With Spring Training on the horizon, the Marlins are hosting their annual FanFest today at LoanDepot Park. The club’s rotation was underwhelming last year outside of Eury Pérez and the since-traded Edward Cabrera, but today’s events offered updates on two key figures for 2026 in Max Meyer and Braxton Garrett.
Meyer spoke to reporters about his rehab from left hip surgery (link via Kevin Barral of Fish On First). He underwent the procedure for a labrum tear back in June. In October, general manager Peter Bendix told reporters that Meyer would be ready for Spring Training. That is indeed the case, as Meyer told reporters, “Everything feels good, how it should feel.” He added that he was able to start running halfway through his rehab and more or less followed a normal throwing program this offseason. Per manager Clayton McCullough, the team is committed to using Meyer as a starter rather than a reliever (link via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald).
The 26-year-old right-hander was the Marlins’ first-round draft pick in 2020. Since debuting in 2022, he has thrown 127 2/3 innings over 25 starts with a 5.29 ERA, a 21.5% strikeout rate, and a 7.3% walk rate. While his 49.4% groundball rate is strong, Meyer also allows a lot of hard contact. His average exit velocity of 91.2 MPH and 47.8% hard-hit rate are both worse than average. He’s particularly struggled to keep the ball in the yard, allowing 1.97 home runs per nine innings in his career.
Meyer’s 2025 consisted of a 4.73 ERA in 64 2/3 innings before the aforementioned hip surgery. That workload was actually a career-high for Meyer, who missed the latter half of 2022 and all of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery. That said, he is still young, inexpensive, and a former Top-100 prospect. He’ll continue to get his chances in the rotation, though a full starter’s workload would be quite a reach even if he stays healthy.
The 28-year-old Garrett underwent an internal brace procedure on his throwing elbow in January 2025 and missed the entire season. He previously made just seven starts in 2024 before missing most of that season with a flexor strain and general elbow soreness. Per Jackson, Garrett is now healthy and will compete for a mid-rotation spot, with Sandy Alcantara and Pérez being locks at the front of the rotation.
Like Meyer, Garrett is a former first-round draft pick – No. 7 overall in 2016. Garrett has the more impressive track record of the two, having established himself as a mid-rotation arm from 2022-23. He threw 247 2/3 innings in that time over 48 appearances (47 starts), posting a 3.63 ERA with a 23.8% strikeout rate and an exceptional 5.1% walk rate. Garrett also induces groundballs 48.2% of the time and excels at getting hitters to chase, ranking in at least the 76th percentile in chase rate in 2022 and 2023.
That quality production came before two injury-ruined seasons, so it is fair to wonder if Garrett can return to his previous form. Like Meyer, he probably won’t be counted on for 150+ innings. That said, just having a healthy season will be a good outcome for the Marlins, who have traded Cabrera and Ryan Weathers and are counting on a separate return to form from Alcantara. Garrett has one option year remaining, so in the worst case scenario, he can be sent to Triple-A if he needs more time after a year off.
Turning now to the position players, McCullough implied that the Marlins will have “a lot of competition for playing time” at first base in 2026 (link via Barral). He specifically mentioned that Christopher Morel is “open to giving it a shot,” with Griffin Conine and Liam Hicks also being options. Morel and Conine are surprising candidates, as neither has played first base in the majors or minors. Hicks is the only one of the three with experience at the cold corner. Eric Wagaman was the team’s primary first baseman in 2025, though he was traded to the Twins last month.
Morel was signed by the Marlins in December after being non-tendered by the Rays. He was an above-average hitter in his first two seasons from 2022-23 but has struggled more recently, grading out 10% below average by wRC+ in 2025. He has bounced around at multiple positions and hasn’t graded out well at any of them. Conine debuted in 2024 and has exclusively played the outfield. McCullough merely described him as “open-minded” about first base, so it’s possible the club will give Conine reps in Spring Training but only consider him an emergency option. The left-handed hitting Hicks batted .247/.346/.346 with a 98 wRC+ last year but was 4% better than average against righties. The club could consider a timeshare with Hicks starting against righties and the right-handed hitting Morel against southpaws.
Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images
What about Ryan Gusto and Janson Junk? And then this Mazur guy?
Gusto still has an option, Mazur has two. I would back Junk to break camp as the 5 and then Gusto to be the first guy up when an injury inevitably happens.
Gusto has 2 options.
Mountcastle from the Orioles?
Bring Burger Back
Please do.
Defensively Morel is a fine DH.
Conine’s dad was able to play First Base, who better to teach him than Mr. Marlin
Conine has had some injuries during his career but he might be the best option to play first compared to a weak hitting DH or a backup catcher.
Want them to grab another Right Handed 1B/DH/OF and then a starting pitcher who can eat some innings and they’re going to be really fun to watch this year
Glad to see Marlins are going to give Nats some competition for worst team in division. However, I think Nats will still earn that title.
Marlins are going to WIN the East u goof ball!
Do people actually pay attention to seasons and rosters that aren’t their own team?
I thought the Marlins had a team in place that could have won it all this season.
Trading Cabrera and Weathers decimated the team’s chances.
I still think the Fish can win some games, could have a real good team but Id say Sandy is next to be traded, and if it weren’t for the grievance thing he’d already be gone.
They might keep him until the trade deadline to keep up appearances in that regard but they will definitely trade him in July.
In summary, the Marlins made their offseason “big” move” of signing a 1 year reliever they will trade at trade deadline. Despite team needs, available players to sign, and a league lowest payroll, they will instead solve their 1B hole by hoping an internal option can learn it by opening day. Another year of a solid team that won’t be able to take a step forward since ownership doesn’t want to spend a dollar.
Has the MLBPA filed a grievance against the Marlins? If not, why not? This team has always seemed like the most egregious, along with Pittsburgh and Colorado. Why were the A’s targeted so publicly last offseason?
I don’t know. The A’s have spent money by signing extensions. Marlins should get a grievance.
At least the Pirates are also making more of an effort than any other time in recent (or even not-so-recent) history. No excuse for the Marlins or Rockies.
Marlins have to be signing some extensions soon and the player agents should know that the team would like to do so.
Eury’s agent should lever the Marlins into Crochet money.
Id say the Marlins also like the idea of extending Marsee and that Marsee should lever them into a big deal. Roman Anthony money.
ABS
The Marlins will only do team friendly extensions. I think they should loosen up a bit, but not get carried away.
Easier said than done
The greivance issue has to be real, they have the lowest payroll in MLB and they are trading veterans for prospects.
They’d prefer to spend on Marsee and Perez as opposed to shelling out for the picked-over pieces available in FA.
Team-friendly is nice when you are doing right by the team but the Marlins didnt do right by the team this season when they traded Cabrera for Caissie. That was a baseball trade, and a good one in some ways, but the Marlins were a better team with Cabrera and were in position to make a run at the NL East.
So you take away our season and now you want a team-friendly deal, I doubt it. Anthony’s money looks about right for Marsee. Perez likes that deal Crochet got in Boston too.
Both good comps based on prospect pedigree and MLB level performances in my opinion.
Miami is better off paying those two than signing free agents and their agents should know that and lever the Marlins for a big deal.
Extend Caissie first and you will lose the entire team to a fxck-around approach and you dont want that.