Don't be surprised if Joe Mack makes Miami Marlins Opening Day roster

Joe Mack could be coming to the Miami Marlins sooner than you think.

Honestly, that's my biggest takeaway in the wake of Miami's surprising decision to deal away a second pitcher that was expected to be part of the starting rotation in 2026.

Sure, I could try to handicap the suddenly wide open starting rotation race between Braxton Garrett, Ryan Gusto, Janson Junk, Max Meyer, Adam Mazur, Robby Snelling, and Thomas White. Get into the numbers, look under the hood there. Ideally, the Marlins throw a cheap veteran arm into that mix between now and the start of spring training, but you have to think at least two Marlins pitchers that were on the outside looking in less than two weeks ago are now safe bets to be able to pack their bags for Little Havana when the season starts.

The thing is, at least in terms of this Joe Mack prediction, it kind of doesn't matter who wins those spots for the Marlins. Because with the exception of Garrett and that hopefully signed veteran free agent arm, Mack spent significant time catching and/or would be an invaluable resource behind the plate for every pitcher on that list. Miami's rotation is looking like it could be much younger than anyone anticipated, and thus far thinner on MLB experience across the board.

Which has me thinking that Agustin Ramirez's leash at catcher just got way thinner.

It's the only responsible choice. Does it really matter who catches Sandy Alcantara? Probably not. Eury Perez will be embarking on his third MLB season. Garrett would be on his sixth if gets the chance, but that's far from a sure thing. The rest of this group though? Crazily inexperienced in the MLB innings department. Those are not the kind of arms you want to be entrusting to one of the worst catchers in baseball, which is unfortunately what Ramirez was last season for Miami.

Fortunately for the Marlins, Ramirez sure can hit. And in an especially intriguing bit of insight insider Craig Mish shared with Marlins fans Tuesday night on Fish Unfiltered, the fact that Miami has done next to nothing to address their glaring hole at first base could be connected to the need to find an actual position for their catcher that can't catch. Mish did say he expects the team to give him every chance to prove he can stick at catcher before pulling the plug, but sees first base as the next stop for him rather than a full-time DH role.

So with this take I'm just speeding up the timeline. Ramirez can still improve while playing No. 2 catcher behind Mack, especially since he would have the opportunity to work with him directly for the entire season along with the Marlins coaching staff. Playing enough catcher to count as a catcher doesn't have to mean starting the majority of his games behind the plate- he just has to have better metrics there in 2026. Playing him selectively there seems like a great way to do that.

As for Mack, his familiarity with the young staff will help them from the jump, and his defensive prowess pairs nicely with the win now mindset putting talents like Snelling and White into the rotation suggests the Marlins are taking. If the team is already considering taking two swings at getting extra draft pick compensation from having one of their talented rookies start the season with the team, why not make it three?

No matter how you look at it, the best decision the Marlins could make from a 2026 competitive standpoint is to give Joe Mack a chance to start the year in the bigs.