One Regend

I guarantee you if Joe Mack had played and been on the roster the full season he'd be a finalist.

The Phillies aren't going to win championships with Don Mattingly. Mattingly proved it with the Dodgers, he proved it with the Marlins, and he proved it this year with the Phillies. And now, the Phillies are aging, physically declining, have underwater contracts, and they have key players leaving in Free Agency. Make of that what you will.

I expect bare minimum Steven Okert. He's already familiar with the Marlins organization, having revitalized his career there, and he's still a productive lefty reliever today. Sean Newcomb would be an okay fallback plan. And while Morejon would be perfect, I doubt we're getting him. Someone like the Dodgers will overpay for him.

I do think Miguel Rojas was a great utility player, but the lack of depth at SS basically forced Rojas to be an every day starter even though he wasn't cut out to be an everyday starter. Kind of the same problem we have at 3rd Base with Javier Sanoja, now that I think about it. We just have no clearcut answer at 3B except for maybe Aiva Arquette, and that's if he develops well. Sanoja, like Rojas before him, is merely a stopgap. Who knows. Maybe we might not need Aiva and Sanoja becomes an All-Star?

Out of all the starting pitchers talked about, only Robbie Ray has a high enough upside to chase. (And, even then, his decline in strikeout rate raises a red flag.) Steven Okert and Adrian Morejon (either of them) would also a nice boon to the bullpen that desperately needs a reliable lefty. I doubt we're getting Morejon though. Someone like the Dodgers is going to pick him up.

Sure, let's hire a guy that got carried by high-end talent. Surely, nothing could possibly go wrong!

I feel like people ragged on Jakob Marsee's first-half batting stats, which they should, his first half was borderline unwatchable. But I feel like a lot of people don't talk about his incredibly inefficient base stealing. He got caught stealing more than a third of the time, costing his team many runs in the process. Either he cuts down on the steals entirely, or he improves his efficiency. 23 stolen bases may look cool on a statsteet, but not when it's next to 12 Caught Stealing.

Ramirez was being forced to start games at a position he's repeatedly failed at because the organization refuses to put players in a position to achieve success. It's not like Ramirez being bad at defense was sudden news. No. They had all of 2025 to determine he was absolutely a terrible defender. You can rag on his slashline all you want but you're not going to have confidence at any level if you're continuing to be played at a position you suck at. This has a mental effect that bleeds into the batter's box. You don't go from 21 HRs in your rookie season to suddenly not even scratching a quarter of that in the next season. So, no, I very highly disagree with you. It's one thing if a player is garbage, but it's another thing entirely if the organization doesn't even try to help him. At that point, is it more on the player or is it more on the organization? To me, it's more on the organization. I'd see your point if the organization actually tried to work with him, but they didn't even bother to try. Prospect development gets destroyed when you are taking flights every 15 days because the team decides to yoyo you from AAA to MLB and all you do is sit on the bench for large amounts of time. What are you, as a prospect, gaining from this experience? It's hard to stay focused when you don't know if you're going to be on the team the next morning. This is LITERALLY what happened to Lewin Diaz, so I don't know what example you want that could be more fitting? Neither player got consistent playing time, and by the time Diaz did, his future was already ruined. And De Los Santos is already following the same path. What more can be said? Would it kill the team to use De Los Santos instead of sending Leo Jimenez up to the plate for the 6,359th plate appearance with a sub-.500 OPS? They're both prospects that could've been handled better, and that's the subject my post was trying to aim towards.

Possible candidates for not being with the team in 2027: 1. Agustin Ramirez: A classic case on how not to develop a prospect. There's a good chance his career ends this year. And the sad part is, it isn't his fault. 2. Deyvision De Los Santos: He's been given the Lewin Diaz treatment where he's being ping-ponged from AAA to MLB without being given enough reps to acclimate to major league pitching. Mis-using a prospect like this damages their prospect development to the point where these type of players usually have to go overseas to finally find their stride, like Lewin Diaz did in the Korean league with 50 HRs. 3. Andrew Nardi and Tyler Zuber: I'm grouping these together because both serve the same point. Tyler Zuber has always been a mediocre pitcher at best and I'm surprised he was still being given high-leverage innings even when he stunk it up. Andrew Nardi is literally a one-year wonder and the Marlins keep hoping to catch lightning in the bottle when he's a Linsanity product. The sad realization of these two players is they're both starting off 2027 on the 60 day IL, and even if they are healthy, you can't trust them to produce at a semi-competitive level. 4. Esteury Ruiz: I can actually see the argument for letting him go. His second half was dreadful and his defense regressed badly. If he had kept pace with the first few months, I would've dismissed such an idea as ridiculous, but the reality is, we just have too many OFs wanting a crack at the major league roster, and Marsee being out means Cam Cannarella is going to be on the Major League roster, barring a free agent signing or a trade for a CF (both moves of which i heavily dislike. If trading for those, what's the point of having a farm system?). And if Esteury Ruiz is gone, that may open the door to other outfielders. I would mention the obvious name that I've mentioned numerous times to take over Ruiz in LF/RF, but it's clear to me that next to nobody here likes him, and neither does the front office, so I will leave him nameless. Besides, he's going to be exposed to the Rule 5 draft, and some other team will pick him up, so it won't matter if I mention him.

The entire broadcasting team was entirely gutted. Four of them were dismissed, and Tommy Hutton retired. It's going to be a busy December, I imagine.

The Marlins had an injury-prone pitcher before. His name was Josh Beckett. He ended up becoming a World Series MVP. Injuries alone should not dictate whether or not a player should be gotten rid of. Performance-to-availability should. When he was on the field, however rare it was, Josh Beckett was the best there ever was. With Nardi, even when he was on the field, he was still mostly garbage. I don't see the value in keeping him. At least Max Meyer proved he has All-Star potential. No sense in dealing him. The reason why I was hoping Edward Cabrera was being dealt last winter was because of how maddingly inconsistent he was, paired with his injuries. Even when he was on the mound, he was frustrating to watch. He has the talent of a Cy Young contender, but was unable to put it together, often following brilliant outings with back-to-back dumpster fire outings. He's on the Cubs now, and there's a chance he can put it together on another team, but I'd rather hinge my bets on Owen Caissie in his 5 years of control than bet the lottery on Cabrera putting it together in the 2 years he had left with Miami. Max Meyer is less talented than Cabrera, yet kept it together long enough to warrant an All-Star nod. Those are the guys who you should generally try to keep. It's also the reason why I absolutely hated the season-killing Ryan Weathers trade. He had also proven himself in the same time frame as Max Meyer, and he was dealt away with the same motivation of the trade as yours: Injuries alone. Now look at what he's done for the Yankees.

I don't think it makes sense to invest a 3-year deal on a guy who's going to be a backup catcher. That's a colossal waste of resources. I also don't think the backup catchers we have now aren't going to cut it. Brian Navarreto, as good as he was at handling pitchers, was an automatic out at the plate. And sadly, Agustin Ramirez isn't much better with the bat.

I never understood why the Marlins had so much faith in Andrew Nardi. The guy is literally a one-year wonder. Even if you bring up the argument that the Marlins have no left-handed relief options in AAA other than the absolutely-gassed Cade Gibson, Nardi is going to start 2027 sidelined to injury, so there's no point in taking him to arbitration. Cut the bait. I'd rather send a dominating RHP against a lefty than send in a garbage LHP against a lefty. I can say the same thing for Cade Gibson too. There were many times where simply having Josh Ekness pitch to the lefty would've been better than Cade Gibson. Am I the only person here who never understood the value of Tyler Zuber? He sucked every single year and he's still getting high-leverage opportunities. Why is he even in the conversation to receive a pay raise? Why not just pick up literally anyone from AAA?

I want the Marlins to extend Sandy, but I know in my heart of hearts, it's not going to happen as long as Bruce Sherman and Peter Bendix are in the office. Hell, many sources are expecting the Marlins to pick up the club option, but I have a hard time believing even that. I truly do think the front office is going to let him test the Free Agent market. All of that is sad because, without Sandy, the 2027 rotation is unviable to say the least. -Max Meyer is the only viable starting pitcher here, and even then, are we going to see 2026 Meyer or pre-2026 Meyer? -Eury Perez is literally Edward Cabrera but with a different coat of paint. Talented but excruciatingly frustrating to watch. -Robby Snelling is still missing half of 2027 due to Tommy John. -Who knows if Thomas White is even going to be ready for Spring Training? -Janson Junk is better in the bullpen. -Tyler Phillips is better in the bullpen. -Ryan Gusto has promise, but do you trust the current coaching staff to develop him? -Dax Fulton has promise, but do you trust the current coaching staff to develop him?

The Marlins make the 3rd Wild Card if they retained Ryan Weathers, and put Junk (or Phillips, or Gusto) in the bullpen. Change my mind.

It would not have mattered. The Marlins OF is stacked, and they have more in their current farm system. However, It's sad how his stock fell to an all-time low with the Marlins, and only on another team did he figure out how to play baseball.

At least DDLS was put on the 40-man roster. That's more respect for him than Johnston and Alderman ever received. I'm honestly shocked no one took Johnston when he was exposed to the Rule 5 draft. All 29 other teams must have fallen asleep during the winter meetings. I looked at Johnston's numbers this year, and I'd say he hit well enough, and sure his power wasn't there, and sure his defense was a mess, and sure he was a Coors Field merchant, but that's literally his first year on the job. He'll be put in a more suitable position, likely improve, and the power he was known for in AAA will surface someday. The Marlins are going to regret letting a guy like that go for free. I'm just bracing for the fact that Kemp Alderman is going to be exposed to Rule 5, because nobody knows ball.

For me, it's definitely the outfield. The Marlins have a massive surplus in the outfield. Considering the Marlins now-lukewarm impression of Kemp Alderman, maybe some team might be more willing to give him a chance to get his feet wet, because it's sure as hell ain't going to be the Marlins. The Marlins had ample opportunity to let him see major league pitching while they were dealing with a diarrhea of injuries. Also, late into the season with a hobbling Kyle Stowers and being eliminated from playoff contention, they didn't even bother promoting him just to protect him from Rule 5. The fact they didn't shut Stowers down for the year and didn't call up Kemp Alderman is a statement of how little faith they have in him. I still consider this year an aberration and that Alderman's talents are way better than that, but the Marlins media doesn't think so. If the team they're trading him to thinks he has a major league future, there's a chance the Marlins could nab a 3B on the market. Maybe might sweeten the deal by including a 20-year old Low-A prospect if the package still feels underwhelming.

The team needs someone that can put their players in the best position to succeed. McCullough is not that guy. The Marlins retained him because either they want an organizational puppet, or they're cheap. I'm starting to lean towards the middle.

Easy answer. Otto Lopez. Good hitting, elite fielding shortstops don't grow on trees. Even though Otto Lopez had that terrible slump in the second half, the fact his overall offensive production on the whole ends up still being solid means there's another level for him to unlock. If he puts it together for the entire season and doesn't have an extended slump like he did, oh boy, watch out NL. And I'm still not ruling out the possibility that, one season, he might just randomly pop off for 25+ HRs. If he does this, then we're talking about an MVP contender.

The Ryan Weathers trade killed the season before it even started. I don't care how good the prospects they got were, none of them are throwing 90+ pitches every 5 days and putting up the great production Ryan Weathers had, nor were they close to MLB-ready in 2026. Not to mention Weathers still being here means one of Tyler Phillips/Janson Junk/Ryan Gusto would be in the bullpen and that by itself would be a major improvement. Was it worth throwing away a postseason berth for a couple of players that maybe might make an impact 3 years from now? That is all I will say on the matter.

I will say this. If Clayton Kershaw didn't exist in this hypothetical world, I believe Jose would've won a Cy Young in 2013. I feel pretty strongly that most of the Clayton Kershaw voters would've gone to Jose. The NL's pitching was stacked in this era, sadly. From 2013 to 2023. It would take 10 more years until Sandy won the franchise's first Cy Young award. Jose accomplished a lot for his team before his tragic death, and sadly, all that will be remembered was not what he had done before the fateful day, but how he died on that fateful day.

This team needs to take a long hard look at themselves over the offseason. Is Clayton McCullough the guy to lead the team? (No, he's not.) Who's going to replace Sandy? (They had literally 2 starting pitchers for basically 65% of the entire season and now they're down one because Sandy is a free agent, the Marlins are not picking up that club option, and I have no hopes they will re-sign Sandy.) Is Eury Perez who we think he can be? (He's not Sandy 2.0. He's literally Edward Cabrera but with a different coat of paint. He gets shelled for 3 games in a row, and then goes out and pitches 9 1-hit innings next outing. You will never know what you're going to get from him on a given day.) What is Agustin Ramirez's role on this team? (He can't catch, they don't want him to learn 1B, and he can't hit home runs anymore. What's even the point of having him then? Did they get hosed by the Jazz Chisholm Jr trade?) What are the ramifications of the Ryan Weathers trade? (They gave up a guy who single-handedly could've gotten them to the post season (his innings + one of Phillips/Junk/Gusto in the bullpen rather than rotation). Were the prospects they got worth losing a playoff season?) Is the Graham Pauley experiment at 3B finally over? (I hope to dear god it is.)

Again, why is Kyle Stowers still playing? Why risk his injured hamstring? The season's lost. Shut him down for the year. Free Kemp Alderman.

If Ryan Weathers were still here, one of Ryan Gusto, Janson Junk, or Tyler Phillips is going to the bullpen. Forget about Ryan Weather's already great production, the fact one of those guys is in the bullpen is already a huge upgrade to the bullpen. We aren't sending up to the pitching mound gas can Cade Gibson and Tyler Zuber in meaningful innings.