"Unlikely to beat many clubs in a bidding war, especially other teams trying to win now, it's easy to see a world in which the Marlins approach was going to be just to take what was left at the position, and make the reasonable assumption that it would be an improvement on Miami's back of the bullpen adventures last season."
"It's a smart strategy for a small-market team with multiple holes like the Marlins, one that was getting less than league average production from multiple spots on the 26-man roster. Not every free-agent signing needs to be for an All-Star to feel like an All-Star impact- it just has to be a big improvement on what you did the year before."
"Unfortunately for the Marlins, it isn't the big names at relief pitcher like Edwin Diaz and Robert Suarez that have been signing. It's been all those second tier options they were viewed as having a reasonable chance of being able to afford. Ryan Helsley, Rasiel Iglesias, and now Devin Williams have all signed. The Blue Jays have been linked to Pete Fairbanks."
"So all of a sudden, there is real pressure on the Marlins front office to deliver on the closest thing they have made to a promise to their fans this offseason. Extend a young star? Plenty of time to do that, and plenty of options to choose from. Add some thump at first base? Everyone but Josh Naylor is still available on the open market, and the possibility of a trade expands the list of options even further."
The Marlins prioritized a pragmatic offseason approach of targeting second-tier relievers and affordable first-base options rather than competing for top-market stars. That strategy fit the club's small-market constraints and multiple roster holes while promising clear upgrades over last season's bullpen performance. Recent free-agent movement undermined that plan as several attainable late-inning arms signed elsewhere, increasing pressure on the front office to secure proven relief help. First-base options remain more accessible, with many names still available and trades expanding possibilities, but the bullpen need has become the most urgent roster issue.
Read at Marlin Maniac
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]