Philly Front Office

I have been hyper critical of the Marlins this year because I hate them in a much different way than the Mets or Braves. My son is a Marlins fan¹ from Miami and last year they traded away his favorite player, Jazz Chisholm. How do you explain a cheap organization to a 10-year-old? He was devastated. F*** them for hurting my kid’s feelings. Anyway, turns out that Jazz trade was pretty good even if it was made from the callousness of money hungry and evil designs. In fact, a lot of their trades lately have been pretty good. Let’s run down where these current close-to-.500 Marlins came from in what looks like to be a damn near hopeful team in 2026 (only the players not originally drafted or signed by the Marlins included).

Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 6:45p – Cristopher Sanchez vs Edward Cabrera (R)
Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 6:45p – Jesus Luzardo vs Ryan Weathers (L)
Thursday, Sept. 25 at 6:05p – Taijuan Walker vs Jansen Junk (R)

3 Game Series at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA

Prospect Trades

• Jakob Marsee – CF – 24: Back in May 2024, the Marlins traded Luis Arraez, fresh off another batting title for Marsee. Honestly, he was nothing special in them minors, but has simply kicked the crap out MLB since his debut on August 1. In his 49 games, he has put up 2.1 WAR, hit .319 with 18 doubles and a .912 OPS all while playing a solid CF. Hopefully the kid can keep it up because he has been nothing short of amazing. They also received #11 prospect Dillon Head in the deal.
• Augustin Ramirez – C – 23: Acquired from the Yankees for Jazz Chisholm on July 27, 2024. Ramirez is a solid hitting catcher who struggled behind the plate this year in his true rookie season. Any catcher with 20+ HR pop is worth investing in though, especially with 5 more years of control. The other two players in the deal do not rank in the Marlins Top-30 prospects.
• Xavier Edwards – 2B – 26: Edwards was acquired from the Rays on November 15, 2022 in a trade for young pitching upside that has yet to debut in the majors. Edwards was the 7th ranked hitter in the Rays system at the time. Edwards came up in the middle of last season and hasn’t looked back, racking up 2.9 WAR this year thanks to a .281 average, a ton of stolen bases, and some pretty solid defense at 2nd base. He still has 4 years of control left.
• Connor Norby – 3B – 25 / Kyle Stowers – OF – 27: In a trade that has worked out well for everyone, the Marlins sent since-resurrected Trevor Rogers to the Orioles in exchange for Norby and Stowers. Rodgers has been maybe the best pitcher in baseball in his 17 starts this season, but he was a dead fish in Miami. Meanwhile, Norby has been solid when healthy (and kills the Phillies), while Stowers made the All-Star team thanks to 21 first half HRs and a .912 OPS.
• Sandy Alcantara – P – 29: Sandy has had a rough year coming back from TJ surgery, but the former Cy Young Winner can still sling it on occasion and will probably be much better next year. In one of the more off-balance crazy trades of all time, the Marlins traded Marcell Ozuna to the Cardinals back in 2017 in exchange for Alcantara and Zac Gallen. How about that?

Phillies Series Preview: Around the League and the Diamond with the Miami Marlins

Waiver Wire

• Otto Lopez – SS – 26: The Marlins didn’t trade for Lopez, they just grabbed him from the Giants at the beginning of last season because he wasn’t going to make the team. Since then, he has put up 6.3 WAR for the Marlins by playing a mean shortstop, walking a fair amount, and hitting .317 with an .851 OPS with runners in scoring position. What the hell is that?
• Dane Myers – CF – 29: The Marlins picked up Myers from the Tigers before the 2023 season for nothing, just took him off waivers. His batting line looks pretty bad until you realize that he plays a very good centerfield and kills lefties. His .286 average against lefties with plenty of walks makes him a valuable piece of the lineup especially as a situational pinch hitter and defensive replacement. As a 29-year-old rookie, he is going to find himself in trade talks for the rest of his career because of his particular set of skills and cheap salary.
• Tyler Phillips – RP – 27: The Marlins purchased Phillips from the Phillies and he has turned into a psychopath reliever who comes punches himself in the face and comes out to Mother by Danzig. I don’t know if it’s cool or weird, but it’s working. He has a 2.91 ERA. I wrote this about Phillips and his best game with the Phillies.

Phillies at Marlins: House of Horrors Rankings

Still Waiting

• Robby Snelling – P – 21: The #75 prospect in baseball was part of the Tanner Scott trade with San Diego. Snelling is currently ranked 4th in the Marlins system as a left handed starter and will probably be in the rotation next year.
• Starlyn Caba – SS – 19: The Phillies gave up Caba as part of the Jesus Luzardo trade and he immediately slotted into the Top-5 of the Marlins system. He can handle shortstop in the majors right now, but might not ever be able to hit the ball out of the infield.

All trade info courtesy of Baseball Reference. All prospect rankings courtesy of mlb.com

1. I don’t want to jinx it, but he told his pediatrician yesterday that he was a fan of the Marlins and Phillies. My eyes bulged out of head with hope. ↩︎