These Marlins Provided the Least Value Above Replacement in 2025
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The Miami Marlins made very real progress in their goal to build back from near the bottom of the MLB standings toward playoff position in 2025.
After winning just 62 games in 2024 and finishing last in the National League East by nine games, the Marlins approached the .500 mark as they wound up finishing 79-83 this year. That allowed them to overtake the Washington Nationals and even finish ahead of an Atlanta Braves team that entered the year with World Series aspirations.
The improvement didn't was great, but it was not enough to power the team back to .500 and to real contention for one of the NL's wild card spots. Miami has work to do in the offseason in building its organizational depth to ensure that most players perform at least at replacement level.
Unfortunately, injuries forced some players who couldn't quite meet that standard into action in 2025. Here are the five Marlins who provided the least value above replacement this past season according to Baseball Reference's tabulation.
1. Josh Simpson, Relief Pitcher: -1.2 bWAR
Simpson, a 32-year-old product of Columbia University, is a 28-year-old native of Connecticut who impressively earned his way to the Major Leagues after getting picked in the 32nd round of the 2019 MLB draft. Simpson was added to the Marlins' bullpen mix in June, and he stayed there for the rest of the season.
While he allowed a 7.34 ERA across his 30.2 innings of work, he was able to end the season on a positive note. Simpson held opponents scoreless in his final six outings of the season while recording at least one strikeout in each of them.
2. George Soriano, Relief Pitcher: -1.0 bWAR
Soriano, a 26-year-old native of the Dominican Republic, got occasional assignments out of Miami's bullpen in 2025. While he did a good job of inducing strikeouts, finishing with just under one per inning, he did not fare nearly as well at limiting hard contact.
In 36.2 innings of work spread over 24 appearances, Soriano allowed 10 home runs and 34 earned runs, adding up to an ERA of 8.35. It was enough to run his career ERA up to 5.95.
3. Connor Gillispie, Starting Pitcher: -0.8 bWAR
Gillispie made three appearances with the Cleveland Guardians in 2024 before joining the Miami organization in 2025. The righty performed fairly well with Triple-A Jacksonville, posting a 4.28 ERA across eight games and seven starts.
Things did not go so well when he was called into action at the MLB level. In his six starts, Gillispie lasted a total of 26 innings, going 0-3 with an 8.65 ERA. The Marlins ultimately designated him for assignment after his stint, and Gillispie was claimed by the Minnesota Twins.
4. Ronny Simon, Utility: -0.7 bWAR
Simon made his Major League debut for the Marlins this season, but his time with the team was pretty short-lived. Simon slashed .234/.327/.277 while struggling defensively.
The Marlins designated Simon for assignment at the end of May, and he got another shot at the MLB level with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he also struggled to find much momentum with the bat, regressing in all three key categories.
5. Matt Mervis, First Baseman: -0.7 bWAR
Mervis just wrapped up his third season of Major League action, the first two of which came with the Chicago Cubs before he landed with the Marlins. The 27-year-old first baseman was called upon for 42 appearances with Miami this season.
A left-handed bat with some upside, Mervis has struggled to produce at the Major League level, and that remained the case in 2025. He slashed .175/.254/.383, as his solid power has not been enough to overcome bat-to-ball issues. Mervis clubbed a career-high seven home runs this season. Mervis was designated for assignment and landed in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.
