Marlins Rumors: Miami may need to rethink its free agency position

Will salary demands and the team’s current budget change how the Miami Marlins look to add players in free agency this offseason?

The Miami Marlins continue to weigh all their options this offseason as the Baseball Winter Meetings continue from San Diego, but those options may have shifted a bit because of recent free-agent activity. The Marlins, 57-105 last season, have added two bats to their lineup but may miss out on the potential player they have targeted this offseason in Nicholas Castellanos.

According to Miami Herald Marlins beat writer Jordan McPherson, the front office is still committed to finding the right puzzle pieces to make the roster better in 2020, but there are monetary limits on what the franchise is able to do this coming season.

“The Marlins’ payroll as currently constructed is only about $40 million assuming projected salaries for Miami’s four arbitration-eligible players hold — $10.4 million for Jonathan Villar, $4 million for Jose Urena, $2.5 million for Jesus Aguilar and $1.6 million for Adam Conley. That’s not including the $22 million they owe Wei-Yin Chen, who was released in late November,” he writes.

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The need to sign another big bat is evident because of the low home run numbers from last season and the team’s meager .241 batting average. But adding Castellanos may be out of the team’s price range. There are other players the team could shift their focus toward, including Avisail Garcia and Corey Dickerson. The Marlins also have minor league options to choose from in Monte Harrison, Jesus Sanchez, and possibly first baseman Lewin Diaz.

There should be plenty of competition in the outfield in Spring Training.

Garcia might be the guy Miami starts to make a move towards after signing his teammate Aguilar two weeks ago.

“Garcia, 28, is a career .273 hitter with 96 home runs over 763 MLB games. Garcia had a .282 batting average with a career-high 20 home runs to go along with 72 RBI and 61 runs scored in his lone year with the Tampa Bay Rays last season and has hit at least 18 home runs in each of his past three seasons,” McPherson explains.

Dickerson played for both the Phillies and Pirates last season and made $8.5 million. He hit 12 homers and 59 RBI in only 78 games. The Marlins may balk at the high price for a player who was injured last season with a shoulder strain and fractured left foot.

Regardless of how the Marlins spend money this offseason and add players to the roster, making everything fit is still the one thing the front office must deal with this coming year and beyond, as Michael Hill, the team’s president of baseball operations explained.

“Every club has different payroll thresholds,” Hill said. “we’re going to try to allocate our dollars in the best way to win as many games as possible.”