The Marlins didn’t make the playoffs in 2025 but are entering the winter with a bit more optimism compared to a year ago. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald took a look at the Miami position player mix and provided some details on the club’s aspirations for the winter.
Jackson had previously reported that the club was likely going to be targeting a veteran bat this winter. In today’s reporting, he adds that first base is the most likely place for them to make that addition, though third base and the outfield corners are mentioned as other possibilities.
First base is a sensible spot to target, as the Fish don’t really have anyone locked in there. Seven different players spent some time at that spot in 2025, though Eric Wagaman got the bulk of the action. Wagaman hit just .237/.281/.375 for a wRC+ of 79. That indicates he was 21% below league average at the plate. Teams generally hope to get above-average offense out of the first base spot, so that’s a natural spot to look for more production.
The free agent class is headlined by guys like Pete Alonso, Josh Naylor and Ryan O’Hearn. The Marlins have occasionally thrown out notable multi-year deals but president of baseball operations Peter Bendix has largely kept his wallet in his pocket since getting his job. Two offseasons ago, his big signing was one year and $5MM for Tim Anderson. Last winter, it was $3.5MM for Cal Quantrill.
Perhaps he will get more aggressive with the Marlins coming off a respectable 2025 season, though it may be more likely he goes for guys who can be had on short-term deals such as Rhys Hoskins or Paul Goldschmidt. The non-tender deadline will shake loose a few more guys, with Nathaniel Lowe and Ryan Mountcastle some of the possibilities there. Christian Walker and Alec Burleson are speculative trade candidates.
Signing a third baseman is also a possibility but Jackson reports that the most likely scenario is Connor Norby and Graham Pauley battling for the job, or perhaps even forming a platoon. Pauley seems to have a decent floor as a strong defender. In 390 innings at the hot corner this year, he was credited with three Defensive Runs Saved and six Outs Above Average. Offensively, he slashed .224/.311/.366 for a wRC+ of 90. Perhaps there’s more to come with the bat. His 11.4% walk rate and 19.6% strikeout rate were both above average and he may have been held back by an unfortunate .262 batting average on balls in play. But even with offense close to average, he could be a valuable player thanks to the glove.
Norby, on the other hand, received grades of -5 DRS and -4 OAA at third this year. He didn’t make up for that with the bat, as he slashed .251/.300/.389 for a wRC+ of 90. However, he has slashed .293/.369/.493 at the Triple-A level going back to the start of 2023, which translates to a 123 wRC+. Bringing that kind of production to the majors would be great but he’ll be a bit of a question mark until that happens.
As for the platoon possibility Jackson mentions, Norby is right-handed and Pauley left-handed. Both players have reverse splits in their big league careers thus far but the sample size is still pretty small for both. Neither had huge splits in the minors but major league pitching might be a different story in the long run.
In the outfield, Jackson suggests the investment is likely to be small, suggesting it could be similar to the club signing Heriberto Hernández to a minor league deal last winter. They should have Kyle Stowers and Jakob Marsee in two spots, with room for guys like Hernández, Griffin Conine, Dane Myers, Joey Wiemer and others.
Behind the plate, Bendix already gave a public vote of confidence to Agustín Ramírez, despite his poor defensive metrics. If he is going to get another shot behind the plate next year, that could leave Joe Mack in Triple-A. Jackson reports that the club would prefer Mack to start the year in Jacksonville, but he will have a chance to earn a job in spring training.
Mack is one of the top catching prospects in the league. He’s not yet on the 40-man roster but would be eligible for this winter’s Rule 5 draft if not added, so the Fish will surely give him a spot in order to protect him from being selected. He’s considered a strong defender and he slashed .250/.320/.459 for a 108 wRC+ in 99 Triple-A games this year.
Promoting him to the majors seems justified at this point, but if Ramírez is going to get the bulk of the playing time as the Marlins continue to give him a shot to improve defensively, then perhaps Mack would be better served staying in Triple-A to get regular playing time.
It seems like there’s even less chance of a move up the middle, as Jackson reports the club is happy with the Otto López and Xavier Edwards tandem. López has produced subpar offense but the move to shortstop has worked well. He was credited with 7 DRS and 4 OAA at that spot this year. He can also steal 15-20 bases a year, adding to his value. Edwards got poor grades at short but has been great since kicking over to the other side of the bag. He tallied 12 DRS and 9 OAA at the keystone this year, with 27 steals and roughly average offense.
Photo courtesy of Eric Hartline, Imagn Images
The Fish had a much better year than the Mets did.
The Fish certainly helped with the epic collapse of the Mets.
Two words: Avisail Garcia.
Bats don’t always play well in Miami due to park and surrounding lineup. Plugging in one veteran 1B does not sound like a plan. Keep more of your pitchers with the money and develop the farm.
Is there zero chance that Agustin can play 1B?
What does Avi Garcia have to do with OPs comment? Like your entire comment doesn’t relate to the original comment. Just post your comment by itself rather than trying to hijack the top comment.
Sneaky close to this team being very interesting… hopefully people buy in around the org.
Mack should earn his promotion and get preferably at least a .900 ops in Jacksonville
Agustin might become a top 5 offensive catcher in the league and good enough to be a full time DH he reminds me of Wilson Contreras
This team doesn’t need to do anything splashy per se, but an addition like Hoskins to add a power bat to the lineup and a couple of bullpen pieces may have them as a serious wild card threat next season
Nick Castellanos available cheap at half price
Nolan Gorman can play 1B and Jordan Walker would fit in RF. They are cheap, cheap, cheap!
Are you hawking your wares at the Marlins?
In all seriousness, Gorman could be shopped and Walker still has a shot to put it all together so maybe give him one more season before a change of scenery is needed I think.
I think they need to put Ramirez at 1B. He can’t catch. Put Mack at C. They need a 3B and another good bat in the OF. They have no one in the minors ready to help there, and the real problem is their owner, and his 2 dozen partners, are the poorest in any of the 4 major sports. MLB should never have signed off on that ludicrous sale. Any normal owner with a few $’s could plug one of the holes at 3B and OF, if not both. Trading Alcantara might fill at least one of those spots. It is sad. With 90% of any of the other owners, this team could have an outside shot to be in contention mix for awhile, but that just isn’t the case. Missing Jeffrey Loria now.