Miami Marlins Extension Series No. 9: Otto Lopez

As it turns out, one of the strongest pieces of evidence for the Miami Marlins extending the person ranked No. 10 on this list is the player about to be discussed:

That would be the man listed as No. 6 in your programs but No. 9 on this list, Miami Marlins starting shortstop Otto Lopez.

Two years into the job, and President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix has already plucked more than his share of gems from the scrap heap. Yet Otto Lopez stands head and shoulders above the pack, having finished as the second best Marlins player WAR-wise for two years running. After spending 2024 as one the better defensive second basemen in the game, he spent most of 2025 being an equally adept defender at shortstop. Plus, he somehow managed to hit 15 home runs last season, good enough for third on the team. All this from a player they were able to claim off waivers from the Giants, and hadn't appeared in the majors since a 10-game stint with the Blue Jays back in 2022.

This could be the time for the Miami Marlins to lock him in long-term as their starting shortstop.

At least, it is if they can get away with paying him money much more commensurate with a valuable utility option than an essential everyday player. He is 27 years old. Those 15 home runs probably represent a career high. He's not a free agent until 2030. His career OBP is just .312. The Marlins have shortstop prospects in their system they are high on. So it's not as if he's about to walk out the door, and nothing in his profile suggests he's in any danger of suddenly becoming a perennial All-Star.

And yet...he's been really good. Excellent defensively, and good enough offensively to justify the lineup spot so long as the defense stays that way. He's versatule, capable of playing multiple positions. Also, a look at his Baseball Savant page shows real improvements in almost every way happened last season. Lopez hit more barrels, hit the ball harder, elevated the ball more, pulled the ball more, had a lower strikeout percentage, and walked more. His xBA was actually thirty points higher than the .249 BA he finished with. If all of that sticks, there's no reason he can't continue to flirt with being a 20-20 player. Rule changes have made that player slightly less valuable overall, but it's still a plus to any lineup at the end of the day.

What this extension case ultimately comes down to is price control. If Lopez is this, if he keeps being in the Gold Glove conversation at a premium position while hitting double digit homers and for a respectable average...then he's going to get expensive fast once arbitration hits. Expensive by Marlins standards at any rate. Despite having just essentially "proved it" in his prove it sophomore season, I have the sense there's a still a window to lock him in for a reasonable price before the market starts treating him as the asset he seems to be. Which means that even if he does regress somewhat, it's still a low-risk, high-reward situation.

That's exactly the kind of bargain price teams like the Miami Marlins need to be paying some of their veteran regulars- big league bench player money for big league regular production. Extending Lopez through his arbitration years gives plenty of time for Miami's youngsters to get ready for the big leagues themselves, while also giving the front office a fixed number to build payroll around.

If there is one position player in the Marlins system that has put in the work day in and day out and proved they deserve a raise, it's Lopez. Time for Miami to step up up and show the rest of the organization that their hard work will be rewarded.