Miami Marlins need to come home in May with at least one exciting new face

The Miami Marlins need to make a change.

Between the calendar and the fact they are only one game under .500, that might seem harsh. This is a talented Marlins roster worthy of the raised expectations they and their fans came into the season with. Plenty of what hasn't worked so far will improve. The season is young. For the first time in awhile, the Pythagorean projection actually has Miami as better than their record- bad luck has taken a toll.

All the same, they can't just keep rolling with the status quo.

Unlike past promising Marlins teams, there is plenty of promising, MLB-ready talent in the minors that they can avail themselves of in putting together an even more competitive roster. And Marlins fans know it. Highlights keep turning up online from Braxton Garrett, from Joe Mack, from Robby Snelling. Lowlights keep being turned in by members of the 26-man roster, or at least much less stellar results.

The defensive issues for Agustin Ramirez aren't going away. Janson Junk, Max Meyer, and Chris Paddack haven't been bad, but they also haven't done anything to make you think the good outings aren't their ceiling. Garrett threw a complete game in the majors as recently as 2024, and just threw a no-hitter. His ERA and WHIP are both under 1.00 over his last few starts. Snelling is one of the top prospects in the sport, and has been dominating AAA for months. Again, and to borrow a quote from Game of Thrones, it is known.

Putting a pin in the need to just improve the talent on the MLB roster, making a big callup like this will also generate excitement amongst the fans that havne't yet bought too many tickets.

So far in 2026, Miami's home schedule hasn't necessarily been full of marquee matchups. No NL East series. Only two series against 2025 playoff teams. Those two winning clubs? One was against the Reds during the week, the other against a Brewers team that is easily the most boring excellent team in baseball. The schedule just hasn't really been all that compelling. Sure, they've been successful at home- best in the majors in fact- but there seems to be a sense among some ticket buyers of just attributing that to the caliber of competition, and how that caliber isn't worth the hassle of making it out to the ballpark.

Naturally, to that the only reasonable response is that making it out to the ballpark is never a hassle. Not to mention the fact that winning is fun? Anyway, I digress.

Just as big of a problem, if not more so, is the continued perception by many that winning isn't priority number one for the Marlins franchise. The only things that tend to convince fanbases otherwise of that are a long track record of trying to win, big spending in free agency, a big trade, and calling up the top prospects in a bid to win now. Obviously, two of those conditions don't apply here. Calling up the top prospects, or a top performer like Garrett, is the easiest to pull off for Miami of the remaining two choices, and the only one they can do right now.

Which brings us to the beginning of May, and a 10-game homestand featuring two weekends against NL East rivals Philadelphia and Washington sandwiching a midweek showdown with Baltimore. That's a much more compelling slate, even with the acknowledged horribleness of the Nationals. This a golden chance to start pumping up the attendance and excitement around the ballclub, especially if the Marlins can manage going 3-3 or better on this upcoming West Coast swing.

Meaning this would also be the perfect time for the Marlins to do something about the other perception issue, and make an exciting promotion. Give their fans one more reason to come out and pay to watch. Convince their fans, and perhaps even the players, that the 2026 season matters for reasons beyond player development.

Doing otherwise? It would be a mistake. Here's hoping it's one the Marlins choose not to make.

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