Miami Marlins missed out on players

Neil Raymond

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 12: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after striking out in the second inning in game two of the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on October 12, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Miami Marlins are pursuing past their prime players (also known as the “wrong Turner”), while the rest of the division is signing up stars. What’s going on? What happened to us pursuing elite bats this off-season? Was it all just empty talk? Are The Fish actually going to sign anyone? Trade for anyone? The off-season has been going on for a while now and so far nothing has really been done by us on the player front. So, what’s going on?!

The Miami Marlins need to add bats this off-season.

Last night, the Chicago Cubs signed CF Cody Bellinger to a 1 year/$17.5 million deal. I wrote about the Miami Marlins pursuing him before, but it hasn’t happened. The former MVP level player trailed off in recent seasons due to shoulder problems, so you can make an argument that it was smart not to pay him that much. The thing is he’s also a good defensive CF and we kind of need that right now to say the least.

The price was high for one year, so I can somewhat let this one slide, but still. Bruce Sherman can afford to upgrade the team, and if he truly feels that he can’t, then he needs to sell the team before he hurts the fanbase and the market further. MLB needs to then make sure that the market is protected, as nothing hurts it more than bad ownership decisions. The Miami market should be one of the most profitable in the game, so there’s no excuses for low payrolls and inactivity.

Speaking of inactivity, the Miami Marlins watched SS Trea Turner sign with the Philadelphia Phillies. I have my doubts over the deal being a good one, considering its length (11 years!!!!), it doesn’t change the perception that our division rivals are spending and we’re just sitting on our hands doing nothing. The Fish need to be in on the top free agents, and there’s simply no excuse as to why this isn’t happening.

The off-season is still young, but the current results aren’t looking particularly promising for the Miami Marlins so far. Changes need to be made if we have another quiet off-season when improvements are so vital to team performance.

Neil Raymond

Neil Raymond has been a lifelong Miami Marlins fan, with the 2003 playoff run being one of his favorite childhood memories. Neil has been called a "walking encyclopedia" for his knowledge of MLB statistics and the sport's history. He follows every game and actually invented his own statistic for player value on his side project BaseballAnalyzed.com. Writing for Fansided's Marlin Maniac since 2022, he also loves Fantasy Baseball and as such is an FSWA member. Neil also loves to travel, read and follow "Futbol" teams: Germany, Argentina, Greece, Inter Miami, Bayern Munich and NYC FC.