The Marlins Are Telling Us Plenty About Their Pitching Plans Without Saying It
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The Miami Marlins go into the 2026 campaign with the 18th-best starting pitching rotation and 24th-best bullpen configuration, according to FanGraphs. And for a franchise that felt as if they were a few pieces away from getting back into the playoffs, the Marlins had other plans for the direction of their pitching staff.
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This offseason, Miami traded away Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weather, two players who helped hold down the starting rotation this past season. While it may seem like the Marlins took two steps back with the trades, they're actually taking a step forward with their pitching plans this year.
What the Marlins Are Telling Us Indirectly
The Marlins' pitching staff is led by former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara, who will take the bump on opening day for the sixth straight season. Despite his down season, Miami is telling fans not to lose faith in the player that Alcantara is, regardless of how the 2025 campaign looks on paper.
Behind Alcantara is Eury Perez, who feels like the future ace of the franchise and could easily take that role come July should Miami decide to trade Alcantara at the deadline. For now, Perez and Alcantara are the clear one-two punch, something the Marlins haven't had in quite some time.
Besides those two fronting the rotation, the back is up for grabs. If Max Meyer doesn't have a terrific spring, and say top prospects Thomas White or Robby Snelling do, Meyer could be on the chopping block, given he has two options to be sent down still on his contract.
Chris Paddack was brought in for reliability, though he, too, at times can get a little wild on the mound. Braxton Garrett's role feels locked down, as he's the only lefty projected in the rotation. So if Meyer doesn't perform, Miami could be indirectly telling fans to expect him at some point in 2026, just not on the opening day roster.
The Bullpen
The Miami bullpen feels the most up in the air for the most part, but one thing is for certain: Pete Fairbanks is their guy to close games out. Signing the veteran this offseason, the Marlins have already posted videos of Fairbanks in spring training, deeming his pitches "unfair".
Pete Unfairbanks pic.twitter.com/FhQ4XE2Bg0
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) February 13, 2026
The bullpen isn't the greatest, but the Marlins seem to feel that their starters can get the job done, and their offense is going to solidify itself as a top contact/clutch-hitting team in the MLB.
When you lead games late, there's no need to worry about other relievers to close the game out when Fairbanks is on the bump. One other arm that the Marlins feel confident in is veteran John King.
King had a setback last season, but the pairing of Fairbanks and King in the pen, Miami shouldn't be too upset with that duo.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.