This story is excerpted from Christina De Nicola’s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, Click here. And subscribe to receive it regularly in your inbox.
The Marlins surprised the baseball world by making the playoffs in 2023. Now what?
“I’m also hyper aware that it’s better to save it next year,” Skip Schumaker said after his 2023 National League Coach of the Year earn. “We better start winning games consistently. This cannot last just one year.
“There are a lot of really dynamic players on the team that can do a lot of different things,” Bendix said during his introductory press conference. “There are a lot of good pitchers, and they’re hard to find. There are a lot of really exciting young players (and) hard to find. And that’s a great foundation to build on. And so, I’m just trying to learn as much as I can about these players, learn what motivates them and really evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the roster.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Winter Meetings:
Club needs
The Marlins only have one catcher (Nick Fortes) on their 40-man roster after Jacob Stallings was non-tendered, so they need to add at least one safety net via the trade or free agent market. Bendix said a catcher’s most important role is managing the pitching staff and then worrying about hitting. The duo of Stallings and Fortes have combined for the second-lowest OPS (.570) in the Majors in 2023.
Miami also needs a solution at shortstop. In 2023, Marlins shortstops posted the lowest OPS (.578) in the Majors. All the while, they relied on utility players Jon Berti and Garrett Hampson. Although Miami acquired Vidal Bruján in a trade with the Rays as of mid-November, Bendix was noncommittal about whether the 25-year-old was the short-term favorite. Perhaps the club will roll with a combination of internal options like Bruján, Berti and Hope #5 Jacob Amaya.
Potential candidates for the profession
To give the 2023 roster a boost for the playoff hunt, the Marlins parted ways with a handful of top prospects before the trade deadline. THE agricultural system has taken a hit, so for Hot Stove’s second straight season, any roster upgrades may once again have to be done by trading away starting pitchers at the Major League level.
Just like Pablo López before him, right-hander Edward Cabrera has been the subject of trade rumors. After posting a promising 3.01 ERA in 14 starts in 2022, Cabrera struggled so much with his command in 2023 that he was demoted to Triple-A Jacksonville on August 1. The 25-year-old, who no longer has any options in the Minor League. , has front-line strengths that make him attractive trade bait. He has also yet to go to arbitration and has five years of control of the club remaining. With a healthy Trevor Rogers as well as Trade Deadline acquisition Ryan Weathers, has Miami had enough of Cabrera’s inconsistency to consider him replaceable?
Southpaw Tanner Scott, who has become one of the best relievers in baseball, has just one year of club control left and could be another trade possibility. If the club wants to challenge for a playoff spot again, closer wins would help. If 2024 goes bad, the Marlins can still deal him at the deadline.
Perspectives to know
With Alcantara out for the 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, the Marlins will need a collective effort from the entire pitching staff to fill the void. Add Hope No. 3 Max Meyer to the mixture.
It will take time for Meyer to return to form after missing all of 2023 while recovering from his own Tommy John surgery, but remember that the right-hander has a plus fastball/slider combination. On the road, he could end up as a late-inning bullpen arm. For now, he should be a starting option.
Two other prospects to watch are outfielder Dane Myers (No. 13) and reliever Anthony Maldonado (No. 24). The tooly Myers was drafted as a pitcher by the Tigers in 2017, but converted to a position player before the ’21 season. Acquired by the Marlins during the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft of ’22, Myers burst onto the scene in ’23 and got his first taste of the Majors. Lately, he has been getting additional reps with Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican Winter League. Maldonado, who the club protected ahead of the Rule 5 draft, would provide a right-handed option in a left-leaning bullpen.
Draft Rule 5
For the second straight year, the Marlins moved on from first baseman Troy Johnston (No. 21) unprotected before the Rule 5 draft. Johnston, 26, was the Marlins player 2023 Minor League Player of the Year after hitting 26 homers and leading the minors with 116 RBIs between Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville.
Miami’s 40-man roster has two open spots. In the 2022 Rule 5 Draft, the club selected reliever Nic Enright but returned him to the Guardians before he made an appearance. The Marlins have had success in the minor league portion of the draft in each of the last two years, selecting infielder Charles Leblanc in 2022 and Myers in ’23.
Burning question
How can the Marlins prove 2023 wasn’t a fluke? I discussed this subject in Monday bulletinso take a look in case you missed it.
