MLB Writer Remains High on Marlins for 2026 Despite Recent Trade
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After two months of will-they-or-won't-they, the Miami Marlins moved one of their top starting pitchers. Was it going to be Sandy Alcantara or Edward Cabrera? That was the question for the longest time, and it was answered last week when they traded Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs.
The return was some promising young talent to go with an already young organization and Major League team. Despite trading away Cabrera, the Marlins still have a solid rotation and one that a lot of MLB writers are still high on.
Bradford Doolittle of ESPN did a stock watch for all 30 MLB teams as we inch closer to spring training next month, and his outlook for Miami is encouraging, even after trading Cabrera.
MLB Writer Still High on Marlins Despite Trading Edward Cabrera
There is no doubt that Miami is not a finished product despite it being a quiet offseason to date. Doolittle remains fairly high on the Marlins, mainly because of how good the starting rotation can be for second-year manager Clayton McCullough.
"The rotation has a chance to be special, but that prospect is based on potential, injury recovery and positive regression rather than elite track record. Sandy Alcantara is the prime example. If the former Cy Young winner puts up 2025 numbers, then the optimism from this picture begins to drain away. Only three teams have younger rotations, and only three have younger position groups,'' Doolittle wrote.
The second half of the season was a very promising one for Alcantara and Miami. It showed that he's on the right track coming back from surgery, and he's ready to be the top-of-the-rotation arm that the Marlins expect him to be again.
If Eury Pérez can be the No. 2 for Miami and McCullough, then they have a shot to contend from a pitching standpoint in 2026. Pete Fairbanks signing from the Tampa Bay Rays in free agency to be the closer could end up being one of the more underrated offseason moves.
Doolittle isn't as high on the Marlins lineup as he is with the starting rotation, but Kyle Stowers is back, looking to have a better season than he did in his breakout 2025 season, which was cut short with an injury.
Miami will need some of its other younger position players to break out and have better seasons, and if they do, then they can be a team that seriously contends for a postseason berth.
The Marlins are a team with serious breakout potential in 2026. The stock is definitely up as we close in on the middle of January.
