Miami Marlins Winter Meetings Top 3 Needs According to Allen Settle

3) Address the Cather Position

Miami's catching situation is a mess. Jacob Stallings is no longer with the club following a below-average 2023 season. Currently, Nick Fortes, who was also sub-par in nearly every important catching metric, is the only player listed on the active depth chart.

The Marlins are targeting help at this position. Trade options like Elias Diaz or Danny Jansen would immediately fill this void. The free agency pool also included high-upside veterans such as Mitch Garver or Gary Sanchez, as well as lower-cost options such as Tom Murphy or Victor Caratini. Considering the current state of the position, even a short-term fill-in such as Yasmani Grandal would represent an upgrade.

Fans and media members differ on which of these solutions they prefer. However, what is clear is the fact that Miami cannot enter the 2024 season with Fortes as the #1 backstop.

There is no better time to solidify this critically important position than the Winter Meetings. Regardless of what their board of top candidates looks like, Bendix and company must be aggressive in adding an MLB-level backstop to serve as their everyday starter.