The Marlins have started trimming the 40-man roster, and five names are already off the board. According to the club’s transaction log at MLB.com, Miami outrighted catchers Logan Driscoll and Brian Navarreto along with right-handers Tyler Zuber, Wikelman González and Zach Brzykcy. All five cleared waivers and are now likely on their way to minor league free agency.
Driscoll and Navarreto were the catching depth pieces in the group, though neither gave Miami much big-league production this year. Driscoll, who turns 29 next week, never appeared in the majors after the Marlins picked him up in a cash deal with Tampa Bay shortly before the deadline.
He filled a reserve role after arriving and did most of his damage in Triple-A, where he hit .269/.367/.422 across 77 games. His only prior major league action came in a 15-game stint with the 2024 Rays, when he hit .171/.189/.257 with a homer in 37 plate appearances.
Navarreto’s season was more substantial, but the results weren’t much better. The 32-year-old in December logged 61 plate appearances for Miami and hit .135/.193/.250 with one home run.
A sixth-round pick by Minnesota in 2013, he has spent his entire pro career in the Twins and Marlins systems and has appeared in parts of three seasons with Miami. The bat has never carried much weight, even at Triple-A, but his glove gives him a chance to stick around as a defense-first option if the Marlins want to bring him back for top-minors depth.
Among the pitchers, Zuber is the most established major leaguer. He crossed three years of service in 2026 and worked 39 2/3 innings for Miami this season, but the run prevention was ugly: a 5.67 ERA.
The stuff still showed up - his fastball sat above 95 mph, he struck out 24% of hitters and walked 6.3% - but the home run issue kept biting him. He allowed 2.27 homers per nine innings, and that has been a recurring problem.
His removal from the roster was basically a formality. After the season, the Marlins said Zuber is scheduled for an internal brace procedure to repair the UCL in his right elbow, which leaves him expected to miss most or all of the 2027 season. That made a non-tender or outright move inevitable.
Brzykcy, claimed by Miami on waivers a year ago, also saw his roster spot disappear. The 27-year-old began his career in the Nationals’ system and has now pitched in parts of three big league seasons, including a brief three-inning look with the Marlins in 2026.
In the majors, he has allowed 33 runs in 31 2/3 innings. His minor league track record has been stronger at lower levels, but the results haven’t held up in Triple-A, where he owns a 5.70 ERA across parts of four seasons.
González is the final arm in the group. Miami claimed him from the White Sox in August, but he never got into a game for the Marlins and spent the whole year in Triple-A between the two organizations.
Over 41 2/3 innings, he struck out 30.5% of opposing hitters but also walked nearly 14% of them, and that combination led to a 6.05 ERA. He did flash in the majors last year with Chicago, posting a 2.66 ERA in 20 1/3 innings, but the command remains the red flag.
In his minor league career, he has walked 13.3% of hitters overall, including a 16.5% walk rate in 69 1/3 Triple-A innings.
In Other News...
Marlins Still Have Two Roster Holes Fans Know Too Well
Miamis front office is staring at the same two problems that have lingered far too long: a bullpen that can wobble from week to week and a lineup that still lacks a true power threat. The contrast with Milwaukee was hard to miss in the postseason, where the Brewers could lean on a deeper, more reliable relief group and even get big work from Aaron Ashby when the games tightened up. For the Marlins, that kind of stability remains more aspiration than reality.
There are a few internal reasons for optimism, but none that fully solve the issue on their own. The bullpen picture could look different if the club can get the right arms healthy and effective, and the offense still needs a bat that changes how opponents pitch late in games. Until Miami finds those answers, whether through trades or free-agent additions, the roster will keep feeling like it has the same two holes fans know too well. [Read more 🡒]