Miami Marlins: There are still tough decisions to be made this spring

How will the Miami Marlins front office handle roster decisions that will affect this baseball team at the start of the 2020 season?

It was almost prophetic that on the day before Major League Baseball declared a work stoppage due to the Coronavirus that Miami Marlins president of baseball operations, Michael Hill, stated the team is moving forward and that the coaching staff and front office have tough decisions ahead of them.

Those decisions – which players to keep on the 26-man roster, and which ones to send to the minors or even release, will have to wait. But that does not stop the ones in charge from going over notes and assessments, trying to get things to a point where there is a comfort about who will make up the 2020 Marlins roster.

“In some of our conversations in the offseason, we talked about how much harder those decisions are going to be, because the overall depth, the talent in the organization has improved,” Hill said via MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro.

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It’s been a different process this spring. Hill, CEO Derek Jeter, and manager Don Mattingly know better things lie ahead for this franchise. The proof was on the field for the first three weeks of Spring Training games and practice.

If the Marlins aren’t a better ball club this season, then someone is going to scratching their head, wondering what’s it going to take to produce a better product on the field.

The pitching staff is stronger thanks to the added depth and offseason moves to enhance the bullpen. The infield is more mature with the addition of more power at first base and better depth. the outfield may be the most interesting battle there has been in camp.

And we all know the starting rotation is better than last year, with depth galore and choices to be made over which player rounds out the five on the mound. This is a great time to be part of the plan for the future of the Miami Marlins.

“Still, down the stretch, there are unsettled positions. Right field is up for grabs, as are a few bench and bullpen spots. Outfielder Magneuris Sierra is out of options, so he has to either make the club or risk being lost by the organization,” Frisaro adds. “Outfielders Lewis Brinson and Harold Ramirez each have one option left. First baseman/outfielder Garrett Cooper has two options left. All four are in the right field/bench mix.”