The Marlins prioritized player development over immediate wins during 2025, accepting trade-off results as part of a rebuild. A midseason surge brought Miami back to .500, but losses resumed and the front office maintained developmental focus. Regular season playing time is being used to evaluate roster pieces for a more competitive 2026 team. Sandy Alcantara continued to pitch like an ace, prompting expectations for tight game management. Manager Clayton McCullough turned to weak relievers in two of Alcantara's last three starts, including a ninth-inning collapse in an 11-2 game. Those bullpen choices have been called unconscionable and unfair to Alcantara, the team, and fans.
For the Miami Marlins, the 2025 season was always going to be more about learning to win than actually winning. It's a fact that many fans understandably forgot when Miami was busy being one of the hottest teams in baseball heading into the trade deadline, making that improbable climb back to a .500 record. Unfortunately for those fans, it does not appear to be something that the Marlins front office lost sight of, at least not since the losses started mounting again.
Unless, of course, staff ace Sandy Alcantara is on the mound, and giving you an ace effort. In those cases, you had better be treating the game like it's the most important game of the season. Because that's what Alcantara has done himself, every start of his Marlins career. When the leader of your team is acting like it's an elimination game, it's no time to manage like it's an exhibition game.
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