The Miami Marlins missing out on a SS option may be embarrassing

The Miami Marlins need a SS and are after the top remaining free agent option: Tim Anderson. This may not be the best idea however. All of that said, one major option is no longer on the free agent market. The Tampa Bay Rays signed Amed Rosario for 1 year/$1.5 million. Why couldn't The Fish beat that contract?!

Amed Rosario will not be playing SS for the Miami Marlins in the 2024 season.

Let's preface this by saying that we don't know if the Miami Marlins were after Amed Rosario. We also don't know if he was simply more interested in playing for Tampa, rather than going to Miami. I wonder if more money would've changed his mind in that case, as it seems odd that he wouldn't choose The Fish if the offer had a couple extra million for him.

Amed Rosario has been very effective from 2019 to 2022, with the New York Mets and Cleveland Guardians. He batted .282/.315/.412 in 497 games and 1946 AB. He was worth 7.2 WAR during that time span. 2023 with Cleveland and the Los Angeles Dodgers was a different story. This time he batted just .263/.305/.378, with 6 home runs and 58 RBI, in 142 games and 510 AB. He was worth just 0.4 WAR last season, but alarmingly also had a -1.1 dWAR as a SS in Cleveland. He switched to second base with LA.

Did Amed's defensive issues at SS play a part in him not signing with the Miami Marlins? Did Peter Bendix not offer him a contract due to his defense at SS? It would be my take on it at the moment, as it's bizarre to imagine that he couldn't beat a $1.5 million/1 year contract offer. I also can't believe that had that offer been out there (let's say 1 year/$3.5 million even), that Amed would prioritize Tampa even for less money.

I hope that Peter Bendix knows what he's doing. It's possible that Amed Rosario can't improve his defensive skills and is done as a SS. If that's the case, then The Fish were right not to offer him a contract. I do however want to see who the Miami Marlins SS ends up being in 2024. It has to be an upgrade.