Marlins Set for Brutal September With Grueling Travel Demands
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A lot of people were surprised when the Miami Marlins made it to September, hanging around in the National League wild-card race last season. Coming off a 2024 season where they lost 100 games, not much was expected from the Marlins, but they exceeded expectations and then some.
Miami had a lot of young players step up and have breakout seasons, including Kyle Stowers, but the starting rotation is going to look different this season after a couple of trades were made in January.
Edward Cabrera was traded to the Chicago Cubs for a package of prospects, while Ryan Weathers was dealt to the New York Yankees. That leaves Sandy Alcantara as the Marlins' ace, for now, going into spring training.
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A lot is going to have to go right for Miami to be hanging around in the playoff picture entering the month of September, but if they are in it again, they will be facing a tough month that includes a daunting trip out west.
Breaking Down Marlins September Schedule
The Marlins will begin September on the road with a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals, which follows a four-game series against the Washington Nationals on the road to end August.
Miami will then return home to mark Cabrera's return to South Florida with the Cubs and his new teammate, Alex Bregman. Chicago signed the former Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros third baseman which was the surprise of the offseason.
After the Cubs series, the New York Mets make their final trip to Miami for a three-game series before the two-time World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers visit for three games, which begins a stretch of games against National League West Division clubs.
Miami will hit the road for a nine-game road trip that begins with three against the Arizona Diamondbacks before three in Southern California against the San Diego Padres. On their way to Florida, the Marlins will stop for three games in Chicago against the Cubs. Miami will then close out the season with three games at home against the Atlanta Braves.
It remains to be seen just what the Miami roster will look like come September. If things are not going well by the Aug. 3 trade deadline, could the president of baseball operations, Peter Bendix, move on from some key players?
Will Alcantara still be in the rotation?
Manager Clayton McCullough had his team overachieve in 2025 and he is hoping that they can again be a factor come September in the National League playoff race. If they are, they will have their work cut out for them against a tough schedule.
