More than four years have passed since the Miami Marlins last stared down an MLB lockout, and while a lot around the franchise has changed, a few familiar names still matter.
Bruce Sherman is still the owner. The goals are still the same, too: post a winning record and get back to the playoffs.
But beyond that, the picture looks different in plenty of ways. Derek Jeter is gone.
Kim Ng is gone. The roster is in much better shape.
And this time around, the looming CBA deadline carries the possibility of bigger shifts in baseball’s financial setup.
Even so, the last lockout may still offer a few hints about how Miami could operate this offseason.
Sherman, for one, is still the man writing the checks. Whatever he remembers from the last deadline figures to matter, and the same goes for the rest of the front office, especially new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix.
The clearest takeaway from the Marlins’ last round of deadline maneuvering came in the form of two very different decisions made right before the lockout began. Miami extended Sandy Alcantara, who is now about to enter the final year of that deal after the club exercised its option. The other move was the four-year, $56 million free-agent contract for Avisail Garcia, a deal the organization has now fully paid off.
Those two calls could not have played out more differently. But they did share one thing that might matter again this November: spending.
The pressure on Miami to spend more was there heading into the last CBA, and it may be even stronger this time as the league heads toward 2027. So yes, some kind of meaningful outlay from the Marlins would not be a shock.
The question is what form it would take.
An extension feels like the cleaner bet. Could Sherman approve another club-friendly deal, whether that means working out a new contract for Alcantara or locking up another young player? Sandy has turned into a smart investment, and for the first time in years, Miami has multiple young players with track records that justify long-term commitments.
A big free-agent splash, though, seems much less likely.
Miami has not made one since the Garcia deal, and the lesson from that contract appears to have stuck. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported last week that the team would not sign any "marquee 30-plus free-agents to enormous deals."
Fans may debate whether Garcia qualifies as "marquee" or whether his contract fits the word "enormous," but the phrasing reads like a clear reminder of why the Marlins have been hesitant to go back down that road. The "30-plus" part feels just as important as the rest - a line in the sand shaped by that Garcia mistake.
So if the Marlins do make a significant financial move, an extension looks far more likely than a major free-agent chase.
And then there’s the trade market.
That could be where things get especially active. In the month before the last CBA deadline, Miami acquired Jacob Stallings and Joey Wendle.
The Wendle move stands out even more when you look at Tampa Bay’s side of things, because the Rays made six trades during that same stretch. Bendix, then working for the Rays, was around that operation before being promoted from Vice President of Baseball Development to General Manager that offseason, so it’s fair to assume he had a hand in those kinds of moves.
One of those deals, after all, brought Junior Caminero to Tampa.
Put it all together, and a busy month feels like a real possibility for the Marlins.
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 🡒]