One Regend

Bro, the glazing on Connor Norby is unreal. They're not getting anything out of a guy who provides -0.1 WAR and minimal offensive production. He's not going to suddenly win any of the 12 games the Marlins lost in a row.

I wrote over and over that the Marlins could benefit from a left-handed starter at the Trade Deadline, but honestly, after seeing the Marlins lose 10 games in a row, and seeing them trailing the Padres 2-1 heading into the 6th inning as I type this, the rotation isn't actually the problem. Well, it's a problem, but right now, it's problem number 3 on the team. In all of the 10 consecutive games the Marlins have lost, and including today's game-in-progress, I have noticed a pattern. The Marlins bats have been silenced. Heriberto Hernandez is trying to carry the team but it doesnt matter if he's 4 for 4 if the rest of the team is 0-for-32. A lot of those 10 games we lost in a row were winnable if we had an actually clicking offense. We need a 3rd baseman now more than ever.

I like the idea of getting Emerson Hancock, but I like the idea of getting Reid Detmers better. Normally, a team who has a guy like Detmers would ask for more than what Seattle would be asking for Hancock, but because the Angels are hilariously inept in anything revolving around Baseball, it shouldn't take too much to get him. The Marlins have no lefties except for a Braxton Garrett, who looks rough, and Dax Fulton, who hasn't been stretched out. And you can't count on an all-righty rotation for a full 162 game season, no matter how elite their changeup is. ...that is, what I would normally say. But honestly, after seeing the Marlins lose 10 games in a row, and seeing them trailing the Padres 2-1 heading into the 6th inning as I type this, the Marlins rotation isn't actually the problem. Well, it's a problem, but right now, it's problem number 3 on the team. In all of the 10 consecutive games the Marlins have lost, and including today's game-in-progress, I have noticed a pattern. The Marlins bats have been silenced. Heriberto Hernandez is trying to carry the team but it doesnt matter if he's 4 for 4 if the rest of the team is 0-for-32. A lot of those 10 games we lost in a row were winnable if we had an actually clicking offense. We need a 3rd baseman now more than ever.

This was a very winnable series. To see the Marlins squander it the way they did, it's no wonder they lost 9 straight.

There needs to be a team meeting. Teams that don't go on 8-game losing skids don't let a guy with an over-6.00 ERA pitch 6 innings of one-run ball against them. This is a clubhouse problem that needs addressing now.

People forget minor injuries like this can lead to a performance drop. Bailey Ober from the Twins had pitched with back pains for basically the entire season last year, and he had an ERA over 5 with predictors like FIP, xERA, etc not being much better, all the while his command was worse (more pitches left over the plate), and his strikeout rate went down. If your ace is feeling pain, you don't take chances, especially if you're in the middle of a playoff race.

Silver lining: At least it wasn't an elbow or shoulder injury. Still not good, though.

So what would it take for the Marlins to swallow the remainder of Pete Fairbanks contract? When I last spoke of him, he still had underlying numbers that -- while still not good, was way better than the hideous 6.65 ERA suggested. Back then, I suggested to pitch him in low-mid leverage situations, not to close games with him. This was by late June. Now, he's STILL closing games for the Marlins, and now he's been performing so atrociously, that not even the underlying numbers justify keeping him on the roster. The Marlins are winning games in spite of his performance. If they want to continue winning, they need to ditch this underwater contract. Give William Kempner high-leverage chances. There are even AAA guys clawing their way up that deserve looks in the bullpen.

The Astros are mortal right now. It won't be long before they're dragged kicking and screaming into a rebuild. The Marlins would have to pounce on the opportunity and kick them while they're down. The Marlins have a vastly better starting rotation, and while the Astro's have an ok offense, it's primarily carried by Yordan Alvarez. Getting a lead early in the game is paramount. They don't want to see Josh Hader warming up in the bullpen. They just need to stop turning to Pete Fairbanks in high-leverage situations. The Marlins win 2 of 3, with MVP going to Kyle Stowers.

Charles Johnson is the exact type of catcher I hope Joe Mack eventually becomes. A glove-first catcher with a halfway decent bat that sticks at the plate.

There's a Reid Detmers in the Los Angeles Angels organization that Miami could use the services of. There's also a Daniel Lynch from the Kansas City Royals that the Marlins could also make use of. Both are on teams whose relevancy aspirations are circling down the drain. I'd say the Marlins should pounce on the opportunity to acquire them, but I imagine there's others who are likely targeting them too.

Brewers sweep 3-0. Brice Turang MVP. If the Guardians pitching dissected our bats, the Brewers pitching is going to absolutely vaporize them. And unlike the Guardians, the Brewers have an actual offense.

You want to know the craziest part? Heading into Spring Training, I had Max Meyer as a player who didn't even crack the Marlin's starting rotation. I had him as the odd man out. It should not be a surprise that I've been by far the most vocal critic of Max Meyer. I always have been. Even when he twirled 7 shutout innings (the first time this season) against a loaded Phillies lineup, I handwaved that performance as a fluke. But he opened my eyes when he tossed 6 shutout frames against a loaded Braves lineup literally 3 games later. That's two of the leagues best offenses silenced. That's when I knew that Philly performance was not a fluke, and Meyer might finally be emerging. Now, I'll give it to you straight. Max Meyer is not going to spend the entire rest of the season pitching to a 2.58 ERA. I also don't think Otto Lopez is going to hit .334 for the rest of the season either. (but his case is different because I actually kinda had expectations for him) But the fact of the matter is, these two revelations are very encouraging for this team's future.

Speaking of Brax, I'm tired of the team running an all-righty rotation, making bad excuses about how their righties "have good matchups" and "have nasty changeups" for lefties. Running an all-righty rotation is bad long-term. It didn't work before, and it won't work now. If they truly believe Brax isn't MLB-viable, why aren't they dialing up conversations with the LA Angels over Reid Detmers? They need to make moves early, and often, if they want to remain in the race.

If Lombard can't stick at SS, he could very well be a very good 3B, as his defensive tools (theoretically) should translate there. We have next to no good options at 3B, with Aiva as our only possible alternative, and that's if the Marlins commit to him at 3rd. There's a chance Lombard might crush the minors and accelerate himself to MLB by 21 years old, albeit a very unlikely one. In that scenario, Otto Lopez and X are still around, so the organization would have no choice but to play him at 3B anyways.

Ah, Carlos Marmol. The prototypical "literally unhittable if he throws strikes" relief pitcher... very, very heavy emphasis on IF. It doesn't matter how talented you are, if you can't throw strikes, you're not going to have a very long career.

1. Absolutely agreed. I expected Gus to be at 1B, and Marsee to not OPS .620, and did not expect literally every single starting pitcher prospect in the Marlins system to undergo season-ending surgery. Even Kemp Alderman would've had MLB experience by now if it wasn't for his IL stint prior. 2. X is a solid third choice. Let's also not forget Liam Hicks and his sudden emergence, too. 3. Yeah. Agustin is really the only one of the three who has a chance to turn it around, And it won't happen at the MLB level, because calling him up as a catcher would be a mistake. He needs reps somewhere else. Anywhere but catcher. 4. I would rate McCullough a C. While the Marlins have performed great under his watch, it's more in spite of his lineup decisions and pitching decisions. And while the Front Office may have something to do with this, it is ultimately his decision to make these calls in the first place. The game where he took Sandy out of the game without even asking him how he feels at the time, still stands out as the sore memory for me. This team would benefit from a manager that will use the spreadsheets the front office gives him, but won't be afraid of taking that spreadsheet and ripping it into shreds because he's watching Owen Caissie vaporizing baseballs and Eury Perez absolutely dissecting Athletics batters who are desperate to see anyone from the Marlins bullpen. 5. Soriano is a pretty decent choice. But, I think the Marlins are in need of a good lefty starter. Right now, they're running an all-righty rotation, and that's not conducive to longterm success. They could use Soriano's teammate, Reid Detmers. Maybe even package Detmers with a relief pitcher, as the Marlins also have a notoriously leaky bullpen as of late, especially now that John King is injured.

1. I expected 2025 or worse. This was an unexpected, but welcome surprise. 2. Many would say Max Meyer, and they would be right. In the 2025 offseason, during winter, I was the biggest detractor of Max Meyer, believing he's an absolute bust of a draft pick and thinking he's a mid-leverage relief pitcher at best. I would always recall the Marlins giving him a 5-0 lead in the first inning and he would absolutely squander that lead. To see him evolve the way he has, has since humbled my opinion on him. 3. Agustin Ramirez is talented with the bat. But the Marlins are doing him no favors by stubbornly starting him games as a Catcher when we have 2+ years worth of data proving he doesn't have the chops to be there. Sadly, with the emergence of Joe Mack, who is already saving runs and providing decent value, and one of Liam Hicks or Kyle Stowers being the 1B/DH, Gus has no real lane to get any major playing time. Sadly, I think he is the one that has the best shot of turning his season around, and it's not going to be with the Marlins when he does. Norby's limited offense does not make up for his defensive shortcomings, and the less said about Pauley's offense, the better. 4. Clayton McCullough is doing fine as a filler manager, but if the Marlins want to take their game to another level, they're going to have to bring in a winner. I don't see a future championship with McCullough on the team. 5. I don't have any specific names, but the Marlins should at least bring a mid-level left-handed rotation arm, preferably with at least 3 years of control. Somebody mentioned Reid Detmers, and that's an excellent pickup. I'll even venture to say it won't take a Karson Milbrandt to acquire him. The Los Angeles Angels are a laughably incompetent front office. You could throw a Jacob Berry at them and they'll see a #6 overall pick and eat it up, only for them to learn the hard way that Jacob Berry is an insanely overrated prospect who only provides mediocre value on the levels of Colin Moran. 3B is also a very sore spot, and honestly, is the spot where the Marlins are very likely to give up a top prospect.

Otto Lopez looked cooked in his 3 games in Cleveland. He was very much in need of a much-deserved break. The man was carrying this team's offense for over 90 games.

Uhh... have you seen how awful Manny Machado has been this year? We're not taking on the rest of his massive contract if his performance this year is indicative of his future years.

I'm surprised we were able to get a Top 5 pick at pick 14. Consider us blessed. We're covered up the middle though, but he could be a really good 3B for us if he progresses quickly and Otto and X are still here.

I do agree with locking Stowers up, but through Age 35 is excessive. His toolkit falls apart the moment he starts aging. Even a contract through Age 33 seems risky. If there's anyone who is worth an 8 year extension, it's definitely Otto Lopez.

Getting Justin Lebron gives the Marlins insurance at 3B if they switch gears on positional development. This is notable because they have literally 0 answers at 3B. That 40 hit tool is a massive problem, though. It's the same problem that Lewis Brinson and Monte Harrison had, and those aren't good barometers of prospect success.

This guy screams Relief Pitcher risk. No thanks.

Honestly, I'm okay with trading an outfield bat or two. We have a massive surplus of outfielders in our minor league system. I'm sure we could part with one of them to snag a starting pitcher for us down the stretch. And after seeing Joe Mack play for us? I don't see a lane for Agustin Ramirez to get everyday playing reps. 1B is starting to be a competitive position between Liam Hicks and Kyle Stowers, and C has Joe Mack, with Liam Hicks filling in for Mack's days off. His only lane to getting playtime is DH, and he needs to be an exceptionally good hitter to crack the roster just to be a DH, which he hasn't proven he can be. He could be traded to a team that's well out of the playoffs that would give him a chance to re-establish himself. He has the talent with the bat to pull it off, I just don't see it materializing with the Marlins. No matter what, though, 3rd Base is a problem. I'm not sure how we could leverage snagging a 3B without giving up our big prospects. We can all agree that Karson Milbrandt, Thomas White, Robby Snelling, and Kemp Alderman is untouchable on the trade market. And Cam Cannarella is creeping towards untouchable status, too. This leaves us with guys like Brandon Compton and Fenwick Trimble as maybe guys we could dangle on the trade market. Starlyn Caba, too. Caba's having a good season right now, but after years of mediocre-to-replacement-level performance, I can't buy this year's success. Perhaps selling high might be the call to make.