ATLANTA – The aftermath of Monday’s Trade Deadline could be seen inside the Marlins’ clubhouse prior to Tuesday’s series opener against the Braves. Liam Hicks and Lake Bachar were gone. Victor Vodnik had arrived. Agustín Ramírez and Josh Ekness were back. “I feel like we accomplished our goal of continuing to build towards a championship-level organization while fully understanding that this year's team is good and we have a real shot at the playoffs, and we wanted to have that in mind as well,” said president of baseball operations Peter Bendix. Here’s some more of what we learned from Miami’s Deadline moves: |
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How might reliever Vodnik be used? Vodnik saved 10 games and recorded a 160 ERA+ last season for Colorado, but he hasn’t been able to replicate that so far in 2026 with a 94 ERA+. The metrics are still there: Vodnik boasts a 98.6 mph average fastball velocity and a 55.6% ground-ball rate (96th and 95th percentiles, respectively). Miami believes getting him out of the high altitude of Coors Field will help, as will tweaking his pitch usage. The Marlins are likely to ease Vodnik in rather than slot him into high-leverage situations from the get-go, as evidenced by him pitching the eighth inning with Miami down 3-0. This is possible considering the way Pete Fairbanks, Michael Petersen and Calvin Faucher have been pitching. “Victor was somebody we specifically targeted,” Bendix said. “We think that he's somebody that we can help get a lot better. We think he's somebody with really good stuff. … We think he has traits that you can't teach.” And Vodnik isn’t the bullpen’s only reinforcement. Miami reinstated rookie Ekness, who could pitch his way into high-leverage spots, from the 60-day injured list, and selected Jack Ralston’s contract. “Still feel really good about our bullpen moving forward, both for this year and beyond,” Bendix said. |
Every member of the relief corps is under club control past this season except Fairbanks. The Marlins should also get back 2025 breakout star Ronny Henriquez from right elbow surgery in ‘27. What’s the catcher situation moving forward? Hicks became expendable because of the emergence of Gold Glove-caliber rookie Joe Mack. Though Hicks got off to a hot start at the plate and was still among the club’s leaders in various categories, he was blocked at catcher by Mack and first base by Kyle Stowers. Hicks was also one of many left-handed bats on the roster, with Mack, Stowers, Owen Caissie, Griffin Conine and Jakob Marsee. “Joe Mack is a budding superstar, and Joe Mack is going to catch as many games as he can handle for us, and that is not a knock on Liam,” Bendix said. “That is a compliment to Joe Mack. And so, the thinking with Liam is that there would be other teams that might value Liam as a catcher maybe more than we do, only because they don't have Joe Mack and we do. “… There's only so many at-bats to go around. So we felt that this was a move that we could make that would help the future Marlins without taking away very much from the current Marlins.” Miami will continue to carry three catchers: Mack, Ramírez and Brian Navarreto. Mack will start nearly every day. Ramírez will step into Hicks’ former role as backup catcher and designated hitter, with maybe some first base sprinkled in. |
Do the Marlins have enough starting pitching? During most of their hot June, the Marlins had just one healthy starter in the rotation: Sandy Alcantara. Manager Clayton McCullough often said that they had enough pitching to get by, and he was right. Left-hander Braxton Garrett, who had been at Triple-A Jacksonville, became the latest starting pitcher to be moved via trade because Bendix felt confident in the organizational depth. “That was one of the reasons we were able to trade away Braxton,” Bendix said. “We really liked what we got for Braxton. That's why we did it. But we also do feel like we have a good amount of starting pitching depth, both for now and the future.” Adam Mazur and Robby Snelling, both of whom are rehabbing from elbow surgery, should return in 2027. Injured top prospect Thomas White has yet to debut. Alcantara has a team option, while Eury Pérez, All-Star Max Meyer, Janson Junk, Tyler Phillips and Ryan Gusto all have multiple years of club control. Did Brayden Taylor’s ability to play third base factor into his acquisition? Before being asked that question, Bendix called the 24-year-old prospect an “elite third baseman.” It just so happens that position is thin throughout the Marlins’ organization. “That absolutely factored in,” Bendix said. “We don't want to bypass talent best available just for fit, but the fit does matter, especially in our current circumstances. We have a lot of good players at the Major League level, in Triple-A and Double-A, so if we're going to add somebody new to that group, the bar is very high for them, and I do think Brayden fits really nicely.” Taylor, Jonathon Long, Jace Beck and Brandan Bidois are among the prospect newcomers closest to a Marlins debut. |
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“The number of innings he's thrown, and not just the innings, but seeing him right now really solidify what's been a fantastic season with the wins, with ERA. He's getting some more miss and strikeouts now than he has. He's getting the ball back on the ground. He certainly was well deserved of that. You go a week and 13 shutout innings. We now all again just expect Sandy to go out there and do that.” – McCullough on Alcantara’s honor |
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