MIAMI -- Bruce Sherman made his position clear on Marlins Radio earlier this month: he wants the club to keep winning now, but he’s also thinking about the bigger picture.
“I always have to separate my fandom from my ownership. We have … all of July pretty much left for the push for the Trade Deadline. I'm looking forward to this club operating so efficiently and winning so many games that we're right there.”
Sherman also said he’s looking ahead to “many years in the future” with Sandy Alcantara as the face of the franchise. That leaves the Marlins heading into the second half with a familiar question hanging over them: how aggressive will they be at the Trade Deadline?
Peter Bendix has already shown he can work both sides of the market. In each of his first two Deadlines as president of baseball operations, Miami bought and sold at the same time.
The club moved Major League talent, but it also brought in players who were close to helping right away. Eight of those acquisitions have since made contributions in Miami, with 2025 All-Star Kyle Stowers leading the way.
That kind of move could be on the table again. Griffin Conine, Agustín Ramírez, Liam Hicks and Braxton Garrett could all be available, along with some of the lesser-known minor league performers who have outplayed expectations. The difference this year is obvious: the Marlins are in postseason position instead of trying to claw out of the race, late 2025 surge aside.
Even so, it does not sound like Miami is planning to empty the system for a short-term fix. The more likely path is a deal that helps now and still makes sense later.
That fits the organization’s emphasis on sustainability, the idea that this team should be in the mix for a playoff spot year after year. A rental that costs top prospects and disappears after 2026 does not really line up with that approach, especially with injured arms such as Robby Snelling, Ronny Henriquez and Thomas White expected to be part of another run in 2027.
“All we can do, staff and players, is go out for that game that's on the schedule, and go out there and continue to try to play well, and put yourself in position to win,” manager Clayton McCullough said earlier this month when asked about the rumors.
If Miami does make a move, the clearest need is a right-handed bat. The Marlins lean heavily on platoons, and that can become a problem with a left-handed-heavy lineup. In the first half, they went 10-15 in games started by southpaws, tied for seventh worst in MLB, and scored just 3.8 runs per game in those matchups, tied for third fewest.
Third base looks like the most obvious place to upgrade. Connor Norby and Graham Pauley have been sent down, and Javier Sanoja and Leo Jiménez are sharing the job there now. A right-handed hitter could fit neatly into that spot.
The one area Miami may be reluctant to touch is starting pitching. The rotation has already taken hits from injuries, and the club has to be careful with the workloads of All-Star Max Meyer and Eury Pérez.
Garrett is another name to watch, though he comes from previous front offices and still has not been promoted again despite a 1.54 ERA at Triple-A. He struggled in his two MLB starts after returning from elbow surgery, but he has postseason experience and a 4.16 career ERA.
For the stretch run, the Marlins’ biggest pieces remain the same: Alcantara, Meyer and Pérez in the rotation, plus Otto Lopez and second baseman Xavier Edwards in the middle infield. But the bullpen may end up mattering just as much.
The return of Anthony Bender and John King could be crucial for a relief group that has been strong but overworked. Bender was Miami’s top setup arm, while King emerged as one of the National League’s most dependable left-handers.
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Sandy Alcantara sits at the center of that calculation, because his season has given Miami something it has lacked in recent years: a frontline arm performing like one. He is under contract at a significant salary this year and still carries a club option for 2027, which only adds to the value of keeping him in place while the Marlins try to add the right pieces around him. [Read more 🡒]