The Miami Marlins have the best rotation in the NL East

The Washington Nationals are next on the list of rotations that the Miami Marlins have to compete with. Washington isn’t doing too good this season, but they did win the World Series in 2019. How does their rotation look like compared to The Fish’s.

The ace of the staff is of course Stephen Strasburg, but he’s having serious health issues, which is a major issue considering his lengthy contract. He was last on the field last season, when he had a a 4.57 ERA/5.71 FIP in 5 games and 21.2 innings pitched. Strasburg has an injury history so it’s hard to expect much from him going forward, as he’s already 33 years old.

Patrick Corbin is next and he is one of the worst contracts in the Majors. He has a 6.71 ERA/4.23 FIP in 12 games and 60.1 innings pitched. He was “better” last season, when he had a 5.82 ERA/5.41 FIP in 31 games and 171.2 innings pitched. Strasburg and Corbin combined are making $59 million a year through 2024. with Strasburg and his $35 million annually through 2026.

24 year old Josiah Gray has the most upside in their rotation. He hasn’t been pitching as an ace so far though, as he has a 4.71 ERA/5.79 FIP in 11 games and 57.1 innings pitched. He might eventually break out, but it could be some time before that actually happens.

Erick Fedde and Joan Adon round out what could be the worst rotation in the entire Majors. Fedde has a 4.88 ERA/4.43 FIP in 11 games and 51.2 innings pitched with no track record of success. Adon has a 6.95 ERA/5.63 FIP in 12 games and 55.2 innings pitched. Adon is 23 and may still break out, but at this point there’s no sign of that happening.

The Atlanta Braves are the defending World Champions and are ahead of the Miami Marlins in the standings, but how does their rotation stack up against The Fish’s? Not as good as one might expect. It’s a solid rotation but one that lacks Miami’s upside and aces.

Max Fried leads Atlanta’s staff with a 2.74 ERA/2.92 FIP in 11 games and 69 innings. Last season he had a 3.04 ERA/3.31 FIP in 28 games and 165.2 innings pitched. Fried is signed through the 2025 season. Fried is very good, but he’s not the only one that they have and behind him is a bit of a mess.

Charlie Morton is pretty much done and might retire after the season. He has a 5.63 ERA/4.59 FIP in 11 games and 54.1 innings. The problem is that he is already 38 years old and almost retired previously. Morton is unlikely to be an ace going forward.

Ian Anderson was expected to be Atlanta’s ace of the future, but it isn’t really looking that way. He has a 4.70 ERA/4.74 FIP in 10 games and 53.2 innings so far this season. Last season he had a much better 3.58 ERA but a worrying 4.12 FIP in 24 games and 128.1 innings. The worrying part is he looks as a mid-rotation starter not an ace.

Kyle Wright is the next one up and he has upside, while already breaking out. He has a 2.39 ERA/2.75 FIP in 11 games and 67.2 innings. Wright can potentially end up being better than Fried, but two top starters is still worse than what the Miami Marlins have. The fifth rotation spot has Mike Soroka as its likely occupant, but he’s yet to come back from injury and overachieved in the past, meaning that he’s a major question mark going forward.

The Philadelphia Phillies are the next to challenge the Miami Marlins, so let’s see how The Fish have a better rotation than them as well. Philadelphia has a solid top of the staff, but it’s the rest of it that breaks it and makes sure that ours is better overall.

Aaron Nola leads Philly’s staff with a 3.92 ERA/3.44 FIP in 11 games and 66.2 innings pitched. As you can see that ERA isn’t impressive and in fact that’s been Nola’s problem. Most of the time his results aren’t reflective of his actual talent level. Philly’s bad defense could have something to do with this. He’s also a free agent after next season.

Zack Wheeler is the other ace and he has a 3.14 ERA/2.30 FIP in 10 games and 57.1 innings pitched. Wheeler is signed through 2025 and is a legit ace, so Philly does have an ace locked up going forward. Keep in mind though that the Miami Marlins have more aces locked up long-term.

Free agent-to be Kyle Gibson comes next and he has a 4.40 ERA/3.45 FIP in 11 games and 57.1 innings pitched. Gibson’s FIP may be intriguing, but it’s an outlier as his career FIP is 4.26, which is more in line with his career 4.45 ERA.

Ranger Suárez is another Philly starter and he has a 4.42 ERA/4.10 FIP in 11 games and 51 innings. It’s clear that Ranger is a mid-rotation starter at best. That’s not a bad thing of course, but also means that he’s not an ace.

Zach Eflin is the final Philly starter and is in fact their #3. Eflin has a 3.88 ERA/3.04 FIP in 9 games and 51 innings. Eflin is doing better than usual, as his career ERA is 4.50 and his career FIP is 4.35. He’s a veteran at 28 years old and is a free agent at the end of the season. Eflin is likely no better than a mid-rotation starter and might not even be in Philly next season.

The New York Mets are the last ones standing and I can see many readers saying that while the Miami Marlins have a better rotation than the other teams, this is the end of the line. I disagree though, this article is not just talking about this season but the next few years as well.

Leading the New York Mets staff is arguably the best starting pitcher in the game: Jacob deGrom. There’s no denying how great he is… last season he had a 1.08 ERA/1.24 FIP in 15 games and 92 innings pitched. The problem is that he’s 33 and a free agent after the season (if he opts out). Oh and he hasn’t even pitched this season due to injury, and said injury is why he only pitched in 92 innings last season. deGrom might not even be a New York Met next season and we don’t know just how productive his health will let him be.

Max Scherzer is the other ace and has been signed through next season, with a player option for 2024. Scherzer has a 2.54 ERA/2.98 FIP in 8 games and 49.2 innings and may be a future Hall of Famer. He’s also 37 and can finally decline at any time.

Chris Bassitt has been a revelation for the New York Mets this season, but also has a 3.74 ERA/4.44 FIP in 11 games and 65 innings. He’s also a free agent after the season. He’s not an ace and is potentially gone by next season.

Carlos Carrasco is 35 and no longer the pitcher that he once was. He currently has a 3.52 ERA/2.68 FIP in 11 games and 64 innings. He’s doing very good so far, but has been in decline in recent seasons, so I question him remaining this productive going forward.

The rotation is filled out by Taijuan Walker and his 3.28 ERA/3.87 FIP in 9 games and 46.2 innings. Walker had a 4.47 ERA/4.57 FIP last season and that’s more in line with his career 3.93 ERA/4.28 FIP. Walker is not an ace and is capped at being a mid-rotation starter. The New York Mets are top-heavy but age and free agency can destroy this rotation in the next season or two.

The Miami Marlins have the best rotation in the NL East. No other rotation has more upside or aces at the same time. No other rotation is as likely to be great going forward either. The New York Mets may be leading the division now, but they’re not built to dominate for years and the Miami Marlins are going in that direction.