The Miami Marlins have not been the most prestigious MLB franchise over their 31-year lifespan. Though they do have two World Series trophies, winning has not been able to be sustained in South Florida.
The Marlins have made the postseason only four times in their existence. Two of those were the World Series they won in 1997 and 2003. They made the postseason again in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. The only other postseason appearance in franchise history came a few days ago, when Miami made the NL Wild Card and fell at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies, their NL East divisional foes who are currently in the NLDS playing against the Atlanta Braves.
The Marlins lost that series 2-0 and were outscored in those games by a total of 11-2. They were only able to muster 12 hits in that entire series, while the Phillies scored 11 runs. Philadelphia is just in another class than the Marlins. The Phillies had a +81 run differential this season, while Miami's run differential was -57, by far the worst of any team that made the postseason. The Arizona Diamondbacks were the only team outside of the Marlins to enter the postseason with a negative run differential.
The Marlins looked like a classic overachiever who snuck into the postseason, but that shouldn't take away from this season being a success. After all, that was only the fourth time they've made the playoffs in their entire existence! But they still have work to do.
The Marlins really need to find a way to bring in some bats in free agency to jumpstart their offense. Here are two players Miami must target in MLB free agency this offseason.
Mitch Garver
Not every team deploys a starting catcher for his bat. Most teams want a steady hand behind the plate to help their pitcher and make sure no pitches get behind him to set up easy runs for their opponents. The Marlins could really use some more pop in general, but especially at that position.
Their two primary catchers this season were Jacob Stallings and Nick Fortes. Stallings posted slashing lines of .191/.278/.286/.565 and totaled just three home runs and 20 RBIs on the year. Stallings has hit only 24 home runs in his big league career that began back in 2016. Fortes' numbers aren't much better. His slashing numbers this season looked like this: .204/.263/.299/.562.
Fortes did at least provide a little pop than Stallings, however, as he racked up six home runs and 26 RBI on the year. But that's just not enough, especially for a team that struggled to score all season long.
The Marlins ranked 26th in the MLB with 668 runs scored this season. They did rank fourth in batting average, but were 19th in slugging and OPS. Jorge Soler (also a free agent) was the only player on their roster to hit at least 20 home runs in 2022. They really could use more power in their lineup.
Enter Mitch Garver. Garver is a pending free agent who just put together a career season for the Texas Rangers. Garver hit 19 home runs and accrued 50 RBIs this season while posting slashing lines of .270/.370/.500/.870. He's no stranger to big moments in the postseason, either, after hitting a grand slam to blow Texas' Game 2 against the Baltimore Orioles wide open.
The Marlins need more pop in their lineup, especially at the catcher position. Mitch Garver provides plenty of that and had one of the best seasons of his career in 2022. It would make a lot of sense for the Marlins to shoot their shot with Garver in the offseason.
Cody Bellinger
Cody Bellinger is perhaps the best bat available that is slated hit free agency this offseason. For a team that is need of power in their lineup, going after Bellinger would make a lot of sense. Bellinger won NL MVP while a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers back in 2019 when he belted 49 home runs and totaled 115 RBIs while posting slashing lines of .305/.406/.629/1.035.
Bellinger's play unexpectedly fell off a cliff for the next three seasons. He never posted a batting average above .210 in any season in Dodger blue following his MVP campaign. He eventually was able to test free agency and signed with the Chicago Cubs for the 2023 season. Bellinger bounced back in a big way. He hit 26 home runs and totaled 97 RBIs while posting slashing lines of .307/.356/.525/.881.
The Marlins already are getting solid play from young outfielders Jesus Sanchez and Bryan De La Cruz, but neither have the pop that Bellinger does. Bellinger does primarily play centerfield, the spot Miami star Jazz Chisholm Jr. currently occupies. But Bellinger can swing across the outfield and brings more power that they need. Bellinger will have a heavy market, but that market should include the Miami Marlins.
Follow Us
Subscribe