Miami Marlins Winter Meetings top 3 needs according to Brian Dunleavy

The Miami Marlins had a stellar 2023 season, the best in years and it needs to continue. The Marlins have all the potential in the world and have plenty of pieces in place, with a few more good ones they could be back. The Marlins will need to examine their budget and see what will fit and who to go after during the Winter Meetings. 

The Miami Marlins need to make a big move at the 2023 Winter Meetings

The Marlins lost several key players and positions for the 2024 season. Their Ace pitcher Sandy Alcantara is down, they lost Jorge Soler to free agency, and they still need a catcher and shortstop to fill out their starting lineup.  That’s not even talking about the holes they have on the roster from last season that will need to improve in order to continue their playoff run in 2024. 

The Marlins have the most important piece in place, the reigning National League Manager of the Year in Skip Schumaker. Can Bendix and Kapler get Skip the pieces he needs to win in October?  Let’s take a look at the top 3 needs, and hopefully Bendix and Kapler can bring one or more of these to fruition during the annual MLB Winter Meetings. I am excited to see what happens as I think they have to make at least one big move this offseason to fill Jorge Soler's spot.

3 - Marlins need a catcher

The Miami Marlins non-tendered former veteran starting catcher Jacob Stallings and need a replacement who can provide either really stout defense or solid offense. Surprisingly, at least one pundit called Stallings a potential steal this offseason. I have no idea where that came from, perhaps the tough market, but Stallings was not very good at either offense or defense. Who should the Marlins focus on at the Winter Meetings for catcher?

Signing Victor Caratini as their starting Catcher should be the focus for the Marlins opening. The Marlins need some offense and catcher has some more options available as compared to shortstop. Caratini is the best fit for both sides of the ball and will be a great option in the lineup. 

If they can’t sign Caratini there are a few more options that might be good fits to the Marlins but not as big of an impact defensively. Yasmani Grandal would be a name that would fill that role for sure. Just the opposite, Martin Maldonado would be a very solid defensive catcher and leader, but wouldn’t provide much offense, which would still be an improvement on Stallings, who was neither. 

1 - Marlins need a shortstop

The Miami Marlins have no starting shortstop and not much of a backup either. Berti can play but isn’t a natural fit and so the Marlins need this position filled most of all and the market is thin. There are a few options so let’s take a look. 

I really like the option of trading for one of two players. First the Orioles Jorge Mateo would be a great fit. He hit .217 with 7 home runs and 34 RBIs while swiping 32 bags last season. Mateo is a younger player at 28 and would be a great fit to the team that has a young infield. 

Ezequiel Duran would be another trade target that would be a good fit. The Rangers need pitching and the Marlins have some potentials to draw away Duran. Last season Duran hit .276 with 14 home runs, 46 RBIs, and 22 doubles in only 439 plate appearances. He is another young infielder I could see the Marlins looking at as a potential long term shortstop. 

As I have said before, offensive production is the primary focus the Marlins should have during the Winter Meetings. The Marlins also should look for one inning eating pitcher they can count on to round out their rotation.  They might need two starters if they use Edward Cabrera in a trade, which would be likely for them to acquire Duran or Mateo since both the Orioles and Rangers need pitching. That would be the next big priority if they do indeed get one of those two young shortstops and another power bat, we could live with Fortes if need be. 

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