The Marlins spent the trade deadline looking like a club that knew exactly what it was doing with its rotation - and not in the comforting way.
They did not add a starter. They subtracted one.
Left-hander Braxton Garrett went to the Chicago Cubs, and the only major league-ready arm Miami brought in, Victor Vodnik, has never made a start in parts of four MLB seasons. On paper, that looked like a risky bet for a team whose rotation had been hanging by a thread for months.
That thread had already been stretched in every direction. Chris Paddack never carried over his encouraging spring training once the games counted.
Robby Snelling got a chance after Paddack was cut, only to blow out his elbow almost immediately and require season-ending surgery. The Marlins somehow powered through June with a rotation built around Sandy Alcantara, Max Meyer and a pile of uncertainty.
Then Eury Pérez started settling in, Meyer went on the injured list, and the outlook thinned out again.
By the time the deadline arrived, Miami was leaning on Janson Junk, Tyler Phillips and Ryan Gusto as starters - a trio that would not have been there in those roles if everything had gone according to plan. The depth behind them was shaky, too. Thomas White, the organization’s top prospect, was out with a shoulder injury, and Karson Milbrandt had struggled badly after reaching Jacksonville.
So the obvious question was whether Miami would go shopping for help. Instead, the club doubled down on what it already had.
And for now, it’s paying off.
Since deadline day on Aug. 4, Marlins starters have posted a 2.78 ERA, which ranks third in MLB.
The run prevention has been excellent even if the style points are lacking. The staff sits in the bottom 10 in strikeout rate and is averaging barely five innings per start, but the results have been exactly what Miami needed.
Junk, Phillips and Gusto deserve the biggest share of the credit. In 16 total appearances, 14 of them starts, they have allowed more than two earned runs only once since the deadline passed. That kind of steadiness has given the Marlins a rotation that, at least for the moment, looks far sturdier than it did in late July.
It also makes the deadline decision harder to dismiss.
Sure, there’s an argument that Miami might have picked up another win if it had chased a true impact arm like Tarik Skubal. Tyler Mahle and Clay Holmes have also made strong impressions with the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs, respectively. But outside of those names, the list of possible upgrades does not scream certainty.
That said, the story is not finished. The rotation has stabilized, but the bullpen remains a real issue. Closer Pete Fairbanks is still more than a week away from being eligible to return from the IL, and the relievers available now are absorbing plenty of work because Junk, Phillips and Gusto are being handled carefully and seldom pushed near 90 pitches, let alone 100.
If Miami had added another starter, it would have had more flexibility to shift one of those right-handers into relief. Phillips, in particular, was excellent in that role in 2025.
Instead, the Marlins are asking rookies Josh Ekness and Jack Ralston to handle high-leverage spots, and that went badly in Monday’s loss to the Washington Nationals. Gusto exited with a 3-0 lead, then Ekness and Ralston each gave up home runs that turned the game.
So the deadline choice looks good right now, but only in one slice of the picture.
If the Marlins somehow climb into the final National League wild-card spot, they’ll be on the road for a best-of-three series. And if they get there early enough to set things up however they want, Alcantara would likely take Game 1 and Pérez Game 2. That still leaves a big, uncomfortable question hanging over everything: what would Miami do if it had to survive a winner-take-all Game 3?
In Other News...
Xavier Edwards Injury Puts A Real Marlins Playoff Concern In Focus
The Marlins kept themselves in the fight with a wild comeback against the Nationals, scoring six times in the ninth to steal a win and keep the playoff chase alive. But the bigger news for Miami came earlier in the afternoon, when second baseman Xavier Edwards exited in the fifth inning with what appeared to be a left thumb sprain, a setback that immediately raised concerns for a club still trying to stay in the race.
Edwards status now hangs over both the lineup and the roster decisions the Marlins will have to make as the postseason push continues. More testing is expected to give a clearer diagnosis, but for a team scraping for every edge, even a short absence could force some difficult choices in the days ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Prospect Is Forcing A Real Look At Miamis Infield Future
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For Miami, the bigger question is how quickly Caba can keep climbing and whether his development puts real pressure on the clubs infield plans over the next couple of seasons. The organization views him as someone who could move through the minors in the next two years and eventually reach the majors, which makes his progress worth tracking beyond the usual prospect buzz. If he keeps taking steps forward, the Marlins may soon have to decide where he fits, and which current paths at shortstop or second base might need to make room. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Still Have A Shot But The Pressure Is Now Real
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What makes this push feel different is how much ground was lost when the season turned in July, when a long losing stretch knocked the Marlins off the pace they had built. Even so, there is enough talent left in the mix to keep this interesting, with Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez and Joe Mack among the players expected to matter most down the stretch as Miami tries to turn a precarious position into a playoff berth. [Read more 🡒]