A glaring Marlins off-season mistake that now looks even worse

It was a strange off-season for the Miami Marlins. Obvious signings were not made and further improvements were minimal. SS Tim Anderson has been the team's biggest free agent signing. To be fair, he was more expensive than similar options in a vacuum, but either way. It's bizarre how one particular mistake was obvious from the beginning.

It still doesn't make sense why the Miami Marlins didn't offer Jorge Soler a Qualifying Offer.

As the Miami Marlins are dealing with the worst start in team history, the lack of improvements in the off-season is especially obvious. Injuries to starting pitchers are a big part of the problem too, but a more loaded lineup could've at least somewhat offset that. To be fair, the offense was better than perhaps expected so far, but once again a more loaded lineup could've made the difference.

I'm not going to lie, I'm not a fan of Jorge Soler. I see him as an injury-prone and inconsistent player, whose defensive limitations are too significant. Soler is a career .243/.329/.467 hitter, who batted .235/.325/.473 in his two seasons (2022-2023) with The Fish. He also played in just 209 of a possible 324 games due to injuries.

Jorge Soler on a multi-year deal is a non-starter for me. He's not going to live up to that contract. That said, offering him a Qualifying Offer seemed to be a no-brainer. Had he accepted, he'd be back on a one-year deal in another contract year. He would've been motivated to have another big season presumably, and had he struggled, it would've been a one-year deal anyway. If he declined, the Miami Marlins were getting a draft pick. In the scenario where he would've rejected and remained unsigned, before finally signing somewhere after the draft, or in any other way where The Fish don't get a draft pick, we're exactly where we are now.

The Miami Marlins would've lost absolutely nothing by offering Jorge Soler the QO. Either he accepts and likely has a big year again, or he declines and The Fish get a draft pick, or nothing, but at least try. Not offering him the QO was very bizarre. I don't know if the San Francisco Giants would've signed him if they had to give up a draft pick, but it was simply a no-lose situation. The Fish could've used a boost to the farm.