What to make of Miami Marlins trading Dane Myers

Right around the time the Miami Marlins were working on their first World Series winning season, I spent a couple weeks at a basketball camp headed by a coach who stressed the virtue of always hustling. Didn't matter how good or bad you were at a particular skill- you could always hustle. To be clear, this was about the only athletic advice I was able to consistently follow that summer.

Years later, somebody must have given a much more athletic and talented individual named Dane Myers that same advice. If so, man, did that advice stick. Only a handful of Miami Marlins players have embodied the kind of heart and hustle Myers exhibited, whether he was running the bases or running into outfield walls.

Sadly, his time with the Marlins has come to an end. Myers was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds Saturday afternoon for a prospect.

As to how useful outfielder Ethan O'Donnell will be to the Marlins organization, that can be determined another time. Likely by far bigger prospect aficionados at Just Baseball or FishonFirst. For now, let's dive into what this means for the big league club in 2026.

The biggest takeaway here for the Miami Marlins is probably, as Craig Mish noted after breaking the news of the trade, that it clears a space on the 40-man roster. Considering the team needed to move someone to add newly signed closer Pete Fairbanks to the roster, this transaction checks that box on Miami's to do list.

The popular presumption among the fanbase was that Josh Simpson, or at least one of Miami's other less effective relievers would be the player to find themselves on the chopping block. On the other hand, Myers was a member of the dwindling breed of Marlins 40-man roster members that weren't Peter Bendix guys. So in that sense, Myers' days might have always been numbered.

Tongue in cheek comments aside, Myers' days were mostly numbered in Miami strictly based on talent. The emergence of Jakob Marsee really eliminated any chance at Myers locking up regular playing time, as Myers' relatively unique ability as far as Marlins outfielders go to play center field was no longer going to force him into the starting lineup. Miami has plenty of better hitting options at the corners, and to be honest, so does the portion of the free agent market in Miami's price range.

Ultimately, the only mildly surprising part is the continued presence of Simpson on the roster. Having a lefty reliever is important, but the fact he continues to survive roster cut moment after roster cut moment this offseason just speaks volumes to the regard that the Miami Marlins must hold him in despite his dismal production in 2025.

Myers was popular, and a gamer, but also was already somewhat redundant, and arguably was made even more so by the addition of Christopher Morel.

He'll be missed, but it's hard to say the Marlins are in any worse shape today than they were yesterday. Best of luck with the Reds, Dane.