Helping ensure strength remains strength smart strategy by Miami Marlins

Stop me if you've heard this before: the strength of the Miami Marlins is their starting pitching.

While this article is concerned with this current Miami Marlins core, truth be told, you could argue there has never been a successful Marlins team that was able to claim otherwise. Certainly not in terms of translating that success to the postseason, at any rate. It's no coincidence that Miami's two respective World Series MVPs in 1997 and 2003 were both pitchers, and that both of those clubs featured deep rotations. In 1997, that MVP winner was arguably the club's third best starting pitcher. In 2003, that rotation was deep enough to relegate that year's eventual NL Rookie of the Year winner to the bullpen.

Stack those runs against the Marlins most recent postseason appearance in 2023, when they were unceremoniously swept out of the first round. Obviously that team was much less talented than Miami's other playoff squads, but the fact their third best starter was essentially the only pitcher left standing was really ensured that series was over before it began.

Even on Miami's more offensively prolific teams, led by Hanley Ramirez and Giancarlo Stanton, dreams of October glory were tied more to the what-if of putting Josh Johnson or Jose Fernandez in a playoff series than how the bats would fare. And when those teams failed to reach their potential, the lack of starting pitching depth was the biggest culprit.

Oftentimes in franchise history, the Marlins have chosen to deal away from that strength to fill holes elsewhere. Luis Castillo, Zac Gallen, Pablo Lopez, Jesus Luzardo, and Chris Paddack loom largest amongst the names shipped off in recent years, all in the hopes of helping to build a stronger overal roster.

The thing is, not every club can afford to be good at everything. These MLB teams can't all be the Dodgers, folks. Which means that, sometimes, the best approach to being good starts with making sure there is at least one thing you are dominant at, and going from there.

Which is why Marlins fans should be so excited that recent reports have the team at least putting themselves in a position to do exactly that. Per The Athletic, Miami is taking a long hard look at Michael King and other veteran starters, in addition to locking down the back of the bullpen. Maybe it is mostly about saving face entering the next round of CBA negotiations, as they really need to do and the article suggests. Maybe adding a high upside vetern starter just means that another pitcher or two is being moved. However, neither of those should take away from the fact that the 2026 Miami Marlins might enter the season with a rotation envied by all but those aforementioned Dodgers that just used four aces to buzzsaw through the National League en route to the World Series.

It's a prospect that should terrify the other teams that will be in the mix for one of those NL Wild card spots. Upgrading Miami's offense to the point of it being one of the game's most dominant units? That's the kind of thing that would take herculean, Dodger style spending. Adding Kyle Schwarber and Kyle Tucker, say, not to mention big leaps from Miami's youngsters. That's a tall order, considering the Marlins affording one Kyle would be near impossible, and affording both is the stuff of video games on rookie mode. But upgrading the Marlins pitching to that truly elite tier?

That's darn right economical in comparison, considering that it is already well above average.

If a pitcher of King's ilk is added to the mix though? Miami could have four aces of their own to flex- possibly five if one the rookies breaks out. Throw in an upgrade at closer and some better injury luck for the relief corp? Again, it could only be the Dodgers the Marlins will be looking up at.

That sure sounds like smart strategy on the Marlins part to me. Not to mention a refreshing change of pace.