The Miami Marlins opened the 2025 MLB offseason with plans shaped by the club’s payroll issues, yet the early stretch of the Marlins offseason negotiations has already exposed a major hurdle. Extension talks with outfielder Kyle Stowers have stopped after sources identified a valuation gap of roughly $50 million. Those stalled discussions, reported earlier this week, underscore how far the sides remain from what was seen as a long-term commitment for the team’s lone All-Star in 2025.
At the start of those conversations, the talks focused on four key factors involving Stowers’s breakout season — his four years of team control, his leverage compared with the contract benchmarks he reached, and the Marlins payroll issues tied to CBA spending rules. Stowers produced a 4.0 fWAR year, hit 25 home runs, and carried Miami’s offense until an oblique strain ended his season in August. He is not a free agent until 2030, which gives the organization the type of leverage that often shapes MLB offseason negotiations in the team’s favor.
In an article written by The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli and featured on the site, she reported that Stowers’s camp pushed for a valuation that matched other proven outfielders.
“Stowers’ camp was believed to be seeking a deal around $100 million — similar to that of Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds, who signed an eight-year contract extension valued at $106.75 million in 2023 — which the Marlins balked at.”
Ghiroli added that while Stowers’s side pushed for the $100 million range, Miami’s offer matched deals for players with far less service time. She also noted that the team’s internal number reflected a more conservative long-term view.
“Miami’s comfort level, sources say, was more along the lines of Cedanne Rafaela, who signed an eight-year, $50 million deal with the Boston Red Sox in April with fewer than 50 days of big-league service time. Stowers debuted with the Baltimore Orioles in 2022, though he didn’t find consistent playing time until he was traded to Miami at the 2024 deadline, emerging as the team’s best hitter this past season.”
The split leaves the Marlins with a critical decision as they navigate their offseason and the CBA pressure surrounding their winter spending.
