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Latest On Pete Fairbanks’ Market

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While most of the top free agent relievers are off the board, former Rays closer Pete Fairbanks remains unsigned. The Diamondbacks, Marlins and White Sox are among the teams that have been linked to the hard-throwing righty.

The connection with Miami has come up on a few occasions. The Marlins are looking for a high-leverage reliever. Fairbanks has ties to president of baseball operations Peter Bendix from their time in Tampa Bay. In an appearance on Foul Territory this week, Izaac Azout of Fish On First suggested that Miami has shown a willingness to offer a one-year deal in “the mid-teens” range and floated the possibility that Miami could make a $13-14MM proposal.

Tampa Bay could have retained Fairbanks on an $11MM club option. While it’s understandable the front office didn’t want to commit a sizable portion of their budget to a single inning reliever, it was more surprising that the Rays were unable to drum up trade interest. It should work out better for Fairbanks financially. He collected a $1MM buyout and seems well positioned to beat the $10MM difference. ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote on Thursday that Fairbanks was trending towards either a multi-year deal or a one-year contract worth more than $11MM.

While it’d seem counterintuitive for teams to pay more than the declined option price, that occasionally happens. Option calls are due within the first five days of the offseason. Teams may have preferred to maintain payroll flexibility until they had a better read on the market. Fairbanks was clearly behind the likes of Edwin Díaz, Devin Williams and Robert Suarez.

Clubs that missed out on those relievers — including Miami, who reportedly had shown interest in Williams — could more highly value Fairbanks now than they did six weeks ago. It’s also possible that they stretch to a two-year deal at a sub-$11MM annual rate to save some money in 2026 while giving the pitcher a larger overall guarantee.

The Cubs are another team that makes sense for Fairbanks on paper. They have added Phil Maton and Hoby Milner while re-signing Caleb Thielbar, but they lost arguably their best reliever when Brad Keller signed a $22MM contract with Philadelphia. Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic wrote earlier this week that the Cubs remain open to adding a clearer high-leverage arm. They’ve given some consideration to Fairbanks, per the report, though it’s not clear how seriously they’re involved.

Chicago has shied away from significant bullpen investments over the past few seasons. Their two-year, $14.5MM contract with Maton was already their biggest reliever signing in six years. Fairbanks would cost more than $7.25MM annually but will be looking at a short-term deal as he enters his age-32 season.

Marlins Sign Christopher Morel

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December 18th: The Marlins have officially announced the Morel signing.

December 13th: Morel’s deal pays him $2MM, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports.

December 12th: The Marlins and infielder/outfielder Christopher Morel have agreed to a major league deal, according to reporter Mike Rodriguez. It’s a one-year deal, per Christina De Nicola of MLB.com, though Morel can be controlled beyond 2026 via arbitration. The salary for the ISE Baseball client hasn’t yet been publicly reported. Morel is expected to mostly play first base for the Fish, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Marlins have an open roster spot but this will fill the 40-man once it’s official.

Morel, 26, has occasionally thrust himself into the spotlight with his ability to put the ball over the fence. However, he also strikes out a lot and hasn’t been able to find a true defensive home. The end result has been a clearly talented player struggling to fully establish himself as a viable big league regular.

Coming up as a prospect, Morel played a lot of shortstop and third base, with some time in the outfield and at second base also mixed in. He debuted with the Cubs in 2022 and showed off his power by hitting 16 home runs in 425 plate appearances. However, he also struck out in 32.2% of those trips to the plate. In 2023, he added another 26 homers in just 429 plate appearances, an even better rate than the previous year. His strikeout rate dropped a bit but stayed quite high at 31%.

Defensively, the Cubs bounced him around the diamond but without him fully taking hold of any one spot. His glovework was graded as subpar at shortstop, third base and in the outfield. He was more passable at second but the Cubs didn’t have regular playing time there due to the presence of Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson up the middle.

At last year’s deadline, the Cubs acquired Isaac Paredes from the Rays, with Morel being one of three players going back to Tampa. The Cubs later flipped Paredes to the Astros as part of the Kyle Tucker deal. The Rays still have Ty Johnson and Hunter Bigge from that swap but the Morel pick-up did not work out for them.

From the time of the trade through the end of 2025, Morel took 495 plate appearances as a Ray. He was punched out in 165 of those, exactly one third, also known as 33.3%. He hit just 14 home runs and produced a .208/.277/.355 batting line. That translated to a 78 wRC+, indicating he was 22% worse than the league average hitter in that time. The Rays mostly kept him in left field, where he received poor grades for his defense.

Morel crossed three years of service time in 2025, qualifying him for arbitration for the first time. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a $2.6MM salary next year. The Rays decided to move on and non-tendered him, sending him to free agency.

It was reported back in October that the Marlins would be looking for a lineup upgrade this winter. The team had some positive developments in their position player group in 2025 but no one took hold of the first base position. Seven different players lined up at the position during the season but Eric Wagaman was the only one to get more than 100 plate appearances at a first baseman. He finished the year with a .250/.296/.378 line and 85 wRC+.

Upgrading at first base was a sensible goal for the offseason. No one expected them to make a run at Pete Alonso but there had been some rumblings that the club could be more aggressive in free agency than in years past. Going after someone like Ryan O’Hearn or Rhys Hoskins seemed within the realm of possibility.

Instead, they are taking a shot on Morel, who has no professional experience at the position. First base is generally considered the least-demanding position on the diamond, so perhaps Morel can be more viable there than at the other spots he has tried, but there’s still risk in going with an unproven option.

There’s also risk within the bat, as mentioned. Though Morel has power, he has yet to prove he can strike out at rate less than 30% for a meaningful stretch of time. It is possible to strike out that much and still be good. Guys like James Wood and Riley Greene did so in 2025. Morel himself had a combined 115 wRC+ with the Cubs in the 2022-23 seasons, but his production tailed off more recently.

It’s a fairly low-risk move for the Marlins. Salary figures haven’t been reported but he’s surely not being paid much above the league minimum. It was reported yesterday by Edwin Hernández Jr. that Morel was getting interest from clubs in Japan. It’s unclear if he gave serious consideration to going overseas but the calls coming from Asia are perhaps a sign that his MLB interest was muted.

Though the Fish aren’t going to break the bank with this move, it’s perhaps disappointing for any fans who may have dreamt bigger after a somewhat encouraging 2025 campaign. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes that no significant payroll increase is likely forthcoming. He adds that the Marlins will be looking to add another bat this winter but most likely via the trade market.

Morel is probably not guaranteed anything in terms of playing time. If he doesn’t thrive with his chance in Miami, they could go back to Wagaman and also have guys like Connor Norby, Agustín Ramírez, Liam Hicks, Griffin Conine, Graham Pauley, Deyvison De Los Santos and others in the mix. If Morel doesn’t pan out, he is out of options. If it does work, he could theoretically be retained through 2028 via arbitration.

It’s a defensible enough signing in a vacuum but seems to be an omen of another frugal offseason for the Marlins, which has become a habit under president of baseball operations Peter Bendix. Two years ago, their biggest deal was $5MM for Tim Anderson. Last winter, it was $3.5MM for Cal Quantrill. This is their first free agent deal of the 2025-26 offseason. Time will tell if they have anything bigger in the works.

Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Katie Stratman, Imagn Images

Marlins Re-Sign Brian Navarreto To Minor League Deal

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The Marlins brought back catcher Brian Navarreto on a minor league contract, reports Kevin Barral of Fish On First. He had elected minor league free agency after being outrighted off the 40-man roster at the beginning of the offseason.

Navarreto, 31 later this month, is an organizational depth type. He made a two-game big league debut in the shortened season when the Marlins were dealing with a virus outbreak. He got back to the highest level five years later, this time as a September call-up. The Puerto Rico native picked up four hits, including a home run, in eight games while spending the final month of the season on the active roster.

A right-handed hitter, Navarreto owns a .234/.301/.369 batting line over parts of five Triple-A seasons. He has appeared in the Minnesota, Yankees, and Milwaukee systems in addition to his time with Miami. He’s very likely headed back to Triple-A Jacksonville. Navarreto can work behind prospect Joe Mack at the top minor league level.

Mack figures to earn a call-up relatively early next year, which might open some playing time for Navarreto in Triple-A. He’s also an option to compete for the backup job if either Liam Hicks or Agustin Ramirez suffers an injury in Spring Training, assuming the Fish want to keep Mack in the minors to open the year.

Marlins Notes: Fairbanks, Mullins, Matz, Marsee

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The Marlins entered the offseason targeting late-inning relief help. They haven’t come away with anything thus far, as they’ve evidently balked at the prices in a free agent bullpen market that has moved quickly.

Pete Fairbanks is one player known to be on their radar. He’s a logical fit as a proven closer who has ties to president of baseball operations Peter Bendix from their time in Tampa Bay. However, Isaac Azout and Kevin Barral of Fish On First wrote this week that Fairbanks’ market is likely to push beyond Miami’s comfort zone.

Fairbanks hit free agency when the Rays bought out his $11MM club option. They were unable to find trade interest at that price point within the first few days of the offseason. Fairbanks could command a two-year contract at a slightly lesser annual sum. His strikeout rates have dropped closer to league average over the past couple seasons, but he’s coming off a 2.83 ERA with 27 saves across 60 1/3 innings. Fairbanks still sits above 97 MPH and got swinging strikes on nearly 13% of his offerings this year. He fits alongside the likes of Emilio Pagán and Kyle Finnegan, who commanded two-year contracts in the $19-20MM range.

The Fish have yet to sign a free agent this offseason. They’ve shown interest in a few players who have wound up elsewhere, including a pair who are headed to Bendix’s old team. Azout noted that the Marlins were involved in the market for swingman Steven Matz before he agreed to a two-year, $15MM contract with the Rays. Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reported last week that the Marlins pursued Cedric Mullins prior to his $7MM deal to become Tampa Bay’s new center fielder.

Mullins would not have gotten everyday center field reps in Miami. Jakob Marsee is locked in there after an excellent half-season debut. The 24-year-old hit .292/.363/.478 with five home runs in his first 234 big league plate appearances. His .357 average on balls in play is due for some amount of regression, but he showed excellent plate discipline and contact skills with solid batted ball metrics. Marsee also graded as a slightly above-average defender in 475 innings.

The Marlins could use a veteran outfielder in a corner. Kyle Stowers can play either corner spot, which gives them some flexibility in that regard. Mullins has a below-average arm and would likely have been ticketed for left field, pushing Stowers to right. Griffin Conine, Heriberto Hernandez and Dane Myers would be in the mix for playing time right now. They’re all in their mid-late 20s and have struck out at such alarming rates in the upper minors that it’s unlikely any of them is a long-term regular.

Miami is reportedly willing to spend more than usual this offseason, though they’ve yet to put that into action. They kicked around extension numbers with Stowers but reportedly faced an approximate $50MM divide. They’re planning to reengage with young starter Eury Pérez on a potential long-term deal after beginning those conversations in Spring Training.

Marsee stands as another logical candidate after his impressive first few months. Fish On First reports that there’s some interest on both sides about a long-term deal, though the team has yet to make an offer. Extension conversations frequently pick up later in the offseason and into Spring Training, so there’s plenty of time.

Hitters who sign extensions within their first year of MLB service are often top-tier prospects. That’s not the case with Marsee. He was a sixth-round pick by San Diego who was generally viewed as the second best of the three prospects traded to Miami for Luis Arraez. (The centerpiece, former first-round pick Dillon Head, is coming off a .223/.334/.318 season in A-ball.) Marsee entered the 2025 season as the #12 prospect in the Miami organization, according to Baseball America. He didn’t appear on any Top 100 lists.

The closest recent comparison point is probably Ceddanne Rafaela, though even he’d been more highly regarded before his MLB debut than Marsee was. The Red Sox signed him to an eight-year, $50MM guarantee with a club option for a ninth season. They’re very different players stylistically. Rafaela was an elite defensive outfielder whose extremely aggressive approach led to questions about the hit tool. Marsee isn’t as athletic but is a much more polished hitter who has had more big league success than Rafaela did at the time.

However, Rafaela had garnered some Top 100 fanfare and signed his deal in his age-23 season. Marsee turns 25 in June. The Fish are probably reluctant to put a $50MM offer on the table a couple months into his career. That’s reportedly close to what they offered Stowers, who is two years further along and is coming off an All-Star season. Marsee is under club control through his age-30 campaign.

2025 Rule 5 Draft Results

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The 2025 Rule 5 draft is taking place this afternoon at the Winter Meetings in Orlando. This post will be updated with the results as they come in.

As a refresher, the Rule 5 draft is a way for players potentially talented enough for the big leagues but blocked by their current clubs to find opportunities elsewhere. Any players that were 18 and under at the time of their original signing and went professional in 2021, and any players who turned pro at 19 years of age or older in 2022, are eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft if they are not on a 40-man roster.

Though the amateur (Rule 4) draft now has a lottery to determine the selection order, the Rule 5 draft still goes the old-fashioned way of reverse order of standings from the season that just ended. Clubs need to have an open 40-man roster spot in order to make a pick but aren’t obligated to make a selection on their turn. If they do make a pick, they will have to pay $100K to the team they select from. The selected players must stay on the active roster (or injured list) for the entire 2026 season or else be placed on waivers. If they clear waivers, they must be offered back to their original team. They cannot be optioned to the minors.

Players like Anthony Santander and Ryan Pressly have been notable picks in other recent years while guys like George Bell and Roberto Clemente are found deeper in the history books. Last year, 15 players were selected. Only four of those remain with the club who selected them and only three of those have had their rights fully transferred to their new club. The White Sox took Shane Smith from the Brewers. The Marlins took Liam Hicks from the Tigers. Mike Vasil was taken by the Phillies from the Mets but was later traded to the Rays and then went to the White Sox via waivers.

The one other pick from last year’s draft which is still live is Angel Bastardo, who the Blue Jays took from the Red Sox. He was recovering from Tommy John surgery and spent the entire 2025 season on the injured list. He is still on Toronto’s 40-man but they don’t yet have his full rights, as a player needs at least 90 active days to remove the Rule 5 restrictions. If the Jays are willing to roster him for about three months during the 2026 season, they could then gain his full rights and option him to the minors. All other picks were eventually returned to their original organization and/or became free agents.

This year’s picks will be featured below as they come in…

  1. Rockies: RHP RJ Petit (from the Tigers) (Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs was on this before the official announcement)
  2. White Sox: RHP Jedixson Paez (Red Sox)
  3. Nationals: RHP Griff McGarry (Phillies)
  4. Twins: C Daniel Susac (Athletics) (Susac was then traded to the Giants, per Longenhagen. The Twins will get minor league catcher Miguel Caraballo in return, per Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune)
  5. Pirates: RHP Carter Baumler (Orioles) (The Pirates then traded Baumler to the Rangers for RHP Jaiker Garcia. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News previously suggested Texas would likely get Baumler)
  6. Angels: pass
  7. Orioles: pass
  8. Athletics: RHP Ryan Watson (Giants) (Will be traded to Red Sox, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. The A’s will get Justin Riemer in return, per Cotillo.)
  9. Braves: pass
  10. Rays: pass
  11. Cardinals: RHP Matt Pushard (Marlins)
  12. Marlins: pass
  13. Diamondbacks: pass
  14. Rangers: pass
  15. Giants: pass
  16. Royals: pass
  17. Reds: pass
  18. Mets: pass
  19. Tigers: pass
  20. Astros: RHP Roddery Muñoz (Reds)
  21. Guardians: RHP Peyton Pallette (White Sox)
  22. Red Sox: pass
  23. Mariners: pass
  24. Padres: pass
  25. Cubs: pass
  26. Dodgers: pass
  27. Blue Jays: RHP Spencer Miles (Giants)
  28. Yankees: RHP Cade Winquest (Cardinals)
  29. Phillies: RHP Zach McCambley (Marlins)
  30. Brewers: pass

Second round (all others passed)

Photo courtesy of Mike Watters, Imagn Images

Orioles Among Teams In Discussion With Marlins On Edward Cabrera

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The Orioles are among the clubs in conversations with the Marlins about hard-throwing starter Edward Cabrera, report Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic. There’s been a decent amount of smoke regarding a potential Cabrera trade over the past week, and The Athletic writes that Miami’s talks with other clubs have picked up.

Cabrera is one of the higher-upside arms in the sport. He got out to a slow start but turned in a 2.95 earned run average while striking out 26.5% of opponents in 20 appearances between the beginning of May and the end of August. Cabrera has always had power stuff, but he dialed in his control and walked fewer than 7% of batters faced over that four-month stretch. The 27-year-old righty was one of the more intriguing deadline trade candidates, but Miami never received an offer they found compelling.

Holding Cabrera was defensible given his talent and extended window of affordable team control. It wasn’t without risk, though, particularly from a health perspective. Cabrera has battled shoulder issues in the past, and he’d never topped 100 MLB innings in a season before this year. While the shoulder wasn’t an issue in 2025, he was diagnosed with an elbow sprain at the beginning of September. It briefly raised fears about a possible Tommy John surgery. He instead wound up missing only three weeks and returned to make two starts to finish the season.

The Marlins wouldn’t have brought Cabrera back for two largely meaningless games if they felt he were at a serious risk of re-injury. (Miami was still mathematically alive in the Wild Card race into the season’s final week but never had a real chance of getting to the playoffs.) Cabrera didn’t look any worse for wear. His fastball was back up around 98 MPH on average, and he punched out seven Mets hitters across five scoreless innings in the season’s final game.

Miami has nevertheless remained open to offers that would swap a starter for much needed offensive help. They’ve taken Eury Pérez off the table but are willing to discuss the rest of their rotation. Cabrera has the highest trade value of that group. He’s under club control for three seasons and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $3.7MM salary.

The Fish could swap Cabrera for hitting while opening the season with a rotation comprising Pérez, Sandy Alcantara, Ryan Weathers, Braxton Garrett and Max Meyer. They have Janson Junk and Ryan Gusto as depth options and top prospects Robby Snelling and Thomas White looming in the high minors. They’d probably look to add a more stable source of innings at the back end, but it’d still be a high-ceiling group.

Baltimore and Miami have already lined up on one huge pitching for offense swap in recent years. The Marlins sent Trevor Rogers to the Orioles for Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby at the 2024 deadline. It initially looked lopsided in Miami’s favor with Stowers’ emergence as an impact bat. Rogers’ late-season dominance this year is potentially rebalancing the scales. The Orioles still need to raise the ceiling of the rotation alongside Rogers and Kyle Bradish, while their controllable infield talent (e.g. Jordan Westburg, Coby Mayo) aligns nicely with Miami’s needs.

Rockies To Hire Alon Leichman As Pitching Coach

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The Rockies are going to hire Alon Leichman as their pitching coach, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com. Leichman spent 2025 with the Marlins as an assistant pitching coach. Per Isaac Azout of Fish on First, the Marlins will look to replace him.

Leichman, 36, was born in Israel and has represented that country in international play. He came to America to attend Cypress College in California in 2010. While pitching for that school’s team, he required Tommy John surgery. After recovering, he played for UC San Diego.

After his college playing days were over, he quickly pivoted to coaching in college ball. He then got jobs in the affiliated ranks, working with minor leaguers in the systems of the Dodgers and Mariners. He got a major league gig with the Reds as assistant pitching coach, holding that title in 2023 and 2024 before getting the same title with the Marlins a year ago.

The Rockies are trying to play catch-up at the moment. They clearly fell behind the rest of the league in terms of data and analytics. The big league club has been getting worse, bottoming out with a 119-loss season in 2025.

Big changes are now afoot. Manager Bud Black was fired during the 2025 campaign and was replaced by Warren Schaeffer. The Rockies parted ways with general manager Bill Schmidt at the end of the season and then pitching coach Darryl Scott not long after that. Paul DePodesta was hired as president of baseball operations and he later hired Josh Byrnes to serve under him as general manager.

Leichman’s quick rise clearly demonstrates that he is respected in the industry. Harding notes that he is fluent in Spanish and that the Marlins experimented by having him call pitches from the dugout this year. Coors Field is the most challenging environment big league pitchers face and that has been a big problem for the Rockies. The staff had a collective 5.99 earned run average this year, easily the worst in the league. The club thinks Leichman can help turn things around and perhaps he can, but given the starting point, it will probably take time.

Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images

NL East Coaching Notes: Mattingly, Doolittle, Marlins

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Coaching staffs are coming together around the league. The Nationals and Marlins have made recent additions, while the Phillies are close to bringing a former manager back to the division.

  • Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters, including Lochlahn March of the Philadelphia Inquirer, that the team is looking to hire Don Mattingly as a bench coach. “It’s not official, but we have really focused on speaking with Don and trying to make that happen, and we’re hopeful that it will,” Dombrowski said. Mattingly has been a bench coach in Toronto for the past three seasons. It was reported shortly after the Blue Jays’ World Series loss that he wouldn’t be returning to the team. Mattingly previously spent seven seasons coaching in the NL East, as the Marlins manager from 2016 to 2022.
  • Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni shared details on manager Blake Butera’s coaching staff with reporters, including Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports. The list includes recent additions Corey Ray as first base coach and Grant Anders as bullpen catcher, but one of the more notable names is the lone holdover, Sean Doolittle. Washington is retaining the former closer as an assistant pitching coach. Doolittle came on board with the title of pitching strategist in 2024, shortly after his retirement as a player. The lefty saved 75 games for the Nats across five seasons.
  • The Marlins are expected to hire Blake Butler as an infield coach, reports Isaac Azout of Fish On First. He’s taking over for Tyler Smarslok, who took a gig as field coordinator with the Nationals. Butler has been a minor league coach in Pittsburgh’s system since 2020. He’s managed Single-A Greensboro for the past two seasons.

Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images

Eury Perez Only Untouchable Starter In Marlins’ Pitching Trade Talks

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There has been speculation all winter that the Marlins will add hitting help by trading one of their starting pitchers.  Eury Perez appears to be the only name that is off limits, as The Athletic’s Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal write that the Fish are “at least listening on offers” for pitchers besides the 22-year-old right-hander.

Given how the Marlins have talked about a contract extension with Perez’s camp in the past and are expected revisit those talks this offseason, it’s no surprise that Perez is being held out of any broader trade negotiations.  Perez is already under team control through the 2029 season and doesn’t even become arbitration-eligible until next winter, so there is zero urgency on Miami’s part to move a pitcher who looks like a cornerstone.  Of course, the Marlins’ stance could change if a team approached them with a truly huge trade proposal for Perez, but barring that type of Godfather offer, Perez will surely be staying put.

There’s also the fact that if the Marlins actually did look to deal Perez now, they’d be doing so at something less than peak value.  Perez has still thrown only 186 2/3 innings in the majors, split almost evenly between 91 1/3 innings in his 2023 rookie season and 95 1/3 frames this past year.  In between, of course, the 2024 campaign was a total wash for Perez due to Tommy John surgery, and his recovery from the procedure kept the righty from making his 2025 debut until June 9.

The return to action went fairly smoothly, as Perez posted a 4.25 ERA, 27.3% strikeout rate, and 8.3% walk rate in 2025.  This was an identical match to his 2023 walk rate and only a slight drop from his 28.9K% in his rookie year, and while Perez had a 3.15 ERA in 2023, his SIERA totals over the two seasons (3.94 in 2023, 3.80 in 2025) were pretty much the same.  Perez did allow a ton of hard contact in 2025, but his fastball velocity and fastball spin rates both remained elite post-surgery.

Now further removed from the TJ procedure and with a normal offseason, Perez is being eyed as a major piece of the Marlins rotation both in 2026 and into the future.  His import to the rotation only grows if the Marlins do end up moving another starter, which seems like a logical tactic for the Fish to address their lineup holes.  Sammon and Rosenthal describe a starter trade as “a strong possibility” for the Marlins, while ESPN’s Jeff Passan goes a step further by writing “Miami is almost certain to move a starting pitcher this winter.”

Braxton Garrett missed all of 2025 due to UCL revision surgery and Max Meyer had a season-ending hip surgery in June, so it can be assumed that these two pitchers are probably also unlikely to be dealt coming off such significant injuries.  Thomas White and Robby Snelling are two of the Marlins’ top prospects, and since the Fish aren’t far removed from being in full rebuild mode, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix isn’t likely to move such key minor leaguers before they’ve even reached the Show.  Any of Dax Fulton, Ryan Gusto, Adam Mazur, or Janson Junk probably wouldn’t bring back much of a trade return.

This leaves perhaps the likeliest trade candidates as Edward Cabrera, Sandy Alcantara, or Ryan Weathers.  Alcantara is the Marlins’ highest-paid player and has been the subject of trade rumors for years, yet now that Miami is seemingly on the verge of returning to contention, the Fish may be moving away from the idea of moving him whatsoever.  Recent reports indicate that Alcantara is now expected still be with the club in 2026, and the Marlins will only move Cabrera for a big trade return.

Cabrera and Weathers are each controlled through 2028, so again, there is no reason Miami necessarily has to move either of these arms prior to Opening Day.  Both pitchers have lengthy injury histories, however, and the Marlins might be willing to sell relatively high (on Cabrera in particular) before another health issue impacts future trade value or keeps either pitcher off the Marlins’ own mound.

Marlins Outright Zach Brzykcy

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The Marlins announced that they have sent right-hander Zach Brzykcy outright to Triple-A Jacksonville. That indicates the Fish put him on waivers in recent days and he went unclaimed. Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reported the move prior to the official announcement. The righty will stay in the system as non-roster depth. Miami’s 40-man roster count will drop to 39, perhaps allowing them to make a pick in next week’s Rule 5 draft.

Brzykcy, 26, has never pitched for the Marlins. He had spent his entire career with the Nationals until the Fish claimed him off waivers last month. The Nats added him to their 40-man roster two years ago, to keep him out of the 2023 Rule 5 draft. Since then, he has mostly been in the minors. He has just 28 2/3 big league innings, having allowed 32 earned runs in that time, giving him an ugly 10.05 ERA at the moment.

On the farm, he has shown big strikeout stuff but control issues. He missed the 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery. Over the past two years, he has thrown 61 1/3 innings in the minors with a 4.70 ERA. His 13.6% walk rate is quite high but he’s also punched out 28.7% of batters faced.

Since this is Brzykcy’s first career outright and he has less than three years of service time, he doesn’t have the right to reject this assignment in favor of free agency. He will therefore stick with the Marlins in a non-roster capacity and provide them with some depth.

Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes, Imagn Images

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