Ranking Miami Marlins' Biggest Offseason Priorities
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The Miami Marlins saw an improvement in 2026 — albeit by all of one game.
After winning 79 games in 2025, they upped that total to 80 wins this past season, putting them right on track to be a .500 ball club in 2027. All kidding aside, of course the goal is to see more substantial improvement than just a single win per season.
If you look at broader takeaways than merely wins and losses, the Marlins enjoyed some solid starting pitching thanks to a rebound season from Sandy Alcantara and have a promising staff behind him. They also boast a young lineup that features breakout players like Otto Lopez and encouraging rookie campaigns like Joe Mack.
But as you might expect from a club that fell short of the playoffs for the third straight year, Miami saw plenty go wrong as well. The team's struggles en route to what was ultimately another losing campaign can lend some insight into their biggest areas of need heading into what is a significant offseason for team president Peter Bendix and GM Gabe Kapler.
Here is a countdown of the Marlins' top offseason priorities:
3. Starting Pitching
Despite dealing away Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers last winter, Miami's starting rotation proved stable for much of the 2026 season. Maintaining a solid 4.10 ERA (good for 11th across baseball), the five-man unit was buoyed by Alcantara's renaissance, as well as strong campaigns from Eury Perez, Janson Junk, Tyler Phillips and especially Max Meyer.
There are, however, plenty of questions surrounding the unit for 2027. Can a 31-year-old Alcantara maintain his current level? Can Meyer recapture his 2026 self (9-1, 2.68 ERA) in the aftermath of neck and rib issues?
Given the uncertainty of what some of the Marlins' holdover starters will do for an encore and the endless, universal need for starting pitching depth, Miami would do well to add an arm or two to stabilize the existing group and help mentor soon-to-arrive prospects like Thomas White and Robby Snelling.
2. Another Power Bat
With Alcantara's big bounce back year, Miami saw the impact that an experienced starting pitcher could have as an anchor in the young rotation. Now, it might be time to see if the same is true for the lineup.
The oldest regular on the 2026 Marlins was 28-year-old Kyle Stowers, a veteran of all of 355 career games. There is undoubtedly room here for a veteran bat to provide both leadership and some additional pop in an offense that ranked 23rd league-wide in home runs.
Given Miami's financial limitations, they may have trouble keeping up with the market for top free agent hitters like Randy Arozarena, Seiya Suzuki or Bo Bichette, particularly in a thin hitting market. But there could be some potential under-the-radar options available, including Eugenio Suarez, Alec Bohm, Ty France or maybe a returned-from-injury Ryan Mountcastle.
1. Bullpen Help
It's back to the drawing board once again this winter for the Marlins' front office when it comes to constructing an effective bullpen. The club thought they had addressed the relief corps last season by signing Pete Fairbanks, but the former Tampa Bay Rays closer posted a 6.31 ERA while allowing more runs, walks and home runs than he had in 2025 despite pitching fewer innings.
As intriguing as it would be to chase a top late-inning option like Raisel Iglesias, David Bednar or Adrian Morejon, Bendix and Kapler would do well to focus more on adding a bunch of arms - preferably some that can strike batters out (they had the 23rd-best whiff rate in baseball) - and then figuring out bullpen roles later as part of a re-imagining of the relief corps.
For the Marlins, another season of development from some of their young pitchers and hitters will go a long way towards creating internal improvement in 2027. Before that happens, however, there are some areas that need to be addressed this winter.
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