The Marlins came out of the All-Star break with a gut-punch loss, but the bigger picture still looks alive. Miami was one out from forcing the game into the 11th inning before Garrett Mitchell’s walk-off single ended it, and even after that stunner, the club remains in the playoff mix and not far behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.
That’s why the trade deadline matters so much right now. The Marlins have been excellent since June 1, but this roster still has holes, and with the deadline moving fast, General Manager Gabe Kapler and President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix have work to do.
One voice weighing in on the market was 10-year MLB veteran Yonder Alonso, who laid out his top five trade targets. Two of his names would make a lot of sense for Miami.
First up is Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan, the kind of arm that makes you stop and pay attention. Alonso’s reaction said plenty: "Who doesn't want this guy?"
The challenge, of course, is getting him out of Minnesota. Ryan is under contract only for this season, but there is a mutual option for $13 million for 2027.
Still, the fit is easy to see. Ryan has a career 3.65 ERA and has reached at least 23 starts in five straight seasons.
This year, he’s been even better, posting a 2.85 ERA across 20 starts and 110.1 innings. He also picked up his second straight All-Star selection, and the numbers back it up.
He’s been especially sharp lately, working at least six innings in 10 of his last 12 starts and carrying a 1.38 ERA this month. If Miami is thinking ahead to an offseason where Sandy Alcantara could walk, and if the club believes Ryan could be kept around, this is the kind of swing worth taking.
Alonso also pointed to left-handed reliever AJ Minter, and that one brings a different kind of value. Minter, who is 32, has been around long enough to feel like a familiar face, but he’s still producing. In his second season in New York, he entered Saturday with a 1.42 ERA in 19 games, a number shaped in part by injury.
When he’s right, Minter looks like a strong bet to handle whatever’s left on the schedule and beyond. His mix is built around a cutter, four-seamer and changeup, with a few sinkers sprinkled in. The cutter has been his best pitch, holding hitters to a .167 average.
He wouldn’t cost as much as Ryan, since he’d be a second-half rental, and that could make him a more realistic target. Miami could use him, too.
Cade Gibson is the only experienced lefty in the bullpen right now and hasn’t had much success this season, while newly recalled Dax Fulton has looked good in his first seven big-league innings but still isn’t someone you want leaning on in the back end of games. Minter would give the Marlins an immediate late-inning left-handed option, the kind of specialist who can get outs when the pressure starts climbing.
In Other News...
Max Meyers First Start Back Raised A Bigger Marlins Concern
Max Meyers first start back for the Marlins was less about the box score than the bigger picture around his arm. Against the Brewers, he worked three innings and allowed two runs, but the sharper concern was the way his command came and went after an extended layoff. He issued three walks, a reminder that even a young starter with swing-and-miss stuff can look out of rhythm when the timing between outings stretches out.
Clayton McCullough said the club is watching Meyers workload closely, start to start, with health at the center of every decision. That makes this next stretch worth tracking for Miami, because Meyer has already had his usage managed this season and the Marlins are trying to balance development with durability. The stuff is there, but the team still has to find the right cadence to keep him effective without asking too much of him. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Waste Another Strong Night As Wild Card Pressure Mounts
Sandy Alcantara gave Miami exactly the kind of start it needed, working six innings and allowing just one run, and Griffin Conines solo homer briefly put the Marlins in front in Milwaukee. For a club trying to keep pace in the Wild Card chase, it was the sort of game that should have been enough, especially with the bullpen and defense giving the lineup a chance to make one run stand up.
Instead, the Marlins left with another narrow loss and another reminder of how quickly a tight game can turn when every inning starts to matter more. Garrett Mitchell kept finding ways to tilt the night Milwaukees way, and Miami now has to try to stop a slide that is beginning to make each series opener feel heavier than the last. [Read more 🡒]
Eury Prez Is Becoming A Huge Part Of Miamis Stretch Run
Eury Prez has been giving the Marlins a much-needed lift in the stretch run, and the encouraging part is that it has not just been about raw stuff. The 23-year-old right-hander has posted a 3.78 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 85.2 innings, and manager Clayton McCullough has pointed to the way Prez has sharpened his pitching and grown more composed since returning to the mound.
Miami is still handling him carefully after his injured-list stint, but the bigger picture is easy to see. If Prez keeps trending this way, he could become the kind of third or fourth starter who changes the feel of a short postseason series, especially with the way his arsenal is coming together and his confidence is building at just the right time. [Read more 🡒]