The free agent splash that the Miami Marlins needed to do

The Miami Marlins had a below average offense last season, so fixing that was a major goal this off-season. The rumor is that the lack of effort is why Derek Jeter quit as the team’s CEO. The two major additions have been outfielders Avisail Garcia and Jorge Soler, who were signed for a combined $89 million. The Marlins had better options and should’ve taken them. Let’s explore them…

The Miami Marlins needed to spend a bit more to show they’re serious about contending.

As of May 1, Garcia is hitting .194/.216/.278 and Soler is hitting a nearly identical .185/.290/.346. They’ll almost certainly turn things around, Soler is a career .243/.330/.461 hitter and hit 48 home runs in 2019; Garcia is a career .268/.323/.428 hitter and hit .262/.330/.490 for Milwaukee last season. Still, neither one looks like a middle of the order bat that Miami badly needs. Do you know who is? Nick Castellanos.

Castellanos , who by the way is originally from Florida, is a career .278/.329/.485 hitter who is currently hitting .286/.358/.482. In fact, rumor is that not signing him is why Jeter left the team. Castellanos signed for $100 million. $11 million more than Garcia and Soler. That’s not a particularly large amount considering Miami is a big market and the team is nowhere close to the luxury tax barrier. Let’s say an extra million topping Philadelphia’s winning offer would’ve got it done. That’s just $12 million more and an excited fan base would’ve added to ticket sales for a hometown boy coming home.

The Miami Marlins needed to make a splash to show the fan base that they’re serious, while improving the team along the way. It didn’t even have to be an out fielder. Considering how Carlos Correa signed for $100 million with opt-outs to play for a smaller market team in Minnesota, Miami should’ve beat that contract. It is essentially a one-year $35.1 million contract, as barring a catastrophic season he’s going to opt out. He would’ve been a massive upgrade over Miguel Rojas at shortstop. Just compare Correa’s 7.2 WAR to Rojas’s 2.6 in 2021.

I can go on and on, but my point stays the same. The Marlins needed to show that they’re serious and to improve the team with a major addition. They didn’t do that and watched a hometown star sign with a division rival and a smaller market team do the same with the game’s arguably best shortstop, None of that is acceptable, especially with a historic first female GM Kim Ng in her first season in charge.