After flirting with a postseason berth into the season’s final week, the Marlins will look to build on that momentum in 2026.
Here are five questions Miami must answer this offseason:
1. Will the Marlins hold onto Sandy Alcantara?
Alcantara’s name frequently came up through the Trade Deadline, and that won’t change this winter. Although Alcantara’s return from Tommy John surgery was bumpy (5.36 ERA, third highest among qualifying Major League pitchers), he closed out the season with a 3.70 ERA over his final 10 outings, with seven quality starts. After exceeding expectations and appearing ahead of schedule, might Miami hold onto Alcantara to front its rotation? He is owed $17.3 million in 2026 and has a $21 team option for ’27 ($2 million buyout). When asked last Wednesday whether he was confident in saying Alcantara would be with the team at Spring Training, this is what president of baseball operations Peter Bendix had to say: “I'm not going to speculate on any individual player or go player by player. It's important to always be looking for ways to improve our club, and that's what I've done since I've gotten here. I'm going to try to stay as disciplined as possible to doing that, to making our 2026 team really competitive and to building for a sustainably successful future.” |
2. Can Agustín Ramírez be counted on as a catcher?
When the Marlins acquired Ramírez from the Yankees in July 2024, they bought the bat with the belief the organization could develop his defense. While Ramírez became the first rookie catcher in MLB history to record 20-plus homers and 10-plus stolen bases in a season, he led all MLB backstops in passed balls (19) and errors (10). He also permitted 83 stolen bases (fourth most) while nabbing only eight basestealers. Ramírez just turned 24, so how wise would it be to relegate him to designated hitter already? He did have better splits as a DH (.780 OPS) compared to at catcher (.627 OPS). But keeping Ramírez at DH would take away the club’s flexibility in that spot. Joe Mack (Marlins' No. 4 prospect, No. 70 overall) played 99 games at Triple-A Jacksonville, where he posted a .779 OPS. In 2024, he was named the Minor League Gold Glove winner at catcher. Rule 5 Draft pick Liam Hicks, who skipped the Triple-A level altogether, held his own as a rookie at the plate (.692 OPS) and behind it blocking and framing. “I think we need to get better at our catcher defense,” Bendix said. “I think that's something that we knew was going to be a challenge for some of our young catchers, right? And especially after we traded away Nick Fortes. We know we're putting a lot on two rookie catchers. It is a lot to be a catcher at the big league level, to learn a pitching staff, to learn how to be a catcher, to learn how to be a leader and to hit. I was really happy with both Liam and Gus and what they showed us this year. I think they still need to improve, but that's really true for everybody.” |
3. Who will play first base?
Bendix wouldn’t specify areas to improve either internally or externally, but the first-base position stands out. Six players -- two of whom are no longer with the organization -- collectively posted the fourth-lowest OPS (.663) in MLB. Eric Wagaman’s stats were among the best for NL rookies. Hicks learned first base in order to keep his bat in the lineup and provide positional flexibility. Graham Pauley saw some reps by season’s end. Deyvison De Los Santos (Marlins' No. 22 prospect) didn’t put up the same power numbers at Triple-A and saw his strikeout numbers only marginally improve. It’s unlikely the Marlins will dip their toes in the Pete Alonso sweepstakes. If Miami goes down the free-agent route, could someone like Paul Goldschmidt be a reasonable option? |
4. Will the Marlins pursue extensions with their young talent?
Outside of Alcantara, right-hander Edward Cabrera and left-hander Ryan Weathers, everyone on the 40-man roster is pre-arbitration eligible. It’s not unusual for organizations to reward players they believe to be key pieces with extensions, buying out arbitration years and a few years of free agency. Some candidates include All-Star outfielder Kyle Stowers, right-hander Eury Pérez and outfielder Jakob Marsee. Stowers not only had a breakout campaign (.912 OPS) but also proved to be a clubhouse leader. Pérez came back from Tommy John surgery and flashed his frontline potential. Despite just 55 games on his resume, Marsee showed elite swing decisions while playing a solid center field. “We're always going to have those conversations,” Bendix said. “We have a bunch of really good young players.” 5. How will Miami approach this offseason?
Bendix reiterated that the Marlins’ goal is to be competitive every year for a long period of time. There are various ways the organization can go about doing so, and these are the examples Bendix listed: via free agency, trades, the Rule 5 Draft and Minor League free agency. “We made tremendous progress towards that goal this year,” Bendix said. “We didn't hit it yet. I think the 2026 team is going to be really exciting and competitive, and I think the future beyond that is also really bright.” |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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Recently, the Marlins posted a season recap video on X. It's narrated by Marlins TV color analyst Tommy Hutton. |
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Tickets go on sale this Thursday for La Gente del Barrio Celebrity Softball Game & Home Run Derby at loanDepot park. The two-day celebration, which will be headlined by All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., will take place from Dec. 5-6 and benefit the VG27 Foundation. The weekend will begin with a VIP Gala on Dec. 5, followed by the Celebrity Softball Game and the Home Run Derby on Dec. 6. Concert performances from leading Latin music artists (to be announced) will cap the festivities. For more information, visit Marlins.com/Derby. |
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