Two Reasons Marlins Could Experience Hot Start to Their 2026 Season
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Optimism typically abounds across baseball at the start of a new season, but the excitement surrounding the Miami Marlins' 2026 MLB campaign could be on a different level than most years of late.
After the Marlins improved by 17 wins as part of their 79-win 2025 season, the young squad is poised to take another step forward in 2026, with playoff contention in their sights.
This offseason, Miami added the versatile Christopher Morel, veteran closer Pete Fairbanks and young outfield prospect Owen Caissie, although their starting pitching took a hit with the trade departures of Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers.
If the club's young pitchers can continue to develop and the rest of the roster improves, the win total may increase once again and the Marlins could be in the playoff mix in the NL East alongside the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.
Much of that improvement, however, will hinge on how Miami comes out of the gates to kick off the 34th season in franchise history. Fortunately, their schedule offers the opportunity to do just that.
Marlins Could Take Advantage of Weak Schedule to Start 2026 Season
If the Marlins are going to increase their win total and make a push for the postseason, a hot start will be critical. That's because the schedule-makers did the club a favor and provided a path to making some early noise in the division.
Miami opens 2026 with a six-game homestand that will bring the Colorado Rockies and the Chicago White Sox to loanDepot Park. The Rockies and the White Sox were the worst teams in the National League and American League, respectively, last season, going a collective 103-221.
After that homestand, the Marlins will hit the road, visiting the Bronx to take on the New York Yankees in what will be their home opener at Yankee Stadium. While that series presents a formidable challenge, Miami currently holds the unique distinction of being the only MLB franchise with an all-time winning record against the Bronx Bombers.
From there, the Marlins will return to South Florida for four games against a Cincinnati Reds team that fell short of the postseason last season. All told, six of Miami's first nine series will come against non-playoff teams from a year ago.
As if a relatively soft schedule doesn't pose enough of an advantage, the Marlins also enjoy a home-heavy first quarter of the season. Of the opening 41 games, they will play 26 in front of their home crowd. Ironically, home field advantage didn't mean much to Miami in 2025, as they won just 38 games at loanDepot Park last season, compared to 41 victories on the road.
Still, the early schedule breaks favor the Marlins and point to the urgency for them to start the 2026 campaign strong. You might not be able to earn yourself a playoff spot in April and May, but you can certainly cost yourself one.
