It's been almost a year since the Marlins hired Peter Bendix as their president of baseball operations. Since then, the club has been defined by a no-holds-barred commitment to the future, with seemingly no regard to PR considerations. They made almost no investments in the club last winter, aggressively traded away established players during the season and recently parted ways with their manager, their entire coaching staff and almost every other employee. Expect more of the same this offseason, with the club's collection of starting pitchers likely to be in plenty of trade rumors.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Sandy Alcántara, RHP: $36MM through 2026 (including $2MM buyout on 2027 club option)
- Woo-Suk Go, RHP (no longer on 40-man roster): $2.75MM through 2025 (including $500K buyout on 2026 mutual option)
Additional Financial Commitments
- Owe $17MM to released OF Avisaíl García
- Owe Yankees $10MM annually between 2026-28 as part of Giancarlo Stanton trade
Option Decisions
- none
Total 2025 commitments: $39.75MM
Total future commitments: $85.75MM
Arbitration-Eligible Players (projections via Matt Swartz)
- Jesús Luzardo (4.165): $6MM
- Anthony Bender (3.153): $1.4MM
- Jesús Sánchez (3.118): $3.2MM
- Braxton Garrett (2.168): $1.8MM
- Nick Fortes (2.149): $1.6MM
- Edward Cabrera (2.147): $2.2MM
Non-tender candidates: Fortes
Free Agents
- None.
The Marlins snuck into the playoffs in 2023 but it quickly became clear that owner Bruce Sherman didn't have faith in the club's overall direction. Shortly after the club was eliminated from the postseason, it was reported that he planned to hire a president of baseball operations to work above general manager Kim Ng. Understandably, she decided to turn down her end of a mutual option for 2024, rather than accept what was essentially a demotion. Manager Skip Schumaker was reportedly annoyed at the pivot, and the club agreed to void a 2025 club option in his contract, making it clear he wouldn't return beyond the 2024 season.
The sudden shakeup was frustrating for fans, but there was some logic to it. That 2023 club actually had a -57 run differential and a 33-14 record in one-run games, a hard feat to repeat. The farm system was generally regarded as one of the worst in the league by any outlet that measures such things.
Despite the playoff berth, change was afoot and that has been the name of the game since then. Rays general manager Peter Bendix was hired as president of baseball operations and showed that he essentially viewed the franchise in the same way as Sherman, with little regard for the club's short-term chances. The largest free agent deal they gave out last winter was $5MM for Tim Anderson.
The prophecy, somewhat self-fulfilled, came true quickly in 2024. The Marlins got out to a horrible start and Bendix didn't hesitate to start the selloff, with Luis Arráez flipped to the Padres in the first week of May. He continued the selloff closer to the deadline by sending out A.J. Puk, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Trevor Rogers, Tanner Scott, Bryan Hoeing, Bryan De La Cruz, Huascar Brazobán, JT Chargois and Josh Bell. That list might have been even longer if it weren't for a large number of injuries to other potential trade candidates.
By the end of the 2024 season, the Marlins had accumulated 62 wins and 100 losses. It's clear that everything is focused on the long-term picture and there are no sacred cows. As mentioned up top, just about any major league player with trade value has seemingly been available. The manager is leaving, as is the entire coaching staff. Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the club is parting ways with more than 70 employees, including "the team’s dietitian, home clubhouse manager and traveling secretary, and others." Though it has been painful and has been ruthless, it is commendable in a shocking sort of way that the club has committed to a long-term plan and is clearly dedicated to seeing it through.
Going forward, it seems fair to expect more of the same, at least until the club believes they have a core in place that is worth building around. Assuming that's the case, the Marlins will continue to trade big league pieces this winter, in the name of rebuilding for some future competitive window.
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#ContractTheMarlins
Bendix seems to be doing that very well.
If the Fish managed to sign Soto for say.. 600m, would that double the current value of the franchise?
Kidding of course, but wouldn’t it be something to see this team do something splashy? Of all the notoriously cheap teams, Miami is the ONLY 1 which has a history of actually signing huge deals in the past. Be nice to see them get a big bat to go with the decent pitching they already have.
Scumbag Loria (unfortunately not dead yet) doesn’t own them anymore so borrowing against the future probably won’t happen for a competent ownership group.
johnsilver;
They’re going to be The Rays 2.0
3-4 core veteran position players. 2-3 guys that play multiple positions. 2 starters. A closer and a primary set-up guy/back-up closer. Veteran catchers that can be trained to work with the pitching staff and play solid D.
They’ll develop around that.
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The big impact question: What team does Mel Stottlemyre, Jr. go to. He can turn around an underperforming pitching staff and make a so-so team a playoff contender.
Never ending develop and trade before they get too expensive. Very crazy, not easy to be a fan of this franchise…. Not saying resetting 2024 was wrong, but next year all the pitching goes that wasn’t traded, Luzardo, Alcactara when healthy… Mets, Braves, Phillies, even rebuilding Nationals will be the top of the Eastern division going forward in future years….
Move the Marlins to Portland. They will be financially viable with a higher payroll and they won’t have to contend with gradually being consumed by rising ocean levels. Plus it fuggs over the Portland diamond project that Russell Wilson, Ciara, and some Nike dong holes created that has done nothing except talking about buying properties for years
If you’re going to write an article quoting monies owed, you need to get it right.
The Marlins owe the Yankees $10M/yr for the next three seasons not $3M
That Avisail Garcia contract gets worse every time I see it.
I’d love to see the Kim Ng supporters comment on this. I’m guessing they won’t because this is invisible to them.
A. Garcia signing was Jeter, plus we want the home runs statue back….If it was up to Jeter Marlins would have signed Castellanos, 5 yrs 100M…. Phillies have 2 more years $40M on that contract… with an aging veteran….
Facts: mlb.com/news/avisail-garcia-marlins-deal
See Kim Ng’s comments.
She was part of the Avi signing. Nice narrative the people that want to ignore all of her bad moves got there with using Jeter as a scapegoat.
Who’s to blame for Jean Segura and Johnny Cueto? Was that Jeter too?
Kim Ng was a flawed GM with some good moves and bad moves. At best, she was a dime-a -dozen average GM that can be easily replaced. Not the good GM, ESPN and FOX Sports dimwits want to believe. And I’m being kind. Deal with it.
Bendix is in touch with Roger Beshens, Brent Strom.
Beshens introduced the blueprint Bendix is going to implement which is teach the Roger Beshens Football Slider to SELECTED pitchers. On center grip, throw like Football, Stiff wrist is the Grip Tilt and Wrist action which is the bogus named pitch type called the Sweeper and when over the top it’s the Gyro.
Bendix had no clue what that RBFS was in May 2018 when Beshens taught Glasnow, The Rays noticed Glasnow in June 2018 just struck out 46 out of 62 hitters with a slider that he never threw before. Beshens Football Slider influence obviously influenced, Taillon, Musgrove, Keller, Holmes, Crick, Trevor Williams, Kuhl, and others stuck in the Pitt.
Tyler Glasnow only struck out 45 hitters with sliders in 2018 so your claim is false.
Glasnow then proceeded to not throw a single slider in a game in 2019 or 2020.
2018 Glasnow OUT OF NOWHERE struck out 45 out of 68, the RAYS noticed that slider.
That Roger Beshens Football Slider changed GLasnow’s life.
I don’t care if Glasnow called it a curve, slutter, look at the spin rate and then later he decided to put max effort in that slider and it’s in the 88-92 range. Glasnow’s curve and slider are the same shape cause it uses the same tilt. Same for Snell. Snell couldn’t avg 10 K a game until 2018 when Roger Beshens taught him.
Outlook: HORRIFIC
Marlins will have a field day at the Rule 5 draft this year.
“Their limited profiles won’t necessarily yield significant offers, though, and the Marlins might just hang onto them and let them play since they do need to field a team.”
Yikes. Darragh getting a little sarcastic here. Sorry Marlins fans, I feel for you.
Trade pretty well any starting pitcher before the season starts and he’ll be going cheap. Does that mean they start with a rotation that could be very good indeed?
There is a saying “A team is certain to win a third and lose a third, of it’s games, The middle third decides if they are any good or not.”
A description that describes the faulted ’23 and ’24 Marlins in my mind is
“A team certain to win 12 and lose 50 games. The middle 100 decides success or failure”
A successful baseball player is a creature of routine and habit. Everything about this ballclub has been thrown up in the air and the only sure thing is uncertainty. Everybody on the team will either be shop windowing or trying to build a Major League career. My heart goes out to them.
The Marlins have no core players to build a team around. Time to sell and move the team!
Last years version had 74 comments
mlbtraderumors.com/2023/10/offseason-outlook-miami…
Give it time. We need the haters to come in here after ESPN give them their Marlins narrative.
Offseason Outlook: ???
Get a new manager (I’d be surprised if it isn’t Gabe Kapler).
Continue with the waiver wire additions to look for lucky break lottery tickets.
Go crazy on Rule 5 Day!
BMF
Ii think you forgot pray for good draft picks and International signings.
You may be right about Kapler, but I remember reading somewhere that front officey stuff suits him better. Maybe he’ll be sitting in on the interviews.
Yeah, I did forget about good draft picks and international signings.
You may be right about Kapler. From my thought process, I have felt that when they first hired him, it was with the intent he’d be the next manager after Schumaker – and that all of the narratives were just smoke to cover the ‘We hired Kapler to replace Schumaker’ process.
BMF
Ouch!!! I hope not.
I think baseball management and coaching are at their best when they balance an analytic approach with honed baseball instincts. Going by the numbers sounds straight forward enough, but which set of numbers apply in a given situation, can be informed by gut instincts and experience.
Gut instincts from observation makes the manager.
EXAMPLE: Analytic geeks made the decision to pull Snell from WS vs LA when he gave up a baserunner as the lineup turned over to the third time. That decision was made at 11am the morning of the game. Cash took the heat/abuse/criticism but he was ordered to make that move. watching him pitch that day, he had great stuff and was simply overpowering.
The MLB manager is a lower paid punching bag for the Yalie computer geeks. Manager with instinct from observation is the best kind. Its not even close.