Kevin Barral

Despite the passing on the major league portion of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft, the Miami Marlins still made five selections in the minor league portion of the draft: OF Yeral Martinez (New York Mets)OF Marty Costes (Houston Astros)IF Sean Roby (San Francisco Giants)LHP Adam Laskey (Chicago Cubs)RHP Julio Dilone (Seattle Mariners)Let's learn more about thm. Yeral Martinez The first Marlins selection was this 21-year-old outfielder/first baseman. Martinez spent the entirety of the 2023 season with the New York Mets Low-A affiliate where he slashed .239/.328/.399/.727 with nine home runs, 42 RBIs and a 100 wRC+. Martinez had a 29.3% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate. A career-high .324 BABIP kept his overall batting average respectable. Listed at 6'3" and 220 pounds, Martinez is a strong kid. His maximum exit velocity recorded in 2023 was 112.0 mph. He has also demonstrated a willingness to use the whole field and go the opposite way when he has to. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/8d2648d7-2b72-4c3d-9ef9-b16738649863.mp4One comp that our own Alex Carver mentioned was Jerar Encarnación, another very large Dominican corner outfielder/first baseman. Encarnación made it up to the majors in 2022 for a few short stints, but his strikeout issues went too far this past season. The Marlins removed him from their 40-man roster and he's currently minor league free agent. Martinez's defensive abilities will be important for his long-term success. As we were reminded recently in the case of Troy Johnston, it's hard to break through to the highest level at first base. Marty Costes A couple years ago, Costes was considered among the better outfield prospects in the Houston Astros organization. He never had a wRC+ under 100 from 2018-2022. Standing at 5'9", 200 pounds, Costes had his worst season in the minor leagues last year, slashing .251/.365/.389/.755 with two home runs, 19 RBIs and a 90 wRC+. Limited to 53 games, he spent close to half the season on the injured list and finished it on the development list. Costes is somewhat of a Jake Mangum replacement for the Marlins. After going unselected in the Rule 5, Jake Mangum was announced as the player to be named later in the Vidal Bruján/Calvin Faucher trade. Costes isn't as speedy as Mangum and not as experienced in center field. He should still provide outfield depth and receive an invite to big league camp as a non-roster invitee. Sean Roby Last season, Sean Roby slashed .239/.306/.474/.781 with 14 home runs, 38 RBIs. Roby has dealt with significant injuries in two straight seasons. He actually spent a full month rehabbing with the Giants' Arizona Complex League team to begin 2023. His slash line at full-season levels was closer to league average (.230/.289/.449/.738). Roby's career strikeout percentage of 31.5% is a red flag, especially his 39.1% rate at the Double-A level, but when he makes contact with the ball, it usually goes a long way. Depending on how spring training goes, Roby could start off the regular season at either the AA or AAA level. Adam Laskey Laskey struggled in his first taste of AA competition, allowing 11 runs (nine earned) in only 5 ⅓ innings. However, everything outside of that was solid, including the Arizona Fall League where he posted a 1.00 ERA, 15.0 K/9, 2.0 BB/9 in 9.0 IP. Laskey's fastball velocity sits only in the upper-80s/low-90s. He leans on his curveball to put away batters. Julio Dilone Described as a flamethrower, Julio Dilone is a lottery ticket for the Marlins. He has struggled throughout his short career thus far and had a 9.00 ERA in the complex league as a 23-year-old. Maybe with a change of scenery, Dilone can get the right guidance on how to throw enough strikes to eventually become an interesting reliever.

In a perfect world, the Marlins would add a veteran catcher for 2024 who also boosts their offense. That doesn't seem realistic, though. The best bat on the market among catchers, Mitch Garver, has seen very limited action behind the plate in recent years and might be out of their price range anyway. That being said, it is possible to assemble a great team even without run production from the catcher position. The Tampa Bay Rays are a great example. They made it all the way to the World Series in 2020 with catchers who slashed .176/.265/.330/.594. That trend has continued for them the last two seasons yet still led to postseason appearances. Looking at the catchers that the 2023 Rays used, Francisco Mejia is most intriguing. It has always felt as if Mejia can be so much better than what he has been in his stints with the Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres and Rays. Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY SportsA former Top 100 MLB prospect, Mejia slashed .260/.322/.416/.738 with six home runs, 35 RBIs and a 104 OPS+ in 2021 with the Rays. As his strikeout rate increased from 17.7% to 21.7% to 23.8%, his production dropped off. Mejia struggled to throw out base-stealers in 2023—opponents went 38-for-42 against him. However, so many of those were stolen off the pitchers, according to Statcast, that he rated in the 60th percentile in CS above average. Going by defensive runs saved, Mejia has typically been a league average catcher. If Mejia does sign with Miami, it should be on a minor league deal where he has an opportunity to make the initial 26-man roster. On Friday, Los Angeles Angels catcher Max Stassi was dealt along with David Fletcher to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Tyler White and Tyler Thomas. It's only a matter time until Stassi is on the move again, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan: Stassi was incredible for the Angels in the shortened 2020 season, but his numbers have come back down to his career averages since then. In parts of 10 MLB seasons, he has slashed .212/.295/.361 with 41 home runs and a 83 wRC+. Stassi has had surprising reverse platoon splits during his career, performing better against right-handers than lefties. That would make him an interesting match with Nick Fortes, who had extreme splits the other way around in 2023. Stassi is a consistently good pitch framer, ranking in the 92nd percentile in 2021. The Marlins might appreciate him after seeing Jacob Stallings disappoint in that department. The tricky part about Stassi is he didn't play any baseball last season. He missed time with a left hip strain, then stepped away from baseball completely to attend to his baby, who was born premature with health complications. The last time that the Marlins and Braves struck a trade for a catcher, the Marlins came out of in bad shape, exchanging Adam Duvall for Alex Jackson. At least in Stassi's case, with him being owed $7 million in 2024, Atlanta shouldn't be asking for much in return. Joey Bart is the only other trade target to mention. The former No. 2 overall draft pick has gotten off to a rough start at the major league level and is now out of minor league options. Maybe a change of scenery can help the soon-to-be 27-year-old. Martin Maldonado is known to be on the Marlins' radar. A one-time Gold Glove winner, Maldonado has earned a reputation for being someone who pitchers like throwing to. At age 37, he would be a cheap, short-term commitment. I'll wrap up with a name who actually hit decently in 2023, ex-Cardinals catcher Andrew Knizner. He homered 10 times after having done so only seven times from 2019-2022 combined. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/04762e24-f20a-4bc2-8a8b-424bbf80c665.mp4Rumor had it that St. Louis pitchers preferred working with Knizner over Willson Contreras, but stats like defensive runs saved and Statcast run value suggest he was a negative defender. Knizner was non-tendered despite being estimated for a $2 million salary in arbitration, so this would be another cheap player for Miami to consider. Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

With the Winter Meetings wrapped up, the Marlins ended up making zero major league moves, but the rumor mill indicates that they may be moving closer to getting something done. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Miami Marlins are interested in Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Free agent Isiah Kiner-Falefa, 28, is something of a hot commodity, with the Marlins and Brewers among the teams showing interest. Considering his age and versatility, a multi-year deal appears within reach. Right away, what stands out about IKF is his elite defense at shortstop, the position he won the AL Gold Glove at in the 2020 shortened season. He was coming off back-to-back 10 DRS seasons at shortstop entering 2023. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2022/2022-08/06/ef4c5799-3eb00bad-be6141ab-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4With New York Yankees top prospect Anthony Volpe arriving to the big leagues, Kiner-Falefa went to the outfield and had a negative DRS. He only saw one game at short. On the other hand, IKF has regularly been a below-average hitter throughout his six MLB seasons. In 2023, he slashed .242/.306/.340/.646 with six home runs, 37 RBIs and an 82 wRC+. He had an 86 wRC+ the year before, an 82 wRC+ the year before that and his overall career mark is an 81 wRC+. These offensive struggles have occurred despite Kiner-Falefa's good contact skills. His 19.4% strikeout rate last season was worse than usual, but still in the 66th percentile among MLB hitters. The main piece that's missing for Kiner-Falefa is quality contact. He had a 27.3% HardHit% in 2023—the league average is at 39.4%. He has never hit double-digit home runs in a season even when playing home games at some hitter-friendly parks. Like Marlins offseason addition Vidal Bruján, Kiner-Falefa doesn't generate much bat speed. He averaged 65.6 mph on his swings in 2023, similar to guys like Yuli Gurriel (66.9 mph), Jean Segura (66.9 mph), Joey Wendle (64.9 mph) and Bruján (64.5 mph). Kiner-Falefa uses an open stance at the plate and a high, slow leg kick. It's hard to think of other active right-handed hitters to compare him to. From the left side, there's former infielder Eric Sogard, who was in the major leagues for 11 seasons and had similar career production. Here are clips of both of them: https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/c25f998c-d94c-4754-ae2e-eb3ceb7918a4.mp4https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/9c8ec42f-30fb-44c2-8bc5-73dfc40c8f1f.mp4Despite his flaws, IKF is drawing interest from about a dozen teams, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Some of those suitors could use him as their main shortstop like the Marlins, while others see him as a utilityman. Kiner-Falefa's contract could look a lot like the extensions that Miguel Rojas has previously received from the Marlins and Dodgers, guaranteeing two years worth about $5M annually. Would you want him in Miami at that price? Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

With the 2023 Winter Meetings already underway, the Miami Marlins have a talented front office in place with a new President of Baseball Operations (Peter Bendix), Director of Baseball Operations (Vinesh Kanthan) and Assistant General Manager (Gabe Kapler). However, on the field, there are still obvious issues to address. What will happen in the Rule 5 Draft? The draft takes place on Wednesday and the Marlins are in danger of losing notable prospects. Three names to keep an eye out for are first baseman Troy Johnston, catcher Will Banfield and shortstop Nasim Nuñez. Johnston was the 2023 Marlins Minor League Player of the Year, while Banfield and Nuñez are great defenders at premium positions. They weren't selected to Miami's 40-man roster prior to last month's deadline. Johnston in particular is likely to be gone after having so much offensive success in the upper minors. As of Tuesday morning, the Marlins still have one opening on their own 40-man, so it's possible that they make a pick themselves, though Bendix comes from a Tampa Bay Rays organization that has traditionally passed on the Rule 5. What will the rotation look like? Sandy Alcantara went down with Tommy John surgery and there is still a lot of uncertainty when it comes to what the Marlins will get out of Trevor Rogers and Max Meyer. Bendix says both will be ready for spring training, but they are coming off of lat and elbow injuries, respectively. With top free agent pitchers being out of the Marlins' price range, Miami will have to look at cheaper options. A realistic best-case scenario would be Eduardo Rodriguez, who had a 3.30 ERA, 3.66 FIP, 8.42 K/9 and 2.83 BB/9 last season. If the club is focused only on short-term deals, Mike Clevinger had a nice season with the Chicago White Sox, posting a 3.77 ERA, 4.28 FIP and a 7.54 K/9. Building a rotation using only current internal options would look something along the lines of Jesús Luzardo, Braxton Garrett, Eury Pérez, Edward Cabrera and Rogers/Meyer, with Ryan Weathers also being in the mix. Who will be the Marlins' starting catcher? Nick Fortes and Jacob Stallings split time behind the plate over the last two seasons, but Stallings is now gone. The Marlins admit that they need to look outside the organization for more help. What qualities are they looking for? "You want a catcher that is a leader and that pitchers love throwing to," said Skip Schumaker during his press conference on Monday. "A catcher who can hold guys accountable, so that's a big position. It's not just strictly an offensive position to me because we are so pitching-heavy, you need to be able to throw to a guy that you love throwing to. The offensive part obviously, we would love to have, but having a leader back there, that is really important." Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported that the Marlins were in the mix to possibly sign free agent catcher Martín Maldonado. He is well known for his defense and being "a guy that you love throwing to," as Schumaker would say. Offensively, he has struggled, though he does have three straight seasons of double-digit home runs. Ideally, the Marlins should target someone like Mitch Garver or Gary Sánchez in free agency, but those would be bigger, multi-year commitments. Is ownership willing to pay for upgrades in free agency? Related to the previous two questions, Bendix can only do so much with a limited budget. The projected 2024 Marlins Opening Day payroll is already very similar to 2023 and that's before adding any more pieces. Principal owner Bruce Sherman has not said how much he's willing to increase it to field another playoff team. This free agent class is pretty weak at catcher and shortstop where the Marlins have holes to fill, so it is fair to assume that the Marlins will be more active through the trade market when searching for solutions. Who are the ideal trade partners? For a team that would still like some pitching help, maybe the Marlins can work a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. The names that stand out are Tommy Edman and Tyler O'Neill, who are both Gold Glove outfielders with good offensive upside. Edman also saw a lot time at shortstop in 2023. One of the prized shortstops on the trade market is Willy Adames of the Milwaukee Brewers. He is a buy-low candidate after having his worst season in terms of wRC+. Even then, he still had 24 home runs and eight defensive runs saved. Aside from focusing on specific positions and skills, Bendix has said he wants to make decisions that can have long-term impact. Any hitter who's still in his pre-arbitration years could be a fit if the asking price is reasonable. Who are the top trade chips? The Marlins can't get anything done without sending talented pieces back in return. In trading with the Rays last month, they showed a willingness to deal low-level prospects (Erick Lara and Andrew Lindsey), so maybe we see another deal like that. Between Cabrera, Rogers and Meyer, the Marlins should also be open to sacrificing an unproven starter in order to add offense. Isaac Azout is in Nashville to cover all the action from the Winter Meetings, so make sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@IsaacAzout) and turn on his notifications so you are up to date on the latest. Photo: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

On Sunday, MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported that Tampa Bay Rays star outfielder Randy Arozarena is available. With the Marlins in need of a big bat, could they be a landing spot for him? In 2023, Arozarena slashed .256/.364/.425/.789 with 23 home runs, 83 RBIs and a 126 wRC+. The Cuban slugger posted four defensive runs saved in the outfield (with zero being league average) and earned his first career MLB All-Star selection. Arozarena also represented Mexico during the World Baseball Classic where he slashed .450/.607/.900/1.507 in six games, leading them to the semifinals of the tournament in Miami. Miami is looking for ways to replace the offense that Jorge Soler brought to the table. Soler opted out of his contract and is currently a free agent. Arozarena is also an upgrade over Bryan De La Cruz, who has been a streaky player for Miami and well below average defensively. The Marlins were tied for 23rd among MLB teams in stolen bases last season. Meanwhile, Arozarena has had three straight 20/20 seasons. His aggressiveness on the bases could make a big difference in terms of manufacturing runs. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2021/2021-10/07/951dae4a-e0f264ca-a04bd7ff-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4There will be competition for Arozarena, of course. This Morosi report specifically mentioned the Seattle Mariners as a possible trade partner for the Rays. Turning 29 in February, Arozarena still has three years of club control remaining. He is projected for a $9M salary in 2024, per MLB Trade Rumors, which is a bargain for an All-Star-caliber player. With a depleted farm system, the Marlins would have to get creative to outbid other interested teams. The Rays could use more rotation depth with starters Shane McClanahan, Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen all expected to begin next season on the injured list as they recover from elbow surgeries. Sending a piece like Edward Cabrera to Tampa Bay makes sense. Cabrera has five more years of club control left and the upside to be dominant...if he can figure out how to throw strikes consistently. Cabrera alone probably wouldn't be enough, though. Former first-round draft pick Max Meyer is ready to contribute in the big leagues as well. The second-ranked prospect on our FOF Top 30 list, Meyer posted a 2.77 ERA in 35 career minor league starts and missed 2023 due to his own Tommy John surgery. Approximate market values of Arozarena, Cabrera and Meyer | Baseball Trade ValuesThe risk here is trading away too much pitching to make the Arozarena acquisition worth it. The Marlins would have to consider signing a starter in free agency to replace Cabrera's and Meyer's innings. Which team do you think would say no to this proposal? Photo by Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The Marlins will have their fourth different hitting coach in four seasons. With the departure of Brant Brown to the Seattle Mariners, they are going to go internally and promote assistant hitting coach John Mabry to fill Brown's position as the number one guy, MLB.com's Christina De Nicola reported on Friday. Miami has brought in Bill Mueller as the new assistant hitting coach. Mabry was hired by manager Skip Schumaker last winter and will be entering his second season coaching with the Marlins organization. Mabry briefly played for the Marlins in 2001 and knew of Schumaker from their time together with the St. Louis Cardinals. He shares some of the same hitting philosophies as Brant Brown did. Schumaker also mentioned on Fish Unfiltered that Marlins players gave him input during the search process, so they apparently enjoyed working with Mabry in 2023. Bill Mueller had an impressive career as a big leaguer from 1996-2006. He was the 2003 AL batting champ and won a World Series title with the 2004 Boston Red Sox. After retiring, he joined the Dodgers front office as a special assistant to the general manager and then a year later became the Dodgers interim hitting coach. Just like many members of the Marlins coaching staff, Mueller was a Cardinal at some point in his career. After a stint with Chicago, Mueller headed to St. Louis to become their assistant hitting coach where he worked alongside Mabry until they were fired together midway through the 2018 season. Most recently, Mueller was with the Washington Nationals as quality control coordinator, part of the Washington's player development staff. The 2024 Marlins coaching staff looks to be completely filled out barring any unreported departures. Possible 2024 Marlins major league coaching staff

Is the third time the charm? The Miami Marlins reportedly showed interest in Eddie Rosario during trade talks with the Minnesota Twins in the 2019-20 offseason, then again two years later when he previously hit free agency. The Puerto Rican outfielder, who most recently played for the Atlanta Braves, is once again available. Rosario joined the Braves at the 2021 trade deadline. He helped them to a World Series title that year by winning NLCS MVP. In 2023, Rosario slashed .255/.305/.450/.755 with 21 home runs, 74 RBIs and a 100 wRC+ in 142 games played. It was a nice bounce back to his career averages after eye problems ruined his 2022 campaign. He was platooned, with 87.0% of his plate appearances coming against right-handed pitching. Defensively, the Braves used Rosario only in left field where he posted three outs above average (ranking in the 80th percentile) and three defensive runs saved. His glove was terrible in 2022, but if we overlook that because of his injury situation, he seems to be a defensive upgrade over Bryan De La Cruz. Rosario used to be a good contact hitter, but that has changed recently. His whiff rate ranked in the 23rd percentile among MLB hitters this season. Although he had a career-high 9.5% barrel rate, he has always struggled when it comes to hard-hit rate (19th percentile in 2023). Rosario consistently homers more than you would expect thanks to his ability to hit fly balls and pull pitches to right field. He usually keeps his groundball rate below 40%. Rosario was set to earn $9M on his 2024 club option, but Atlanta declined the option. The AAV of his new contract will likely be less than that, though he might land one last multi-year deal (like $10M over two years). It's not a perfect fit between Rosario and the Marlins. Current Miami outfielders Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jesús Sánchez already struggle against lefties, and De La Cruz doesn't have good production against them either. However, if Jorge Soler and Teoscar Hernández are out of their price range, adding him would be better than doing nothing. Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves

While the Marlins are most focused on improving their offense this winter, they should also be open to investing in adding depth to their pitching staff when it makes sense to do so. Former San Diego Padres right-hander Nick Martinez is an intriguing candidate. Martinez became a free agent when his options for the 2024 and 2025 seasons were declined. The Padres used Martinez in a creative way. He began and ended last season in their starting rotation, but spent most of the time in between as a setup man. Outside of a brief slump in June, he was consistently solid. Martinez has a very deep pitch mix, led by his changeup, which sits at 80.7 mph. He gets a big separation in velocity between that and his fastball. It's one of the best changeups in baseball with a 46.5% whiff rate, right behind teammate and NL Cy Young award winner Blake Snell. Nearly half of Martinez's total strikeouts came on that pitch. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/0de5d4b7-98bb-42c6-9912-222cd77b6d5b.mp4In 2023, Martinez had a career-low 0.98 HR/9 and a career-high 53.8% groundball rate. He ranked in the 95th percentile among MLB pitchers in hard-hit rate allowed, per Baseball Savant. Beyond Eury Pérez, the Marlins currently lack right-handed pitchers that they can fully trust for the 2024 season. Martinez put up 1.4 fWAR this season, exactly the same as Eury and more than any other healthy righties on the club (excluding Sandy Alcantara). The Padres had the opportunity to keep Martinez for $32M over the next two years, while he declined his own option to stay for $16M over that same period. Safe to assume, his free agent price tag should fall in between those figures. Expect there to be plenty of competition for Martinez's services. It helps that the Padres are trying to cut payroll and probably wouldn't be involved in the bidding. If the Marlins have some sort of advantage, it would be that he's a Miami native who comes from a family of Cuban parents and is bilingual.

Reliever Matt Moore had a tiny but meaningful role on the 2023 Miami Marlins. The Cleveland Guardians placed him on waivers with only two weeks left in the regular season. Even knowing he wouldn't be eligible to pitch for them in postseason games, the Marlins needed help simply getting to the postseason and were willing to pick up his remaining salary. Moore had a 0.00 ERA and a 3.26 FIP for Miami in four relief appearances. That included a scoreless inning on September 30, which was the win that clinched an NL Wild Card spot. Moore was an elite prospect coming up through the Tampa Bay Rays organization and spent most of his career as a starting pitcher, making the change to a full-time reliever in 2022. He was great for the Texas Rangers that season with a 1.95 ERA and five saves. He had a high strikeout rate in the new role (10.09 K/9), but also struggled with walks (4.62 BB/9). https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/4c9597ca-bd00-4313-9541-4479c8b75f38.mp4Moore spent most of the 2023 season with the Los Angeles Angels. Overall, combining all three of the teams he pitched for, he posted a 2.66 ERA and 3.73 FIP and the K/9 was still high at 10.25. One key difference was his walk rate went down significantly to 2.56 BB/9, the lowest of his career for a full-length season. Moore uses his secondary pitches to get hitters to expand the strike zone. He ranked in the 98th percentile among MLB pitchers in chase percentage this season. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/cb772f8f-f4e6-4395-bb91-5f2aaaa37f44.mp4https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/2f7edaf3-5e23-4f2e-a10d-ad8e5fda5caa.mp4The move to the bullpen has also boosted Moore's fastball velocity. Even as a 34-year-old, he averaged 94.0 mph with his four-seam fastball, which was his highest velo since 2012. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/517a99ef-68fe-4a20-81dd-d4c45696dc01.mp4New Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix began his career with the Rays in 2009. Moore was drafted by the team in 2007 and stayed until 2016, so they definitely crossed paths in Tampa Bay. Moore received a one-year, $7.55M deal last offseason. His asking price should be similar this time. The only issue with re-signing him would be filling up the Marlins bullpen with five lefties. That would make Steven Okert a likely trade candidate to keep things balanced. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

As the hot stove gets hotter, it is time to begin looking at who Peter Bendix and the Miami Marlins could possibly target in major league free agency. Currently, the Marlins' top three needs are a starting shortstop, starting catcher and starting pitching. The available free agents at shortstop and catcher are pretty bad, but starting pitching is actually the strength of this FA class. All-Star pitcher Lucas Giolito is a free agent for the first time in his career. Unfortunately for him, Giolito didn't pitch up to his usual standards during the 2023 season: 184.1 IP, 4.88 ERA, 5.27 FIP, 10.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9. Giolito had a solid first half of the season with the Chicago White Sox. He entered the All-Star break with a 3.45 ERA while averaging nearly six innings per start. With the White Sox way below the .500 mark, they flipped him and reliever Reynaldo López to the Los Angeles Angels prior to the trade deadline for a pair of top prospects. Giolito really struggled with the change of scenery. He posted a 6.96 ERA over his final 12 starts. His teams went 2-10 with him on the mound and he allowed a league-leading total of 21 home runs during that period. The Marlins reportedly tried to claim Giolito for themselves in late August. With Miami's young pitchers pushing up against career-high workloads and trades no longer permitted, the Angels reversed course on their playoff push and wanted to shed salary. The veteran right-hander was the best option available on the waiver wire and the Marlins thought they were first in line among remaining postseason contenders. The Cleveland Guardians took everybody by surprise and claimed Giolito to keep their slim AL Central title hopes alive (it didn't work). Giolito possesses a three pitch-mix—four-seam fastball, changeup and sider—with an occasional dose of the curveball. The changeup has been his most consistent pitch through the years, a big reason why he's done better against lefties (.691 OPS allowed) than righties (.770 OPS allowed). https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/8df5e5a3-b6e2-41ef-9648-cd026e4577de.mp4Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara (Tommy John surgery) is out for the 2024 season. There is also uncertainty surrounding how many innings Eury Pérez will pitch as a 21-year-old and how Braxton Garrett and Jesús Luzardo will look like following a year where they went a career high in innings pitched. On a short-term deal, Giolito would make a lot of sense. Pitching home games at LoanDepot Park should help Giolito coming off a season where he gave up the long ball more than usual. His 2.00 HR/9 in 2023 was the highest of his career. The way that Giolito struggled in the second half will hurt his ability to get a monster contract. As a 29-year-old with a durable history, he could still get multiple years guaranteed at a solid rate (his median contract projection is three years, $46.5M). However, he's in a situation to consider signing a one-year "prove it" deal to improve his value and enter free agency next offseason. The Marlins could be interested in that, filling a hole in their rotation for 2024 and knowing they could sell him for prospects at the trade deadline if they can't repeat as a playoff team. Like Giolito, Michael Wacha was a former first-round draft pick who didn't have much momentum entering free agency. He signed a series of one-year contracts before finding success with the Boston Red Sox in 2022, turning that into a bigger deal with the San Diego Padres the following season. If you're Giolito, the dream is to follow Robbie Ray's example and break out as a Cy Young award winner like Ray did on his "prove it" deal with the 2021 Toronto Blue Jays. That led to a five-year, $115M payday. It's unclear whether the Marlins' interest level in Giolito has changed at all under new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, but you can see how they would match up well with each other.

Infielder Nasim Nuñez began his 2023 season in mid-February as a non-roster invitee to Miami Marlins big league camp. Last weekend, he wrapped up his participation in the Arizona Fall League. That's almost nine months of baseball non-stop. "I believe that my last offseason, I did what I needed to do to prepare my body to endure what I just went through," said Nuñez to Fish On First in a recent virtual media availability. "My body actually feels good. I lost a little bit of weight." The eighth-ranked prospect on our Fish On First Top 30, Nuñez spent the regular season at AA-Pensacola. He slashed .224/.341/.286/.627 with five home runs, 43 RBIs, a 79 wRC+ and 52 stolen bases (setting a new Blue Wahoos single-season record). Nuñez played 95 games at shortstop and also spent more time at second base than he had during his previous MiLB seasons. Although Nuñez struggled leading into the All-Star break, he and Patrick Monteverde earned spots in the 2023 Futures Game. Nuñez came off the bench to win Futures Game MVP, becoming the first Marlins prospect ever to receive that recognition. https://fishonfirst.com/news/nasim-nunez-futures-game-mvp-award/Shortly after returning from the break, Nuñez went on a 17-game hitting streak. Since turning pro in 2019, Nuñez has consistently drawn walks at a high rate, including 14.9% of the time this season. That puts him in a position to steal bases even when he isn't hitting the ball well. Five of Nuñez's seven career home runs came in 2023. What's fascinating about that is he's shown he has enough strength to hit balls out to the opposite field. If he tried lifting the ball to the pull side more often, power could become a more significant part of his game. Nuñez wasn't done yet, playing 20 more regular season games in the Arizona Fall League. He slashed .253/.362/.291/.653 with 15 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Splitting time between second base and shortstop, he did not make a single error. The Peoria Javelinas advanced to the AFL championship game where they lost despite a big performance by Nuñez (2-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R). https://videopress.com/v/20Usi0CG?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F11%2Fnasim-nunez-2023-afl-championship-game_mp4_std.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=trueAll things considered, Nuñez played in 157 organized pro baseball games in 2023, stepping to the plate more than 700 times. It was easily the heaviest workload of any Marlins prospect. "Mentally playing all of those games, sometimes it would get monotonous," said Nuñez. "I never thought I would say that about baseball, but sometimes it would get monotonous, doing the same thing every day, over and over and over again, so I learned ways to make it a little bit more interesting." https://www.instagram.com/p/CzkFVCZMSrd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==Looking ahead, Nuñez will likely receive another invite to big league spring training...assuming he's still in the Marlins organization. The 23-year-old was not selected to their 40-man roster prior to Tuesday's deadline, leaving him exposed to the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.

Just mere minutes after Miami Marlins first-year manager Skip Schumaker was named National League Manager of the Year, the Miami Marlins announced the decision to add both Victor Mesa Jr. and Anthony Maldonado to their 40-man roster. Had they not been protected prior to Tuesday's deadline, Mesa and Maldonado would have been eligible to be selected by other teams in next month's Rule 5 Draft. Victor Mesa Jr., OF Although Mesa ranked as the top position player on our latest Fish On First Top 30 prospects list, the chances seemed low that he would be taken in the major league portion of the Rule 5. The Marlins didn't want to take that chance with the young outfielder. Mesa had himself a great start to the 2023 season with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, but fell back down to earth after a midseason injury. He finished the season slashing .242/.308/.412/.720 with 18 home runs, 76 RBIs and a 91 wRC+. The Marlins as an organization lack center field depth behind Jazz Chisholm Jr., so Mesa's good defense there likely factored into this decision. Anthony Maldonado, RHP Maldonado was by far the biggest lock to earn a roster spot amongst all Rule 5-eligible Marlins pitchers. He posted a 1.76 ERA, 3.40 FIP, 13.89 K/9 and a 4.11 BB/9 with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp this season, thanks to a dominant slider. Unlike Mesa, who still needs more development, Maldonado has a good chance at making the 2024 Marlins Opening Day roster as a reliever depending on what additions the team makes over the course of the offseason. Notable players left unprotected Troy Johnston, 1B (AA/AAA) 2023 stats: 307/.399/.549/.948 with 26 HR, 116 RBIs and 24 stolen bases The Marlins shockingly did not select their reigning Minor League Player of the Year. FOF Farm Director Alex Carver put Johnston in the "must protect" category. He led all MiLB players in runs batted in during the 2023 season. He could've been a nice backup to Josh Bell at first base and potentially Bell's long-term replacement beginning in 2025 if he leaves via free agency. It is all but certain that Johnston will get selected in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 by either a rebuilding team with regular playing time available or any other team with an unsettled first base situation. Will Banfield, C (AA) 2023 stats: .258/.302/.472/.773 with 23 HR, 76 RBIs and a 100 wRC+ Banfield found offensive success for the first time in his career to go along with great defense behind the plate. The Marlins are betting that he will go unselected anyway and report to camp with them to compete for the backup catcher job. Nasim Nuñez, IF (AA) 2023 stats: .224/.341/.286/.627 with 5 HR, 43 RBIs and a 79 wRC+ The bat is just not big league ready for Nasim Nuñez, who is fresh off of wrapping up his participation in the Arizona Fall League. His speed and ability to play both shortstop and second base are valuable tools, but not enough to make up for that. The Marlins 40-man roster now stands at 37. That number could go down by Friday, which is the MLB non-tender deadline. The Rule 5 Draft will take place on December 7 at the end of the Winter Meetings. Photo courtesy of Pensacola Blue Wahoos

Relive all of the ups and downs of the 2023 Miami Marlins with our Fish On First Season Review, containing detailed articles about a wide variety of players. The FOF staff analyzes the individual impact that each of them had and what it means for their future with the organization. This installment focuses on reliever A.J. Puk. 2023 Timeline February 11—traded by Oakland Athletics to Miami Marlins for OF JJ BledayMarch 31—made Marlins debut and recorded first save with the teamMay 13—placed on the 15-day injured list (left elbow nerve irritation)May 30—sent on a rehab assignment to Pensacola Blue WahoosJune 6—activated from the 15-day injured listJuly 30—removed from closer's role (overtaken by David Robertson)Season stats: 3.97 ERA, 3.59 FIP, 12.39 K/9, 2.06 BB/9, 15 SV and 56.2 IP Just mere hours after the Miami Marlins had wrapped up their annual FanFest, news broke that former first-round draft pick JJ Bleday had been dealt to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for A.J. Puk, himself also a former first-rounder. A change of scenery made sense for both players. Bleday struggled as a rookie and was blocked from getting playing time in the Marlins outfield moving forward. Puk had been adjusting to life as a reliever on an A's team that was nowhere close to be competitive. Entering Skip Schumaker's first spring training as Marlins manager, he explained that high-leverage situations would be handled based on specific matchups. He didn't announce a full-time closer. Puk had saved four games with Oakland in 2022. Teammates Tanner Scott, Dylan Floro and Matt Barnes all had experience in that role as well. Within the first week or two of the regular season, it became clear that Puk was Miami's go-to guy in the ninth inning. In the month of April, Puk appeared in 10 games and had a 0.00 ERA with four saves. Puk brought refreshing reliability to the closer's role that the Marlins hadn't seen in several years. He combined swing-and-miss ability with soft contact. However, Puk wasn't quite the same after his IL stint. Things really fell apart for him during the month of July as he allowed home runs at the worst possible times. Using the July 7 game against the Philadelphia Phillies as an example, Miami was leading and Puk was one out away from recording the save. Going up against light-hitting Cristian Pache, Puk's 0-1 sweeper was taken deep for a two-run homer to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead. The Marlins lost. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/e96cb2fc-6948-4a9d-b303-7bdbf5f64186.mp4Giving up the long ball would become Puk's issue. Through the end of June, he pitched 25 innings and allowed only two home runs, but the lefty gave up eight homers the rest of the way (31.2 IP). All 15 of Puk's saves came in the first half. David Robertson and Tanner Scott took over those responsibilities over the final two months of the season. Even after the demotion, Puk showed good control in his first Marlins season. He walked only 5.4% of total batters faced, which is much better than the MLB average. Puk made an interesting change to his arsenal in 2023, but one that worked well. He turned his slider into a sweeper and used it 42.6% of the time. Puk did make the Marlins postseason roster. When he previously made it as an Oakland Athletic, he didn't make an appearance. This time around, he threw one inning, which included a Bryce Harper strikeout with his sweeper. Future with Marlins Despite the inconsistency, the expectation is to see Puk back in the Marlins bullpen. Puk was still a strikeout machine, as he ranked 12th amongst qualified relievers in K/9 to go along with the low walk rate mentioned earlier. Puk will be tendered a contract for the 2024 season. Assuming that Tanner Scott and Andrew Nardi are back, he probably won't see many save opportunities. The question is how will Skip Schumaker put him in the best position to be successful.