who will earn the fifth spot on Opening Day. Valente Bellozo made 13 starts as a rookie, which ranked fifth on the Marlins behind Cabrera, Weathers and two pitchers who are no longer with the organization, Trevor Rogers and Roddery Muñoz. The soft-tossing right-hander was a big success story with a 3.67 ERA, but his 5.73 FIP suggests he's very unlikely to sustain that moving forward. Former first-round draft pick Max Meyer made 11 total starts. He was demoted to Triple-A Jacksonville despite an April hot streak and slumped during the second half to finish with a 5.68 ERA. However, in addressing the media on Sunday, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix mentioned two other names instead when discussing Miami's rotation: Adam Mazur and Robby Snelling. "We have a lot of depth there as well as a lot of high-end talent, so I'm really excited to see how it shakes out," said Bendix. Mazur, 23, was one of four players acquired from the San Diego Padres in exchange for Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing. He has already seen time at the major league level, but the Padres rushed his development and the poor numbers reflected that (7.49 ERA, 6.23 FIP, 5.88 K/9 and 5.61 BB/9). Following the trade, the Marlins assigned Mazur to AAA-Jacksonville. In eight starts, he posted a 5.21 ERA, 4.67 FIP, 9.00 K/9 and 1.66 BB/9. He looked more like his usual self in terms of good control, limiting opponents to zero walks in five of those starts. Along with a high walk rate, Mazur struggled against MLB hitters because his fastball and curveball were getting crushed. The fastball, which averages 95.0 mph, was taken deep four times. He allowed a .333 batting average on it and an average exit velo of 93.5 mph with only a 13.4 whiff%. In a smaller sample, the curveball failed even more (.364 batting average, 93.9 mph exit velo and 8.3 whiff%). It was encouraging to see Mazur's swing-and-miss improvement on both pitches during his Jumbo Shrimp stint. He added a little velocity and horizontal break to the curveball on his way to a 32.4 whiff%. His fastball velo remained the same as its whiff% went up to 19.1%. Mazur's slider is his signature pitch. The key is having enough trust in the rest of his arsenal to put him in strikeout situations, and he looks to be on the right track. Our own Isaac Azout will be following his progress closely after predicting him to make the Opening Day roster on the latest episode of Fish Unfiltered. Snelling, 21, reached the AAA level at the very end of the 2024 season after a great showing in AA-Pensacola. Snelling's velocity was down compared to his 2023 breakout year, but the command of all his pitches was impressive after joining his new organization. Snelling is a safe bet to attend big league camp, but it's a long shot that he starts the regular season in Miami given his lack of a 40-man roster spot and limited AAA experience. Several other pitchers who are already on the 40-man could be stretched out as starters during spring training. Meyer was excellent last spring and is capable of bouncing back. Xzavion Curry and Anthony Veneziano both started regularly in the minors while Dax Fulton showed promise in that role before undergoing elbow surgery. Unless the Marlins spend to bring in a veteran, it should be an interesting competition. View full article

The Marlins have moved on from Luzardo after three-and-a-half seasons with the organization. Prospect Paul McIntosh is also headed to Philly in the deal. The Miami Marlins received an offer that was "too good to pass up" and traded left-handed pitcher Jesús Luzardo and catcher Paul McIntosh to the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday in exchange for shortstop Starlyn Caba and outfielder Emaarion Boyd. Robert Murray of FanSided was first to report the deal. Luzardo, 27, was acquired from the Oakland Athletics in the midst of the 2021 season in exchange for Starling Marte. Although Luzardo struggled in his Marlins 12 starts that season, the Broward native had an excellent 2022 despite being limited to only 18 starts. He posted a 3.32 ERA, 3.12 FIP, 10.76 K/9 and 3.14 BB/9 through 100 ⅓ innings pitched. His best season would come in 2023 as he pitched a career-high 178 ⅔ innings and had a 3.58 ERA, 3.55 FIP, 10.48 K/9 and 2.77 BB/9. He started Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series against the same Phillies team that he now plays for. In 2024, Luzardo was named the Marlins Opening Day starter. Less than one month into the regular season, he suffered left elbow tightness and was placed on the IL. In June, a lumbar stress reaction knocked him out for the remainder of the season. He was limited to 12 starts, pitching to a 5.00 ERA, 4.26 FIP, 7.83 K/9 and a 2.97 BB/9. Luzardo's name has come up in trade rumors dating back to the 2023-24 offseason. Last week, the Chicago Cubs pursued him, but the teams couldn't finalize a deal. Entering 2025, Luzardo is arbitration-eligible for the third time. He has another year of club control beyond that before he can become a free agent. The Phillies are the fourth different MLB organization he has played for (previously the Marlins, A's and Washington Nationals). A former undrafted free agent, McIntosh spent the 2024 season at the Double-A level and slashed .246/.340/.385/.725 with 12 home runs, 55 RBI and a 118 wRC+. He has always hit on his way through the minor leagues, never posting a wRC+ below 100. However, defensive limitations have held him back from getting a major league call-up as he enters his age-27 season. The main player returning in this trade is 19-year old shortstop Starlyn Caba who slashed .228/.385/.284/.669 with two home runs and 26 RBI between the complex and Low-A. As one of the top international prospects in 2023, he signed with the Phillies for $3 million. His best tool early on has been his defense. The expectation is that he will stick at shortstop. Baseball America ranks Caba is the No. 54 overall MLB prospect. "I think he's got a chance to be a superstar...He's extremely athletic, excellent tools, really good shortstop, great makeup, great bat-to-ball skills, great swing decisions," Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix says. "It's the whole package of what you're looking for from a prospect." Also involved in the return was outfielder Emaarion Boyd who slashed .239/.316/.330/.647 with three home runs, 40 RBI and a 90 wRC+. Boyd's plus-plus speed is what stands, stealing 56 bags in 2023 and 27 in 2024. He's seen time primarily at left and center field. He has the ability to stick in center field. This is the first trade made between the Marlins and Phillies since February 2019 when they swapped J.T. Realmuto for Sixto Sánchez, Jorge Alfaro, Will Stewart and international bonus pool money. The Marlins would come to regret that move—Realmuto remains Philly's starting catcher, while none of the pieces received for him are still with Miami. View full article

Even if their best years are behind them, these veterans could play a role in helping young Marlins players reach their long-term potential. The Miami Marlins want to create opportunities for their young players to gain experience and learn at the big level in 2025, but as currently constructed, their roster barely has any veterans for them to learn from. The trade that sent Jake Burger to the Texas Rangers last week removed yet another leader from the clubhouse. Although the main goal of next season is development, the value of having a veteran presence should not be completely ignored. “(Signing a veteran) is one of the things we're certainly looking at,” president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said following the Burger trade. “I think having veteran presence, having leadership in the clubhouse, is really important, and we're always looking for ways to address that.” The following names would be affordable for the Marlins on one-year deals and capable of providing help when needed on and off the field. Carlos Santana, 1B Santana is the best option we will discuss here in terms of on-field impact. He is coming off a season where he slashed .238/.328/.420/.749 with 23 home runs, 71 RBI and a 109 OPS+ through 150 games played. On the defensive side of the ball, he received the American League Gold Glove, posting a 14 outs above average and a 10 DRS at first base. Turning 39 soon after Opening Day should limit Santana's price tag, but he still has a case for topping the $5.25 million he received last year. Anthony Rizzo, 1B South Florida native and 2016 World Series champion Anthony Rizzo is a free agent after spending the last three-and-a-half seasons with the New York Yankees. He is coming off the worst season of his career, being limited to 92 games and slashing .228/.301/.335/.637 with eight home runs, 35 RBI and an 84 wRC+. Rizzo is younger than Santana (35) and had a more impressive prime, but he has been in a sharp decline since suffering a concussion midway through the 2023 season. af5q5e.mp4 ZiPS projections have him slashing .227/.316/.377 with 13 home runs, 44 RBI and a 95 OPS+. Perhaps the Marlins could get better production than that by limiting him to a platoon role. Signing Rizzo would also be a nice marketing opportunity for the team given his career accomplishments and local ties. Yasmani Grandal, C Yes, the Marlins 40-man roster is already filled with four catchers, but that does not necessarily block them from doing more to address the position. Outside of Nick Fortes, the other three current catchers have combined to play 20 MLB games. Grandal, 36, is coming off a season with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he slashed .228/.304/.400/.704 with eight home runs, 27 RBI and a 95 wRC+ in 72 games. He was inconsistent with a 34 wRC+ in the first half compared to a 172 wRC+ in the second half. According to DRS, he was right at league average. He was just above league average in blocking and ranked in the 86th percentile of framing, per Baseball Savant. Maybe the University of Miami alum has interest in returning home. Paul DeJong, SS Even 31-year-old Paul DeJong would become the oldest member of the 2025 Marlins if acquired. He's coming off a season with the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals where he slashed .227/.276/.427/.703 with 24 home runs, 56 RBI and a 95 wRC+. Defensively, the Marlins need all the help they can get. DeJong, who posted four outs above average last year and nine the year before, could be a good influence on shortstop Xavier Edwards without preventing Edwards from playing almost every day. Trevor Williams, RHP Former Marlins second-round draft pick Trevor Williams is coming off a season where he only made 13 starts due to a right flexor muscle strain. Prior to the injury, he was having a career year, posting a 2.03 ERA, 2.79 FIP, 8.0 K.9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 66 ⅔ innings pitched. Williams has a five-pitch mix: four-seam fastball, sweeper, changeup, slider and sinker. After years of struggling with his curveball, replacing that with a sweeper has made a huge difference. Opponents hit only .135 against his sweeper in 2024. Nobody should be expecting Williams to repeat the same numbers next season. He's had an inconsistent career that includes allowing the most home runs in the National League in 2023. Command is very important because he lacks fastball velocity (averaging 88.9 mph). His familiarity with both starting and relieving would be useful for a Marlins team that is reportedly considering trading Jesús Luzardo and other arms. Matt Moore, LHP Just one season ago, Moore was pitching in high-leverage situations and had a 2.56 ERA and a 3.73 FIP through 52 ⅔ innings pitched. In 2024, he posted a 5.03 ERA, 6.17 FIP, 7.6 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 through 48 ⅓ innings pitched. That step back makes him affordable for any team, including the Marlins. As noted in our own Ely Sussman's offseason blueprint article, Moore could easily turn into a trade deadline candidate if he bounces back. View full article

Fish Unfiltered—Episode #65 Kevin Barral and Isaac Azout bring on guest Alex Krutchik, who provided on-site coverage of the just-completed Winter Meetings in Dallas. They discuss the polarizing Jake Burger trade that netted the Miami Marlins three prospects, the selection of catcher Liam Hicks in the Rule 5 Draft, the inconvenient results of the 2025 MLB Draft Lottery and renewed rumors about Jesús Luzardo being on the trade block. Find Fish Unfiltered on the Fish On First YouTube channel, our new-look Apple Podcasts channel and wherever else you get your pods. FOF's audio programming also includes The Offishial Show, Swimming Upstream, Big Fish Small Pod and more. Read more about how Liam Hicks fits with the Marlins moving forward, what the Opening Day roster could look like in Burger's absence and the consequences of receiving the No. 7 overall draft pick. The FOF Top 30 list has been updated to incorporate Burger trade acquisitions INF Max Acosta (#22) and INF Echedry Vargas (#27) as well as Hicks (#30). Follow Kevin ( @kevin_barral), Isaac (@IsaacAzout), Alex (@AlexKrutchikFOF) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Join the Marlins Discord server! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. View full article

The Marlins' willingness to move Burger now could be a vote of confidence in De Los Santos to provide similar power at the first base and designated hitter spots. On Tuesday night, the Miami Marlins traded Jake Burger to the Texas Rangers in exchange for three prospects: Max Acosta, Echedry Vargas and Brayan Mendoza. Moving an everyday player, proven run producer and popular teammate like Burger has a major impact on the team's 2025 plans, especially when it comes to first base prospect Deyvison De Los Santos. Fish On First's number three prospect is the youngest member of the Marlins 40-man roster, not turning 22 until the middle of next season. He was acquired along with Andrew Pintar in a trade that sent A.J. Puk to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dominican power hitter slashed .294/.343/.571/.914 last year with 40 home runs and 120 RBI, becoming the first player to homer 40 times in a minor league season since MJ Melendez in 2021. He spent most of the season at the Triple-A level where he posted a max exit velocity of 116 mph (same as Burger). De Los Santos got off to a hot start with the Marlins organization, but finished his AAA Jacksonville stint slashing .240/.284/.459/.744 with 12 home runs, 36 RBI and an 85 wRC+. His strikeout percentage climbed to 28.4%, way above the International League average of 23.2%. As Sean McCormack wrote about in October, there is a "massive hole up and inside" that pitchers can take advantage of to generate whiffs. By the second half of 2024, Burger was splitting time with the Marlins at first base and designated hitter. His departure opens things up for Jonah Bride to play regularly at those positions, but there's also room for De Los Santos if they think he's ready to be challenged at the big league level. Defensively, he is already better than Bride or the other options on Miami's 40-man roster, recently acquired Liam Hicks and FOF #2 prospect Agustín Ramírez. "We think really highly of him," said president of baseball operations Peter Bendix at the Winter Meetings this week. "I think he's got a very bright future. I don't know the specifics of when (his debut) is going to happen, but I think he's got a really bright future." Bride emerged as a big piece of the Marlins lineup, slashing .276/.357/.461/.818 with 11 home runs, 39 RBI and a 123 wRC+. Hicks doesn't have any Triple-A experience, but as a Rule 5 Draft pick, he is required to be on the 26-man roster when healthy or else be offered back to his previous team. That could leave De Los Santos and Ramírez competing for one Opening Day spot. It's even possible that both of them miss the cut to finish up their development and save the Marlins from using a full year of MLB service time. De Los Santos is attempting to become the youngest Marlins player to earn an Opening Day roster spot since José Fernández. View full article

Connor Norby's first stint with the Marlins was a fun one, but there are more steps he'll need to take next season to prove himself as a true franchise building block. The biggest name that the Miami Marlins acquired at the 2024 MLB trade deadline was Baltimore Orioles prospect Connor Norby. While the other players included in the deal (Kyle Stowers and Trevor Rogers) struggled on their new teams, Norby made a positive impact late in the season. It should be exciting to see what he does over the course of a full season, but there are a few areas where he has room to improve. "He was great with us," said president of baseball operations Peter Bendix during an interview with MLB Network. "He's got power. He's got opposite-field power, which is really unusual to see. He's got the tools to be a good defender and he has that chip on his shoulder. He has that mentality that he's going to prove everybody wrong. He's going to be a Hall of Fame-level player in his own mind and he's really going to outwork everybody and just keep getting better." After the Marlins called Norby up from Triple-A Jacksonville, he immediately went on a 10-game hit streak. Overall, he slashed .247/.315/.445/.760 with seven home runs, 17 RBI and a 108 wRC+ in 36 games played. He found a home in the number two spot of the Marlins lineup. Despite being undersized at 5'10", Norby exceeded expectations in the power department by consistently connecting with the ball on the sweet spot. He posted a 14.8 Barrel%, according to Baseball Savant. That's about the same as All-Star sluggers like Teoscar Hernández, Yordan Alvarez and Fernando Tatís Jr. Although Norby showed he has the potential to be a valuable spark plug, he still has work to do on his plate approach. He was extremely aggressive on the first pitch, swinging at 53.3% of them while with the Marlins, a rate that would've led the major leagues if he had enough playing time to qualify. That approach caused him to frequently fall behind in the count. He also had a two-week stretch without drawing any walks. Chasing pitches was part of it, but the bigger flaw was missing on pitches in the strike zone as well. His Z-Contact% was just 76.5%, very similar to the struggling Stowers (75.9%) and far below the MLB average of 85.2%. Norby struck out in 32.1% of his Miami plate appearances, which is not sustainable for an everyday player. He should be looking for a better balance of power and contact. Maybe that comes from swinging with less intensity. What went overlooked was Norby ranking in the 94th percentile of sprint speed. He was even ahead of teammate Xavier Edwards, who was among baseball's best base-stealers during the second half of the season. Despite that talent, Norby stole only 16 bases combined between AAA and MLB. The Marlins scored the fourth-fewest runs in the majors last season and—at least for now—they barely have any experienced bats around Norby. Creating runs on the basepaths will be important. As first base coach of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton McCullough played a big role in helping speedy Shohei Ohtani take his baserunning to the next level. With McCullough now managing the Marlins, hopefully Norby can benefit in a similar way. a1puUjBfWGw0TUFRPT1fRGdOUVUxZFJCVk1BQUFNSEJRQUFWUWRUQUZnRlUxY0FDbEFHQmxVTlV3TUVCVllF.mp4 With second base occupied by Otto Lopez, the Marlins made the decision to move Norby to third base. Through 30 games at the position, he posted a -5 DRS and had seven errors. Five of those were throwing errors and he just didn't look smooth there. That can change with a full offseason of work. If the same issues continue in 2025, a transition to left field could be next. Look at the career of former Kansas City Royal Alex Gordon. He thrived after moving from 3B to LF, winning a Gold Glove in his first full season there and receiving the award eight total times. The Marlins would just be grateful for decent defense in that spot after the combination of Bryan De La Cruz and Nick Gordon (no relation to Alex) rated negatively last season. Development is not always straightforward. It would be ideal for Norby to become a well-rounded player in 2025 and one of the faces of the franchise, but the Marlins have to be patient even if there are setbacks. Either way, we will learn a lot more about Norby as a result of him playing regularly for a whole year. View full article

Nardi was excellent in his first full-length MLB season, but he followed it up with a rough 2024. The underlying metrics suggest his true talent is somewhere in between. Lefty Andrew Nardi is the last man standing from the bullpen that pushed the 2023 Miami Marlins to the postseason. Nardi emerged as a great setup man that year, but by comparison, his 2024 season was a disappointment. He posted a 5.07 ERA in 49 ⅔ innings pitched, missing time at the end of the season after suffering a left elbow muscle injury. However, there is reason to believe that luck played a role in his struggles and his 2025 season can be much better. The underlying numbers for Nardi were great. He posted a 2.76 xERA, 3.33 FIP and 3.35 xFIP, ranking in the 92nd percentile among MLB pitchers in Chase% and the 87th percentile in Whiff%. When he slumped early in the season, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker gave him a vote of confidence: "You feel like he's going to snap out of this thing. That's why we were giving him a shot in those leverage spots still with guys on base." What made Nardi so valuable in 2023 was his ability to get outs after inheriting baserunners from his teammates. He only allowed five of 40 inherited runners (12.5%) to score against him, while the MLB average is 33%. This past season, Nardi failed in many of those situations, letting 20 of his 36 inherited runners score (55.6%). He was charged with six blown saves compared to only one in 2023. It's true that opponents were hitting the ball harder off of Nardi (average exit velocity rose from 84.6 mph to 88.2 mph) and putting it in the air more often (groundball rate dropped from 43.8% to 31.7%). That led to an increase in slugging. His fastball and slider went from being very effective pitches to being worth minus-four and minus-five runs, respectively, according to Baseball Savant. That being said, his overall numbers suffered from the unfortunate timing of his mistakes. Nardi was at his worst in March/April and August, entering the regular season and when dealing with his elbow injury. During the three months in between, he posted a 3.38 ERA and allowed only 31.3% of inherited runners to score. Even when including all months, he dominated in bases empty situations. Hitters slashed .192/.269/.309/.578 with a 38.5 K% when there weren't runners on base. 6kzor1.mp4 Nardi's results at the major league level have been inconsistent so far. Somewhere in between is the real Andrew Nardi, who is capable of being the top lefty in the Marlins bullpen. He will first need to prove that he can have success again with runners on base, but if that happens, he could be in the running for the team's closer job at some point in 2025. View full article

While the Marlins have yet to add any experienced major leaguers since the offseason began, these three minor leaguers will reportedly be at big league camp. What could they bring to Miami over the course of the 2025 season? The 2024 Miami Marlins had a record-setting season in terms of total players used. It was a painful reminder that depth is extremely important. Every offseason, MLB teams load up on depth by signing free agents to minor league deals and bringing them to spring training as non-roster invitees. Even if they do not fit on the team's Opening Day roster, they could provide value as the year goes on. Let's dive into the first three NRIs that the Marlins have reportedly signed heading into 2025: Ronny Simon, Heriberto Hernández and Robinson Piña. Ronny Simon Simon was the first minor league signing that the Marlins made, as reported by Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. He began his pro career in 2018 with the Chicago Cubs. After putting up great numbers in the Dominican Summer League, Simon was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in November 2020 as a player to be named later in exchange for Andrew Chafin. The following year, Simon was on the move once again and sent to the Tampa Bay Rays in a swap for Jordan Luplow. In 2024, Simon slashed .283/.356/.429/.785 with 10 home runs, 56 RBI and a 106 wRC+ at the AAA level. Defensively, Simon has played a little bit of everywhere, with his primary home being at second base. He is someone who will provide Vidal Bruján some competition this upcoming spring. Like Bruján, Simon is a switch-hitter. The numbers on each side of the plate are similar as well, with a .786 OPS as a lefty and .781 OPS as a righty. Where Simon may have the slight advantage is in the power department. With AAA Durham this season, he hit four balls that traveled at least 400 feet including a 415-foot home run. The 24-year-old only struck out 18.8% of the time, which was 22nd-lowest in the International League. Simon's patience is also something that stands out. He walked 8.9% of the time in 2024 and his career walk rate in the minors is even higher than that. He also makes great contact on pitches outside the strike zone. Outside of affiliated ball, Simon was named the LIDOM MVP for the 2023-24 season and is currently slashing .229/.311/.333/.644 with 10 RBI in the 2024-25 season. Heriberto Hernández Another former Ray, this signing was reported by Aram Leighton as well. A few months older than Simon, Hernández was also traded following success at the lower minor league levels. He was involved in a six-player deal in December 2020 that sent him from the Texas Rangers to Tampa Bay. He and Simon were MiLB teammates during each of the last three seasons. Entering 2023, Hernández ranked 18th on Baseball America's Rays Top 30 prospects list. In 2024, he slashed .234/.344/.496/.839 with 23 home runs and 60 RBI between AA and AAA. What stood out was his second-half stretch, posting a .583 SLG in 40 games played after the All-Star break. The power potential for Hernández is impressive, reaching a max exit velocity of 110.4 mph in Durham. The main concern is his high strikeout percentage, which has slowly improved, but was still at 27.3% in 2024. Too often, he guesses in two-strike counts and goes down looking when he doesn't get the pitch he was expecting. Perhaps the Marlins can help him with that approach. Before becoming a full-time corner outfielder, Hernández saw time at first base and even catcher. He will likely need to prove himself more at the AAA level before being a serious call-up candidate, but if he produces, there should be opportunities available in the unproven Marlins outfield mix. Robinson Piña Piña could be making spot starts for the 2025 Marlins when their rotation depth is eventually put to the test. He has a four-pitch mix: sinker, slider, split-change and four-seamer. He showed nice control for the Philadelphia Phillies AA/AAA affiliates (27 walks in 129 ⅓ innings pitched) and that has continued in winter ball. Locating his pitches is important for Piña considering his fastball averages only 92 mph. Piña will probably be stretched out as a starter for the Marlins in spring training, but it wouldn't be surprising if he eventually transitions to being a reliever. While he limited right-handed batters to a .557 OPS this season, lefties crushed him for a .957 OPS. View full article

The Marlins hold the third pick in the major league phase of the 2024 Rule 5 draft and all signs point to them making a selection. Through the years, the Miami Marlins have been aggressive and pretty successful at picking up unprotected prospects from other MLB organizations via the Rule 5 draft. Last offseason, the first under president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, the Marlins declined to select anybody in the major league phase of the Rule 5. However, they are No. 3 in the draft order this time around and just opened up a roster spot earlier this week, so we are expecting them to participate. Players picked in the major league phase must spend the entire 2025 season on their new team's 26-man active roster (or MLB injured list), or else be offered back to their original team. Let's take a look through six eligible players who were left unprotected for the Rule 5 and could make sense for the Marlins to select on Wednesday. LHP Ryan Webb, Cleveland Guardians If Webb were to fall to the third pick, it would be surprising. The 6'1," 202-pound lefty was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft and made it to Triple-A this past season. With AAA Columbus, Webb found success quickly, posting a 2.60 ERA, 4.09 FIP, 8.57 K/9 and 3.38 BB/9 through 34 ⅔ innings pitched. Between AA and AAA, he posted a 2.80 ERA, 3.25 FIP, 9.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 through 141 ⅓ innings pitched. Based off his time in AAA, Webb's arsenal consists of a four-seamer, changeup, slider and curveball. His fastball sits in the low 90s, but it's his changeup that truly stands out. It generated a 49.4 chase% and generated a 38.8 whiff%. WGdOdlhfV0ZRVkV3dEdEUT09X1Z3bFpVbFFFQndVQVhnUUtBQUFBVjFBRkFBQlFVZ01BVUZZQkF3QU5DVkpVQUZkVw==.mp4 RHP Brandon Young, Baltimore Orioles Somewhat like Webb, Young was also utilized as a starter in 2024 where we was effective against upper-minors competition and showed good command. With that said, below-average fastball velocity (92.5 mph from the right side) could limit his ceiling. Young pitched 89 innings of this past season at AAA, posting a 3.44 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 9.71 K/9 and 3.34 BB/9. His secondary pitches are a curveball, slider and changeup. The 55-grade curve stands out (27.6 chase% and 31.5 whiff%). Despite his name, Young is relatively old for a Rule 5 candidate. He turns 27 in August. INF Blaze Jordan, Boston Red Sox On the other hand, Blaze Jordan will be only 21 on Rule 5 day (turning 22 next week). Famous as a high school prospect, Jordan was selected in the third round of the 2020 MLB Draft. After being a consistently productive hitter in the lower minors, he has disappointed in AA. Jordan slashed .261/.305/.388/.693 with seven home runs, 61 RBI and a 98 wRC+ in the 89 games he played in 2024. The right-handed hitter put up a 1.130 OPS vs. lefties, but only a .595 OPS vs. righties. He missed a portion of the season to take care of his mental health. The excellent raw power that Jordan was known for has not fully translated to pro ball. His bat-to-ball ability actually stands out more (career 15.3 K%). On the defensive side of things, it seems as if his days at third base are numbered, limiting him to first base and designated hitter moving forward. Picking Jordan would be a long-term investment, understanding that adjusting to MLB pitching would be a struggle in 2025. LHP Bryan Magdaleno, Texas Rangers After the Marlins offloaded Tanner Scott and A.J. Puk at the 2024 trade deadline, they were short on left-handed bullpen talent the rest of the season. Andrew Nardi was the only established lefty the Marlins could call upon in late-game situations. Bryan Magdaleno would immediately solve that situational issue, so long as he continues improving the way he did throughout the minors. Magdaleno, 23, has a fastball that sits in the mid-90s along with a sweeper/slider and a sinker. The left-handed reliever started 2024 in Low-A in the Texas Rangers organization and moved his way up to Double-A by the end of the year, pitching four scoreless innings. Across all levels, he allowed six earned runs over 42 ⅔ innings and had a 0.94 WHIP. RHP Jack Hartman, Tampa Bay Rays It wouldn’t be a proper Marlins offseason without taking a player away from the Tampa Bay Rays. Jack Hartman is a right-handed reliever with a wipeout slider that induces a lot of swing-and-miss, with a 40 whiff% in 2024. His fastball isn’t his strongest pitch, although it does sit in the mid-to-upper 90s and touches 98 mph. Hartman looked solid when he began the 2024 season in High-A with a 3.08 ERA in 26 ⅓ innings. He was called up to Double-A after the All-Star break. While his ERA ballooned to 3.78 in 16 ⅓ innings, hitters only mustered a .213 batting average against him. The 26-year-old has good stuff on his pitches, along with good command, making him a solid target if the Marlins want to bolster their bullpen for cheap. RHP Evan Reifert, Tampa Bay Rays Another current Ray, Evan Reifert entered professional baseball as an undrafted free agent. He dominated as a Milwaukee Brewers minor league reliever in 2021. Shortly after the season ended, the Brewers dealt him to the Rays for Mike Brosseau and he's been in their farm system ever since, making his way up to their Double-A affiliate. What Reifert brings to the table is an elite slider and a great sinker to pair alongside. The 6’4”, 190-pound right-hander had a 1.96 ERA and a 2.12 xFIP this season. He put up a 40.4 K% and 45.6 whiff%. He lowered his walk rate to 9%, which is a vast improvement from previous seasons. Control used to be the biggest weakness in Reifert's game. Z0dna2JfV0ZRVkV3dEdEUT09X1YxUlhWRmNIQUFFQUFGc0JCQUFBQkZCUUFBTlRCZ0lBQ2xVQ0F3VlFCd2NEVmdvRQ==.mp4 Reifert's ability to generate strikeouts and keep the ball in the yard would combine well with any major league club. Perhaps Peter Bendix’s familiarity with Reifert could make him an attractive Rule 5 pick for the Marlins. View full article

Fish Unfiltered—Episode #64 The Miami Marlins are entering the first year of Clayton McCullough's managerial tenure and the eighth year of Bruce Sherman's ownership tenure. Kevin Barral, Isaac Azout and Ely Sussman summarize what both men said on Monday, then analyze the club's decision to select prospects Deyvison De Los Santos, Jared Serna and Dax Fulton to the 40-man roster. Find Fish Unfiltered on the Fish On First YouTube channel, our new-look Apple Podcasts channel and wherever else you get your pods. FOF's audio programming also includes The Offishial Show, Swimming Upstream, Big Fish Small Pod and more. Neither signing is official yet, but Aram Leighton of Just Baseball reports that the Marlins have inked former Tampa Bay Rays farmhands UTIL Ronny Simon and OF Heriberto Hernández to minor league deals that include invites to spring training. Follow Kevin ( @kevin_barral), Isaac (@IsaacAzout), Ely (@RealEly) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Join the Marlins Discord server! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. View full article

On Monday, the Miami Marlins introduced Clayton McCullough as the 17th manager in franchise history. MIAMI—Barely two years after selecting Skip Schumaker to be their manager, the Miami Marlins were back at loanDepot park on Monday to introduce his replacement: former Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough. In the franchise's brief history, McCullough is the 17th person to fill the managerial position. "I don't want an 18th manager. I want a 17th manager to stay for many, many years," said Marlins chairman and principal owner Bruce Sherman to lead off the press conference. "It was a complicated process," explained Sherman in a media scrum following the presser. "I've been involved in two searches, as you know, and this one was extraordinarily thorough. The other one was just a different kind of search. This search was a lot of prepared questions, lot of rigor, lot of people involved, many people in the front office and they put all the candidates through their paces. This was just a perfect fit for us." Prior to joining the Marlins, McCullough spent the last decade with the Dodgers organization, gaining experience as their minor league field coordinator and major league first base coach. Prior to that, he managed in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system. The Marlins, who believe that developing players will be the key to their long-term success, felt that McCullough's background qualifies him to fill Schumaker's shoes. "I think the consistency that I expect him to show up with every day, the positive energy, the work ethic, the desire to emphasize with players no matter where they are in their career, we're going to see that in our players getting better," president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said. "We're going to see that in them making big steps, small steps, everything that we want to see along the way. I think at the end of the season, we're going to look up and most of our players will have improved. That's really a good sign for player development." McCullough is no stranger to the managerial search process. He interviewed with the Marlins two years ago before the team ultimately went with Schumaker. He was also considered by the Chicago White Sox this offseason before they hired Will Venable. "I think the opportunities that I have been presented with in prior years just helped better prepare me," McCullough told Fish On First in an exclusive interview. "I look back on some of the interviews I've gone through and realize where maybe some of my shortcomings were, or just maybe didn't get across as well enough why I would be a person that would commit to such a responsibility to. I think just some of the opportunities and having a little bit more experience as well as timing everything. Kinda the right fit for both sides comes together and that's what this felt like." In getting to know McCullough, Bendix found that they shared many of the same values. "Think it's unusual to find somebody with a combination of positive traits that Clayton has," said Bendix. "For those to align so perfectly with my vision, with Bruce's vision, what sold me here a year ago: the importance of people, the importance of culture, the importance of actually caring for those around you, trying to make them better and how all of those things lead directly to winning, directly to players getting better. He has those beliefs. Before we spoke, he didn't know that what was our vision as well. For that to align so perfectly, it's why he's our manager." McCullough's staff for the 2025 season is far from complete. The only reported name so far has been Pedro Guerrero, who'll become Miami's new hitting coach. "We're gonna get great people around me and I know that I am going to need a lot of help," McCullough told Fish On First. "I am going to entrust our staff and our front office to help me along the way. Everything that we are going to do here is going to have to be a collaborative effort where we are all pursuing the same goal. While we might not all look at it through the same lens, I think the more perspectives we get while we're aligned in what we want to do is important." McCullough has already spoken to several players on the Marlins 40-man roster. The next time he will be addressing the media is during the Winter Meetings, beginning on December 9. View full article

Within the next week, the Miami Marlins have some decisions to make on Rule 5-eligible prospects, including a few they just acquired in trade deadline deals. The annual MLB Rule 5 Draft is still nearly a month away, but this coming Tuesday is the deadline for teams to set their rosters accordingly. It's especially important for the Miami Marlins who are focused on building up their farm system as much as possible and hold the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. This is completely different from the amateur draft, to be clear. Rule 5-eligible players are those who either signed when they were 19 or older and have been in affiliated ball for four or more seasons, or signed when they were 18 or younger and have been in affiliated ball for five or more seasons. In order to protect such players from being taken in the major league phase of the draft, they have to be selected to the 40-man roster. At the moment, the Marlins have 38 players on their 40-man, so there is not room to protect everybody. The following Marlins prospects are eligible this year, per Roster Resource: The Marlins have a couple obvious prospects to select before the deadline. There are also a couple other candidates worth mentioning in case the club is willing to make corresponding moves to fit them on the 40-man. Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B De Los Santos was in this position last year as well and the Arizona Diamondbacks left him unprotected for the Rule 5. The Cleveland Guardians took him, but he was returned to Arizona after struggling in spring training. That was fortunate for the Diamondbacks because he had a lot of success with them in 2024. De Los Santos went on to win the minor league home run title, finishing the season with 40 home runs and 120 RBIs. The Marlins acquired DDLS along with Andrew Pintar in the A.J. Puk deal. He possesses as much power as any Marlins prospect. In his stint with Triple-A Jacksonville, De Los Santos slashed .240/.284/.459/.744 with 12 home runs, 36 RBIs and an 85 wRC+. His strikeout rate rose to 28.4%. His current numbers through 14 winter ball games are decent (.302/.326/.372/.698 with five RBIs). That being said, the 21-year-old is almost ready to be tested in the majors. The Marlins would definitely rather give him a shot to prove himself as their first baseman of the future than risk losing him for nothing. Jared Serna, INF Serna, 22, was acquired just a few days after De Los Santos. The Marlins got him, Agustín Ramírez and Abrahan Ramírez from the New York Yankees in exchange for Jazz Chisholm Jr. Serna was promoted to the Double-A level and immediately produced, slashing .266/.343/.390/.732 with two home runs and 23 RBIs. He was promoted to AAA for the final week of the season. KjmDz4eQupkccEcq.mp4 What stood out was Serna's hit tool. He also may have the athleticism to stick at the shortstop position long term. Because Serna has such limited experience at the upper minor league levels, it's possible that he could pass through the Rule 5 without being picked. However, all it takes is one team to do what the Washington Nationals did with Nasim Nuñez last year and hide him on their bench during a rebuilding season. The Marlins should play it safe with Serna. Dax Fulton, LHP Fulton hasn't thrown a pitch in a live game since May 2023. He underwent Tommy John surgery and should be ready for spring training. Prior to the injury, he was looking like one of Miami's best pitching prospects with a combination of swing-and-miss stuff and above-average control. Outside of De Los Santos and Serna, Fulton would seem to have the best chance of being protected, depending on whether the Marlins feel the quality of his stuff is back to what it used to be earlier in his career. Zach McCambley, RHP This is a longshot. McCambley was Rule 5-eligible last year and did not get selected. In 2024, he had issues with walks (18.4 BB%) and his season was shortened by injury again. There is still belief in McCambley's potential as a reliever. His curveball can be unhittable at times. Relievers are the most common Rule 5 picks, so it shouldn't come as a shock if McCambley or one of the other arms listed at the top of the article gets taken to fill a low-leverage role with a new team. View full article

Miami Marlins president of business operations Caroline O'Connor reacts to the tournament and previews what's next for loanDepot park. MIAMI—In the midst of Sunday's Choque de Gigantes championship game, Miami Marlins president of business Caroline O'Connor spoke to the media about her takeaways from the inaugural year of the international winter ball tournament. "We're very excited with the first year of the tournament to have such a turnout," said O'Connor. "We've had a lot of fun, a lot of new fans through the ballpark and we're really excited about connecting people with teams from their countries and bringing the communities." Choque de Gigantes included six games over the last three days. Friday night's matchup between Navegantes de Magallanes and Leones del Caracas had an announced crowd of 31,508, larger than any 2024 Marlins home game with the exception of Opening Day. However, attendance dropped dramatically from there to 7,356 on Saturday night and 5,576 on Sunday night despite Magallanes advancing to the championship and ultimately winning it. "We want to build this into something special," O'Connor said. "We saw the success of the World Baseball Classic and the Caribbean Series...We just love bringing the community into the ballpark and giving them reasons to celebrate the wonderful game of baseball." In addition to Magallanes and Caracas (both from Venezuela), the participating teams included Estrellas Orientales (Dominican Republic), Criollos de Caguas (Puerto Rico), Cardenales de Lara (Venezuela) and Cangrejeros de Santurce (Puerto Rico). In future Choque de Gigantes tournaments, O'Connor would be open to having new teams come play if possible. "We have a wonderful relationship with the Caribbean Baseball Confederation," said O'Connor. "They're great partners to us and we sat down, had conversations about what teams would be available, what would a tournament look like and we plan to continue those discussions and continue to have strong partnerships...We really want to bring Caribbean baseball into this ballpark and really bring a year-round programming—including baseball—to loanDepot park." O'Connor announced that the 2025 edition of Marlins FanFest will take place on Saturday, February 8. FanFest has typically been held on Saturdays, but last year, it was moved to a Friday instead and attendance suffered as a result. In terms of non-Marlins events, Monster Jam makes its annual visit on January 25-26. O'Connor shared that the Savannah Bananas will be back on March 1-2. Their visit to Miami last month attracted a sellout crowd. Regular season baseball returns—and the Clayton McCullough era begins—when the Marlins host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, March 27 at 4:10 pm. View full article