None of them were as talented as Jose Fernandez. As has been the case with a handful of other installments in Marlin Maniac's Best To Wear The Marlins Jersey Number Series, there should have been no doubt on what name was coming with this particular jersey number. No Marlins player has ever played better with No. 16 on their backs. No WAR adjustment was necessary here, as Fernandez wins the top spot in a landslide,
MIAMI - Avisaíl García announced his retirement Monday following 13 major league seasons, including three with the Miami Marlins. García, 34, did not play again after being designated for assignment by the Marlins on June 4, 2024. The outfielder signed a $53 million, four-year deal as a free agent in December 2021, but couldn't match the production he enjoyed with Milwaukee in 2021, when he hit .262 and set career highs with 29 home runs and 86 RBIs.
After a historic run in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league, he joined the Mariners in 2001 and immediately made history, winning both the American League MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in his debut season. He quickly became one of the league's most consistent and dynamic players, earning 10 consecutive All-Star selections and 10 Gold Gloves. In 2004, he set a Major League record with 262 hits in a single season - a record that still stands.
The Miami Marlins acquired right-handed pitcher Bradley Blalock from the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday in exchange for minor league right-hander Jake Brooks. Blalock was designated for assignment by the Rockies last week to open a roster spot after Colorado finalized an $8 million, one-year contract with right-hander Michael Lorenzen. The addition of Blalock adds depth to Miami's pitching staff after the Marlins traded Edward Cabrera to Chicago and dealt Ryan Weathers to the New York Yankees earlier this month.
It's the number Miguel Cabrera wore for almost his entire Marlins career. So as we said at the top, obvious call. Cabrera made the switch to No. 24 after winning a World Series championship, evidently deciding the previous number was unlucky after he failed to win the NL Rookie of the Year award, and never looked back. Four years wearing it for the Marlins, four All-Star appearances, four years with MVP votes.
Word broke Tuesday night that Ryan Weathers, seemingly a lock as of Tuesday morning for the Miami Marlins starting rotation in 2026, had been traded to the New York Yankees in exchange for a boatload of prospects. The news comes just a week after Miami traded another projected member of the big league rotation, Edward Cabrera, to the Chicago Cubs.
As mentioned, he's the Miami Marlins career leader in homers, clocking in at 267. He's also the franchise leader in WAR (35.9), RBIs (672), and total bases (1,983). Count the first two years of his career when he went by Mike instead of Giancarlo as a separate player. "Mike" Stanton would have the twenty-second highest WAR finish in franchise history. Meanwhile, "Giancarlo" Stanton would still be No. 1 in terms of WAR and homers.
The MLB offseason slowed down in recent weeks after a few big name free agents were taken off the board, including the best closer in baseball: Edwin Diaz. Since the Dodgers signed Diaz to a three-year, $69 million deal, the defending champions have been quiet as have most other teams around the league. Things are expected to pick up as 2026 begins, and the Dodgers have continued their offseason moves by trading Ruiz.
The technicality answer would have gone to Brad Penny, who sported No. 33 in his brief return to the franchise in 2014. Top 5 in wins, Top 11 in WAR and strikeouts...he'd be a shoo-in if the point of writing this article series was to be the kind of person you rolled your eyes at from the back of the classroom.
Well Miami Marlins fans, are you of the glass half-full or glass half-empty persuasion? Or to put it more simply, just how much do you hate the New York Mets. For there's no question that the suffering that started with Miami eliminating them from the playoffs in the final weekend of the season has continued into the offseason for fans of the Metropolitans. Pete Alonso? Gone. Edwin Diaz? Not just gone, but a bleeping Dodger.
Perez is already under team control through the 2029 season and doesn't even become arbitration-eligible until next winter, so there is zero urgency on Miami's part to move a pitcher who looks like a cornerstone. Of course, the Marlins' stance could change if a team approached them with a truly huge trade proposal for Perez, but barring that type of Godfather offer, Perez will surely be staying put.
No player inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame has ever done so representing the Miami Marlins. That much is common knowledge to anyone reading this, and to much of baseball fandom. Fve players- Andre Dawson, Mike Piaza, Tim Raines, Ivan Rodriguez, and Ichiro Suzuki- enshrined in Cooperstown suited up for the Miami Marlins at some point in their careers.
The Marlins haven't finished higher than third in the NL East over the past five seasons, but they come into next year with optimism in the starting lineup. Kyle Stowers broke out last year, while Jakob Marsee excelled in his first taste of big league action, solidifying the outfield group. Agustin Ramirez finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting and provided thump at catcher and DH.
The Miami Marlins should spend more money on payroll. In other news, the sky is blue. The grass is green. One should try to avoid the Dolphin Expressway during rush hour. All of these things are equally true, but if saying them aloud makes you feel better, have at it. You'll never hear me disagree, as many, many articles of mine over the years can attest. South Florida baseball fans have been wronged by the Marlins for decades on that score.
Right-hander Tyler Zuber is heading back to the Marlins on a minor league deal, according to the transaction log on his MLB.com profile page. Zuber was outrighted off the 40-man roster in early November. Since he had been outrighted before in his career, he had the option to elect free agency, which he exercised. Miami grabbed Zuber off waivers from the Mets in early July. He gave up two runs over two innings in his lone appearance with New York.
The Marlins and right-hander discussed an extension earlier this year, according to reporting from Will Sammon, Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic. However, they didn't come close to getting something done. These talks occurred when the team approached the righty's representatives in the spring and the two sides were about $15MM apart, according to Isaac Azout of Fish on First. Both Azout and Christina De Nicola of MLB.com say that the talks are expected to continue this offseason.
The team did lose former first base coach Clayton McCullough, who was named manager of the Miami Marlins after the 2024 season. McCullough was replaced by Chris Woodward, who returned to the Dodgers organization in 2023 after a stint as manager of the Texas Rangers. It appears the Dodgers are losing another member of their coaching staff to the Marlins as catching coordinator Craig Driver is set to be named Miami's new first base coach, via Craig Mish of SportsGrid:
"We have put ourselves in a position based on the improvement we made in 2025," Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said, per The Athletic. "We think we can put together a really exciting team for 2026 and also continue our quest to build a foundation of talent at all levels that will allow us to stay good for a long period of time."
