The Marlins kicked off their first full-squad workout on Monday in Jupiter with a clear message: they’re not here to play the underdog. While the rest of the National League East might be drawing headlines - with the Phillies, Mets, and Braves routinely pegged as the division’s heavyweights - Miami isn’t flinching. They’re building something, and they’re not shy about where they expect it to lead.
“Our expectations are to be extremely competitive and continue this path to be successful every single year,” said principal owner Bruce Sherman. “Success is not measured by the games in September and August and July. Success is measured by getting to the playoffs continually.”
Sherman didn’t mince words. The bar isn’t just a winning season - it’s October baseball, year in and year out. That’s the standard now in Miami.
Then came the handoff to president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, the man tasked with turning that vision into reality. Sherman, half-joking, added: “Not that I’m putting any pressure on you.”
Bendix didn’t blink. “We welcome the pressure,” he said.
“The whole idea here is to win. Not just one season, not just two.
We’re trying to win for as many seasons as we can.”
That kind of long-term thinking is baked into everything the Marlins are doing - from the upgraded Jupiter academy and cutting-edge tech to a string of offseason moves designed to bolster both the present and future. Miami brought in free agents Christopher Morel, Pete Fairbanks, Chris Paddack, and John King. They also acquired Top 100 prospect Owen Caissie, adding another intriguing piece to an outfield mix that already includes All-Star Kyle Stowers and Jakob Marsee.
And the innovation doesn’t stop with the roster. The Marlins are tinkering with pitch-calling from the dugout and exploring new ways to gain an edge. This is a club that’s not just talking about being different - they’re putting it into practice.
Veteran outfielder Kyle Stowers, now a new dad and wearing a “Girl Dad” cap to prove it, summed up the mindset: “There’s got to be the hunger to go earn it. To continue to get as much as we can out of each day.
That’s all we can do - prepare. Prepare well, and I like our chances of winning on a nightly basis.”
It’s a message that resonates inside the clubhouse. Xavier Edwards, now the team’s longest-tenured position player, knows what it takes to reach the postseason. He tasted it in 2023, and he’s hungry for more.
“I think we all embrace it,” Edwards said. “Pretty much everyone across here, our organization, is pretty selfless.
We all want to succeed. We want to help the team win more than anything.
That’s a big part of our DNA.”
Yes, there’s excitement. But there’s also realism.
The Marlins missed the playoffs last year by the slimmest of margins - knocked out in the final week. That stings.
And it’s fueling a group that knows it has to be better.
Manager Clayton McCullough isn’t interested in projections or outside noise. He’s focused on building a culture that lasts.
“I didn’t come here to lose,” McCullough said. “And our players don’t show up each day worrying about where the projection is for this year or what someone else thinks we may or may not do.
We want to create a culture here. We want to have a group that every year we’re putting ourselves in position to compete for opportunities at a championship.”
That’s the mission - and it’s not about outspending the big-market clubs. The Marlins aren’t playing that game. They’re focused on outsmarting, outworking, and outplaying the competition.
“We’re not concerned with what other teams are doing,” Bendix said. “We’re focused on finding ways to beat them.”
Sherman echoed that sentiment, making it clear that this isn’t a business venture for him - it’s a passion project with one goal.
“I’m not in this for a profit at all,” Sherman said. “We haven’t taken a nickel out of this in eight years.
We keep putting money in, and I’m happy to do that. The ownership group is pleased to do that.
We want to win. W-I-N.
Period.”
For a franchise that’s spent years trying to find its footing, this spring feels different. There’s belief.
There’s urgency. And there’s a plan.
The Marlins know the road through the NL East isn’t easy - but they’re not backing down from the challenge. They’re leaning into it.