Sean Millerick

There is no shortage of reasons why the Miami Marlins lost to the Philadelphia Phillies Monday night. Poor hitting with runners in scoring position. An umpiring decision so inexplicable that it still boggles the mind. The enduring presence of Leo Jimenez. The excellence of Cristopher Sanchez, a continuation of Miami's years-long inability to handle lefty starting pitchers. However, I wanted to focus on something that might have flown under the radar. John King pitched horribly. Cade Gibson was better, but not by much. The ineffectiveness of Miami's lefty relievers since essentially the start of July is highly concerning. For much of the year, King looked unequivocally like the best of the Marlins' offseason acquisitions. Overall, he remains a positive WAR player with a 3.88 ERA and still-sterling 0.98 WHIP. Yet his season splits are eye-opening. First half? A 2.48 ERA and 0.75 WHIP. Second half? Those numbers have ballooned to a 10.48 ERA and 2.07 WHIP. To be fair, King's first-half stats come from 40 games' worth of appearances, compared to only nine games in the second half. He has also maintained a pretty clean sheet when it comes to high leverage. There hasn't been a meaningful velocity dip. A slight decrease in sweeper spin was evident on Monday, but there just isn't a lot to point to other than the poor results and an MLB track record that always indicated he was unlikely to maintain his elite pace. At least Gibson has been consistent in 2026. Unfortunately, that just means he's been equally unhelpful all season long. Going into Wednesday, that came out to a 5.25 ERA in the first half and a 6.55 ERA in the second. He has struggled all season long to recapture his 2025 form. He's been a -0.6 bWAR pitcher. Only two Marlins pitchers have been worse this season from that standpoint. One of those is Chris Paddack. The other is Pete Fairbanks, but he's showing every sign of having resurrected his season these past couple weeks. The clock might be ticking on this bullpen composition...except for the fact that the Marlins essentially have no impactful lefty reinforcements to call upon. Scheduled to undergo elbow surgery, Andrew Nardi, who thrived as the club's high-leverage lefty during their last NL Wild Card campaign in 2023, has been fully ruled out. Two of baseball's best southpaw prospects, Robby Snelling and Thomas White, are also hurt. The only 40-man roster alternative is rookie Dax Fulton. Dipping deeper into the organization, there's not much help. Other than Fulton, Patrick Monteverde and Justin King represent the lone lefty offerings at AAA. Monteverde, who's mostly been used as a starter in the minors, has just a 5.79 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. Justin King doesn't even meet that modest standard with a 6.84 ERA and 2.00 WHIP. Bottom line? No help is coming from within if the Marlins either continue to not get much help from their lefty relievers, or if it turns out the reason they have struggled is a yet to be revealed injury. Which makes it all the more essential that King (John) and Gibson turn it around ASAP. Well that, or some team decides to shed some salary and dumps a lefty on waivers over the next two weeks. View full article

Suffice it to say, this isn't the way anyone associated with the Miami Marlins drew it up a week ago. When the Marlins made the choice to move the seemingly expendable Liam Hicks off the roster at the trade deadline...he really wasn't supposed to be missed. Although in the midst of a strong season overall, he had only homered twice since June 1. Griffin Conine, Heriberto Hernández, and Kyle Stowers had all been more productive hitters lately. Joe Mack had firmly established that the Marlins were looking far backup catchers only. Miami was covered on lefty bats, covered on catchers, and covered on thump. The move wasn't popular, but of all the rumored moves that smacked of selling, it was seen as the most forgivable amongst the fanbase. Yet in the blink of an eye—or if you prefer, the spasm of a fast-twitch muscle—Kyle Stowers is back on the IL. That throws the entire Hicks decision tree back under the microscope. The first base position was comically overlooked by the Marlins. Perhaps that was more confidence than we realize in the ability of Hicks and Stowers to handle the position, but there is no denying the fact that Miami is now very thin on players with MLB experience at first base. Starting Conine there was the first move on Tuesday following Stowers' IL placement, despite having only ever played six innings there this season. Beyond Conine, light-hitting Leo Jiménez and Graham Pauley are in Miami's plans there for the moment, according to manager Clayton McCullough. Both of those "solutions" are sporting a negative WAR on the year. The club is essentially right back to where they were at the beginning of the year, with far more questions than answers at first base. Only now, there is a lot less calendar left to figure those answers out. Revisiting the Hicks decision has more to do with the structure of the trade than the fact he was traded to begin with. If Miami had moved Hicks in a deal that brought back either a starting pitcher or a right-handed bat to help this year's MLB roster make a run at the playoffs? Just the cost of doing business to maximize the roster in the here and now? Fan angst would be limited to handwringing over the Marlins being cursed and little more. However, when you sell off a very popular player for yet another prospect package...that's going to leave any organization open to criticism. By the way, Hicks owns a .238/.407/.476 slash line through seven games with Tampa Bay. His club is a perfect 7-0 in those contests. View full article

From July 10-26, the Miami Marlins lost every ballgame they played. The last of those dirty dozen contests set a franchise record for consecutive losses, but it took an additional week to fully understand the streak's ramifications. The 2011 team suffered almost as many losses in a row during their season. However, expectations were never super high, even if they did get off to a hot start. That team was always more about getting to the new ballpark than making any noise during their last season in the old one. The other 11-gamers came courtesy of the worst Marlins roster in franchise history, back in 1998. They did it twice, along with a nine-gamer for good measure. But again, not like there were any real expectations to dash on the rocks there. Although so closely removed from winning a World Series title, the team had already been largely gutted. Prior to this season, I would have told you that the "worst" Marlins losing streak wasn't even double digits in length. For me, it was a six-game losing streak in late 2004 that knocked the defending champions pretty firmly out of playoff contention. It was fueled as much by the toll of too many hurricanes as too difficult opponents. With the 2026 MLB trade deadline now in the rear view, for the first time in franchise history, the math mirrors the damage. Why? Because as anyone reading this well knows, this time, the slump actually cost the Marlins. Yes, they did largely stand pat at the trade deadline, and they kept the core intact. However, they were rumored to be definite buyers going into the All-Star break. The turnaround was dizzying. The change in expectations was gutting. What should have been a deadline filled with hope was instead one that most Marlins fans spent it hoping the rumors wouldn't be true. Can the 2026 Marlins still contend? Absolutely. But it is far more likely that they are going to coming up short, lacking in areas like third base and starting rotation depth. A true buyer would have done something to patch those leaks. That 12-game losing streak changed everything, making it the worst losing streak in Marlins history. View full article

Throughout Miami Marlins history, there has been one constant measuring stick. While the Marlins have never won a National League East title themselves, it's rare for the Atlanta Braves to finish anywhere but atop the division. Every Marlins manager has uttered some version of, "The Braves will tell us where we are" in advance of their head-to-head meetings. The Marlins will be tested once again this week in Atlanta, trailing the Braves by 9.5 games entering Tuesday's series opener. Another chance to upset a team viewed as clearly better than them coming into the season and fire up fans to come out and support them during the next homestand. Thus far in 2026, the Marlins are 2-5 against the Braves. Those previous matchups like an eternity ago, in ways both good and bad. Kyle Stowers was only available for one of those series. Griffin Conine missed both. Eury Pérez was not pitching at this level. Joe Mack hadn't fully established himself yet. Then again, Max Meyer is out hurt. Liam Hicks is gone. This club has gone through the highs of June and the lows of July. The distraction of the trade deadline has passed. It's just not the same squad. So what will this series against the Braves tell us about the Marlins? Two things jump out. First off, the obvious: Is this team good enough to contend? If you can beat the division leaders on the road, that obviously speaks volumes, especially if you can do so without ace Sandy Alcantara pitching in the series. Given how crowded the NL Wild Card race is, every game counts right now. Maybe the Braves look past Miami and coast on their big division lead, having less at stake in the series. That's fine. Miami will take those wins given how hard the schedule is the rest of the way. Of course, even good teams lose series. This isn't must-win for the Fish, but the manner in which they compete over these three games? That matters, and will speak volumes about the Marlins chances. Secondly, how will the Marlins react to the end results of the trade deadline? On the plus side, this group was mostly kept together and is being given the chance to compete for a playoff spot together as they have done all season. But on the down side, the front office did deal away a very useful player in Hicks. With Agustín Ramírez, they are replacing him with a player who has performed worse than Hicks in every respect. No splashy additions were made on the trade front. Will the clubhouse feel that the front office did enough to help them? If so, great. If not, how do they handle that? In both cases, there's only one way to find out. Bring on the Braves. View full article

Another MLB trade deadline, another round of waiting for the other shoe to drop for Miami Marlins fans. Despite a terrific week of play that propelled Miami to three games over .500 and within 1.5 games of a playoff spot as Monday's deadline approached, all that had been reported was how Miami was listening to offers on players who had been vital to getting them to this point. The odds seemed high that deadline day transactions would leave them with a substantially weaker 2026 roster. It would have been deflating to essentially bow out of the race in early August with a winning team, especially being as starved for success starved as this franchise is. The front office did the bare minimum early on by shutting down any speculation about Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez being available. Two out of every five games, the Marlins will continue deploying starting pitchers with the upside to thoroughly dominate. Griffin Conine is famously in Marlin circles "not a Bendix guy", and therefore has often been viewed as more expendable than other outfielders in the organization. Even so, you can't trade the son of Mr. Marlin. Not this early in his career, anyway, especially not when the underlying numbers suggest he might also just be really good at the whole playing baseball thing. The Marlins instead parted with Liam Hicks to address their glut of left-handed hitters. That has understandably upset a portion of the fanbase, but Hicks may well have been superfluous between Joe Mack's emergence and the fact Agustin Ramirez is technically a catcher. Crucially, the team's greatest strength remains intact. Middle infielders Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards are both above-average defenders capable of stretches of outstanding offense. Dealing Edwards would have been a major blow, as would dealing Lopez, which would've also come with the baggage of dealing a reigning All-Star. "Selling high" is not a satisfactory justification for trading either when there aren't obvious replacements waiting in the wings. It was by no means an aggressive deadline for the Marlins, but they proceeded appropriately given the circumstances. There is a sense right now that every game counts. Nothing is more important to growing their brand. Seasons like this one have just been too few and far between for Marlins fans. The 2026 team has a chance. It might not be a big one, but again, this kind of thing is all relative. Compared to Marlins' seasons past, this club is a borderline juggernaut. Consider this writer thrilled about the deadline day decisions. Now the Wild Card chase can continue, with the future of the Marlins looking bright as well. View full article

If the 2026 Miami Marlins are going to keep the band together, they simply can't lose this weekend's series. There's just no way around that fact. Miami has to leave New York the same way they came in: over the .500 mark. Sweeping the Phillies set up the possibility of a stay of execution for their postseason prospects, but no more than that. Actually buying outside help is no longer on the table. Doing the 'ol standing pat, running it back, dancing with the one that brought you thing? That's much more likely to be on the table if Miami merely wins the series. It could even be in play with a split. Some of that will come down to how the team plays this weekend, and if they can keep the offensive resurgence fans saw against Philadelphia going. Staying healthy will be key as well. However, what will be just as important as what the Marlins do on the field this weekend in Queens is what the other NL Wild Card contenders do in their weekend series. Honestly, for the first time this season, it might even be more important. That's right, sports fans, it's scoreboard watching time. Selling off key pieces of an over. 500 team would be hard enough to portray as a move fans should be excited about. Selling off key pieces of a team that is actually a game back or less of a playoff spot, though? Possibly even in possession of one? Way harder to, for lack of a better word, "sell" that decision to paying customers the rest of way, especially heading into a tumultuous MLB offseason. Of particular interest for Marlins fans will be a series featuring the team that got the ball rolling on Miami's heartbreaking twelve-game skid. The Cleveland Guardians will be playing host to the Arizona Diamondbacks this weekend. Currently, Arizona enjoys a two-game lead over Miami along with Philadelphia (playing Baltimore) for one of the last two Wild Card spots. The Guardians are more than good enough to help narrow that gap. Speaking of being more than good enough to beat someone, the division-leading Braves are hosting the Nationals for four games. Washington has been excellent on the road this season, but the Braves are the Braves. If that series goes the way it should on paper, that could easily push the Nats back behind the Marlins in the Wild Card race. Elsewhere in the packed playoff race, the free-falling Cardinals are on the road versus the Blue Jays. The Pirates are much better than the Reds this year, but Great American Ball Park remains a house of horrors for any pitcher. And if you are feeling extremely optimistic about Miami's playoff chances, it might interest you to know the Cubs are playing the Yankees. Not likely to matter, but I point it out as they "only" have a five-game lead in the standings over the Marlins with six left to play against them. The only real cakewalk on the schedule for an NL playoff hopeful this weekend? That would be the Padres' opponent: the lowly Rockies. Beyond that, the Marlins are in excellent shape to gain some ground in the playoff race if their fellow contenders do their part and stumble into August. If you combine some standings luck and a strong showing versus the Mets? It all adds up to the Marlins playing for something this season after all...and perhaps even taking steps to make that goal more likely. View full article

In the blink of an eye, the Miami Marlins have seemingly gone from buyer to seller. Such is the life of a Marlins fan. Most of you reading this probably just need one hand to count the number of times you can recall this team doing any kind of buying at the deadline. The perception of this team as a perennial farm system for MLB's postseason bound clubs has been well-earned. This time around, though? Things have to be different for the Marlins and their beleaguered fans. Fortunately, in at least one key way, that is already virtually certain to be the case. In a refreshing departure for Marlins fans, barring an eleventh hour trade of franchise face Sandy Alcantara that no outlets are reporting as likely, the money is not going to be a factor. No big salaries are being unloaded...because there aren't really any to unload. If Alcantara is staying, that leaves only Pete Fairbanks making the big bucks, and many Marlins fans would probably still be willing to drive him to the airport to get a trade done even after two big saves versus Philadelphia. However, not being able to be tagged with penny-pinching is only part of the equation here. Because what is of even greater importance for Marlins fans is knowing that the future is now, not later. That this team really is committed to being consistently good, and isn't just kicking the can down the road a few years. Not after this past June. Not after feeling that close to a postseason race. Not after seeing so many players level up into dependable players, even if there was some regression from others. And especially not while hope exists that the team's financial situation could look very different come next Opening Day. No, whoever the "big piece" is that Peter Bendix acquires in selling off any key pieces of this season's Miami Marlins roster pretty much needs to be viewed as having a shot to be a key piece of next season's Miami Marlins roster. Yes, I have pessimistically held off on typing the phrase "2027 Miami Marlins" to this point, as the odds are just a touch to high for my liking that "next season" could mean 2028, not 2027. What keeps coming to my mind is trade that didn't involve the Marlins at all, when the 2014 Chicago Cubs packed off two-fifths of their starting rotation for prized shortstop prospect Addison Russell. Russell made the team next season, immediately becoming a locked in starter for a team that made four consecutive playoff runs, including that long-awaited championship in 2016. The players sent away, Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, were popular players—Hammel so much so that the Cubs just brought him back next season. But the front office saw a chance to cash in and add that missing piece. That kind of move? Totally acceptable. A decision that would be easy sell, pun intended, particularly if the team loses this final series before the deadline against the Mets. But selling off multiple key pieces, all for players years away from making an impact? Especially if the team holds their ground or gains in the playoff race this weekend? That would be an extremely tough pill for fans to swallow, even if the league announced Monday that 2027 salary cap and floor was a done deal. Hopefully, the Marlins front office surprises and still decides to modestly buy. If not though, fingers crossed that the team makes the right kind of deal. Selling can be the right call, just so long as the Marlins are selling for right now. Not the distant future. View full article

How aggressive the Miami Marlins choose to be at this year's MLB trade deadline remains anyone's guess. Of course, given the team's change of fortunes since the All-Star break, it remains a bit of an open question as to whether Miami will act as buyer or seller come deadline time. While it would have been unthinkable for the club to do something as wishy-washy as "standing pat" as recently as last week, that could well be where the smart money should be placed right about now. For the sake of argument, let's assume that Miami does still plan to buy. There are two factors working in their favor. For one, they are flush with financial flexibility. There is precisely zero concern about needing to negotiate staying below Major League Baseball's CBT threshold. Currently spending the least in the league on payroll entering a round of CBA negotiations where it would behoove them to be in the good graces of MLB and the MLBPA, the simple fact of the matter is that any money Miami spends could be viewed as an investment in their future. Look at it as their money being greener. Look at it as a case of spending money to make money. Look at it as one of those cases where every dollar spent yields far more in future returns. Pick a cliche. Miami buying buys them twice as much in credibility as however much WAR return any moves generate. For another, though—and this is where Miami Marlins fans should really take heart—there's a case to be made for them actually having the easiest path to improving of any contender. Does this team need plenty of help? Absolutely. Would this article have been far more convincing if I had written it three sweeps ago during the Cleveland series? You betcha—blame the vacation I'm really starting to wish I was still on. However, it remains kinda true. The Marlins continue to boast some of the worst production at third base in the majors. Closer Pete Fairbanks sports a -1.4 WAR and a ghastly 7.42 ERA, yet most fans would still rather see him take the ball late than -0.6 WAR Calvin Faucher. They're pretty much back to only having two starting pitchers again. In other words, despite having multiple needs, it wouldn't take a lot to significantly move the needle for the Marlins in multiple areas. Of course it would be nice to land Matt Chapman, Mason Miller, and/or Tarik Skubal. Granted, that would require the complete decimation of the farm system and inches of snow falling in Miami tomorrow, but there's no denying that it would be nice. Yet there's also no denying that switching from the roughly 30th-ranked to even the 25th-ranked third baseman, a late-inning reliever with a positive WAR, and a starting pitcher who could consistently last five innings would mean more to the Marlins than any other team shopping for postseason help. More importantly, those kind of upgrades are well within the budget of a team looking to reasonably and smartly enhance the roster. Even more within their budget would be taking steps to simply improve their platoon options, perhaps pushing Leo Jiménez and/or Brian Navarreto off the roster for more reliable bats. I mentioned as much in last week's Fish On First round able, but it feels worth repeating now that trade deadline expectations might need to be tempered. It would be the least they could do, but it's hard to imagine even that minor of a move not being worth a couple wins. Bottom line? The Marlins have it in their power to massively upgrade their team over the next couple weeks, without breaking the prospect bank. All they need to do is get out of their own way...and maybe start winning a game or two again. View full article