3 Questions The Marlins Must Answer Before The Season Ends
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At one point, it looked like the Miami Marlins had the potential to shock MLB and make a playoff run. However, the Fish have cooled off since their post-All-Star Break run, and their chances of playing October baseball are dwindling away.
However, that doesn’t mean the final five weeks of the season won’t be critical for the team and organization as they look toward the future.
Here are three questions that the Marlins must answer before the 2025 season comes to a close.
Can Sandy Alcantara Regain Any More Trade Value?
It’s amazing the haul some teams are willing to give up to acquire an elite starting pitcher. The Marlins were likely hoping they could add multiple highly-touted prospects to their farm system by dealing Sandy Alcantara before the 2025 trade deadline.
However, the 29-year-old has struggled since undergoing Tommy John surgery, and Miami was unable to find a deal worth making for him.
Alcantara has a 6.04 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP in 25 starts this season, both of which are career highs by a large margin.
The righty has looked slightly better over his last seven starts, recording a 3.56 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP over that stretch, but are these numbers enough to convince a team to separate with multiple of their top prospects to acquire Alcantara?
If Alcantara can put together a strong September and head into the offseason looking more like he did in 2022, the Marlins can definitely get more value for him compared to if they had traded him in July.
However, if Alcantara continues to struggle, it may still be hard for the Marlins and another organization to agree on a trade package for the former ace.
Is Agustin Ramirez The Catcher Of The Future?
Agustin Ramirez is undeniably one of the best hitters in the 2025 rookie class and deserves a spot in the everyday lineup for the foreseeable future. That said, his defense behind the plate is a different story.
Ramierez ranks near the bottom of almost every defensive statistical category, and is even better at the plate when he’s not concerned about catching.
If Ramirez shows improvement behind the plate in September, he could buy himself some time for the Marlins to see more progress at the beginning of the 2026 season.
However, if the 23-year-old still struggles on defense over the final month, the Marlins may decide to search for a veteran catcher to bring in over the offseason.
What Is The Long-Term Plan With Javier Sanoja?
Javier Sanoja was still feeling the growing pains of being a big-leaguer during the first half of the season, but he’s taken off at the plate since the All-Star Break.
Even with the offensive number improving, Sanoja has still been limited to a utility player in the field, and hasn’t cracked the lineup as an everyday player. Since the beginning of July, the 22-year-old has appeared at third base, left field, center field, and shortstop.
Sanoja’s last nine games have been at third, but once Connor Norby is back from injury, he’ll likely take over at the hot corner. When healthy, the Marlins also have Kyle Stowers in left, Jakob Marsee in center, Xavier Edwards at second base, and, possibly, Otto Lopez at shortstop as everyday players.
Sanoja is still young and has a ton of potential. Miami must prioritize figuring out its long-term plans with him over the final month of the season.
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