The Marlins are heading into the offseason with a pretty clear theme: they’re open for business, and not just in one area. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports Miami wants at least one outside addition for both the rotation and the bullpen, and the club is also willing to add an everyday bat at either a corner infield spot or a corner outfield spot.
That kind of flexibility makes sense given where the roster already has some stability. Joe Mack gives them a defensive anchor behind the plate, while Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards form a strong middle infield pairing.
Jakob Marsee gives them a long-term answer in center field, though he may not be ready for Opening Day after undergoing postseason internal brace surgery. The recovery window is six months, which makes his status for the start of the season uncertain if things begin on time.
Offensively, Miami was right around the middle of the pack in 2026. The club finished 18th in runs, 23rd in home runs and 16th in slugging percentage.
They were better in batting average and on-base percentage, but they lacked the kind of impact thump that can change a lineup. That’s part of why a corner bat is on the table, especially with so much of the roster able to move around defensively.
Kyle Stowers spent the second half as a full-time first baseman, but he has outfield experience and could slide back there if Miami brings in help at first. Javier Sanoja is projected to open as the starter at third base, and for a while that looked like the lineup’s biggest question. He answered with a strong finish, ending the year at .295/.333/.458 across 490 plate appearances.
Sanoja’s profile is built more on contact than big power, which makes him look more like a classic utility piece than a locked-in everyday third baseman. Even so, he has earned regular at-bats, whether that comes at third or across the diamond. He also brings real defensive value, and he already owns a utility Gold Glove award.
The corner outfield and designated hitter mix currently includes Griffin Conine, Heriberto Hernández and Owen Caissie. Conine broke out over the final three months after a hamstring strain wiped out most of his first half.
Hernández led the team with 25 homers while handling most of the work in left field, though his .228/.313/.442 line was only slightly better than average overall. Caissie had a rough first season with Miami, striking out 37.3% of the time and hitting .220/.288/.412 in 330 plate appearances.
Esteury Ruiz is also in the mix as a fourth outfielder. He brings elite speed, but his offensive track record has been uneven, and his defense has never graded especially well. The baserunning is real; the rest of the package has been harder to trust.
That’s why an outside addition would make a lot of sense. It would give Miami a higher floor if Conine or Sanoja slips, and it would also improve a bench that looks thin outside of Ruiz.
The payroll picture gives the Marlins room to maneuver. Since Peter Bendix took over baseball operations in the 2023-24 offseason, the club has not handed out a free agent deal longer than one year.
This winter, there’s enough short-term payroll space to make a few moves, even by Miami’s standards. Sandy Alcantara’s $21MM salary is the only guaranteed money on the books, and the team is also sending $10MM to the Yankees as part of the Giancarlo Stanton contract.
MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects the arbitration class at $29MM combined. There aren’t many obvious non-tender candidates, but Miami could trim that number by cutting Anthony Bender, Andrew Nardi and Tyler Zuber, all of whom are coming off surgeries. Even without factoring in non-tenders, the Marlins’ payroll projection sits at roughly $79.25MM, third-lowest in baseball according to MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker.
On the first-base market, Miami probably won’t be at the front of the line for Jake Bauers, who received a qualifying offer from the Brewers. Ty France could be a fit if the Marlins want to push Stowers back to left field and reduce Hernández’s workload.
Alec Bohm is another possibility on a one-year deal, with the ability to handle either corner infield spot. In the outfield, Taylor Ward, Trent Grisham and Michael Conforto are among the names that could make sense.
The trade market could also offer options. Royce Lewis, Spencer Torkelson and Andrew Vaughn are all first-base possibilities, with Vaughn a near lock to be moved if Bauers accepts the qualifying offer and returns to Milwaukee. Houston could make Isaac Paredes available as a third-base option, while Brandon Marsh and Jarren Duran fit the mold of outfield change-of-scenery candidates.
Pitching remains part of the equation too. The rotation looks solid at the top with Alcantara, Eury Pérez and Max Meyer already penciled into three spots, and top prospect Thomas White looming as a possible debut.
Janson Junk gives them a usable back-end option, but they still need a starter who can handle innings in the No. 4 or 5 role. Shane Bieber, Matthew Boyd, Robbie Ray, Walker Buehler, Brady Singer, Patrick Sandoval, Martín Pérez and NPB veterans Hiromi Itoh and Kona Takahashi are all names that could fit that job.
The bullpen has power arms, but not much in the way of late-inning certainty. Last winter’s Pete Fairbanks signing didn’t work out, and Miami still doesn’t have a proven closer.
Ronny Henriquez could take the job back after missing all of 2026 following UCL surgery. Raisel Iglesias, Emilio Pagán, Kenley Jansen, Bryan Abreu and Kevin Ginkel are all the kind of relievers who could land one- or two-year deals and bring leverage experience.
Paul Blackburn and Sean Newcomb also remain in the mix.
In Other News...
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Lawson has also made it clear he does not see this group as a one-size-fits-all offense. Miami has enough speed and enough pop to create pressure in different ways, and the challenge now is turning that into something more consistent over a full season. The interesting part is how he plans to tailor the approach to individual hitters, because the Marlins next step may depend less on philosophy in the abstract and more on whether that philosophy actually unlocks more production from the roster they already have. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Enter Offseason With Two Roster Questions They Can't Ignore
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The bigger issue is that not every answer is in hand yet, and the front office knows the margin for error is thin. Miami can point to pieces already in place and players who can move around the diamond, but the club still has two roster questions it cannot simply paper over, and the way those get resolved could shape the rest of the winter. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Still Have One Respect Problem Heading Into 2027
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Peter Bendix has already acknowledged that the progress is real, but not nearly enough to change the broader perception around the club. For all the improvement, Miami is still trying to prove it belongs in a more respected tier, and 2027 now looks like another year where the Marlins will have to show that their step forward was the start of something more substantial. [Read more 🡒]