2 Miami Marlins players that can't be brought back in 2024
![Johnny Cueto](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4500,h_2531,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_752,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/86/01hb7t83qrqa0pr3fqba.jpg)
The Miami Marlins are trying to get into the playoffs this season. Regardless, it's never too late to start looking towards the 2024 season. There are two players that immediately come to mind when thinking about next season. For The Fish to be even better next season, it's these two players that must be shown the door. It's time to move on from these two....
The Miami Marlins need to move on from two players this off-season.
2. Johnny Cueto
The Miami Marlins made a mistake last off-season by signing starting pitcher Johnny Cueto to a contract. Luckily, that was a one-year contract for $6 million, with a $2.5 million buyout or a $10.5 million team option for next season. This contract did not age well to be honest, not even remotely.
Johnny Cueto had a disaster of a season with the Miami Marlins. Last season with the Chicago White Sox was pretty solid, as he had a 3.35 ERA/3.79 FIP, with 5.8 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 25 games and 158.1 innings pitched. He was worth 3.5 WAR for that performance. Things didn't go as smoothly this season...
In 2023, Johnny Cueto produced a 6.19 ERA/6.92 FIP, with 6.6 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 12 games and 48.0 innings pitched. Cueto lost his rotation job and ended up getting demoted to the bullpen, as he's been worth -3.0 WAR! He's getting spot starts now and he's been generally unreliable and unsuccessful.
The Miami Marlins cannot bring Johnny Cueto back for the 2024 season. Luckily, all that requires is simply buying him out after the season. There's no reason to give him a raise, and there are much cheaper depth starting pitching options that are going to be available on the open market. Let him provide another team with a negative WAR.
Johnny Cueto has been a failed signing for Kim Ng, who otherwise made good moves last off-season. She wasn't as sharp the off-season before however, as you will see with the next player on the list. Let's hope that Kim won't make any such mistakes this upcoming off-season.
NEXT: One of the worst signings in team history....
If there's one signing that really backfired on the Miami Marlins, it's this one. Avisail Garcia has not been worth his contract his entire time on the team so far. He received a four year $53 million contract with a club option for $12 million (with a 45 million buyout). That was a bizarre contract to give even then.
Avisail Garcia started off his career very well. Avi batted .319/.373/.319, in 23 games and 47 AB with the Detroit Tigers back in 2012. He then split the 2013 season between Detroit and the Chicago White Sox. This time he batted .283/.309/.422, in 72 games and 256 AB. This was still pretty solid production at this point in his career. He was showing promise, but that would not last very long unfortunately.
Avisail Garcia spent the next four seasons of his career (2014 to 2018), with the Chicago White Sox. During that time, he batted .268/.322/.423 with 69 home runs and 268 RBI. His best season at that time came in 2017, when he batted .330/.380/.506, with 18 home runs and 80 RBI in 136 games and 518 AB. At this point some even thought that he was a rising future superstar.
Avi was overall very streaky during his time in Chicago, which was an early warning sign about the slugger. From 2019-2021 he played for two different teams, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers. He batted .267/.332/.453 for them in 313 games and 1131 AB. 2022 was Avi's debut season with the Miami Marlins. He proceeded to bat .224/.266/.317, with 8 home runs and 35 RBI in 98 games and 357 AB. It was a disastrous debut and he only did worse this season.
This season, Avisail Garcia has batted .185/.241/.315, with 3 home runs and 12 RBI in 37 games and 108 AB. He's been a complete waste of money so far and I don't see a reason why that would change. There are also better corner OF's on the team already in Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez.
What can the Miami Marlins do about this situation? The best option is to do a bad contract swap and hope for the best. He's too expensive to be released and too bad to continue be given AB's. He's also too expensive to keep as a bench piece. A playoff contending team should also not waste more AB's on a player like him.
Next. How a Miami Marlins player has become the best.... How a Miami Marlins player has become the best.... dark