The Miami Marlins surpassed my expectations last season, but it did come with a change in the off-season.
Individual players like Sandy Alcantara and Jesus Luzardo, in a decent rotation, played a pivotal role in the Miami Marlins’ performance. Their contributions, along with the competitive offensive play of Jorge Soler and Luis Arraez, were instrumental in keeping the team competitive.
Unfortunately, Alcantara experienced a dip in his performance, marking his worst season since becoming a full-time starter. This decline eventually led to him undergoing Tommy John Surgery.
The rest of their pitching staff stepped up, posting the eighth-best Fielding Independent Pitching FIP in baseball and the 2023 Marlins had some of the best 1-run game anxiety you’ll ever see over an entire season.
Overall, Miami had a -57 run differential last year, finishing an astounding 32-13 in one runs games, the second-best one-run game record in the Wild Card era. They rode that good fortune (including finishing with seven wins over their BaseRuns record) to the final Wild Card spot in the National League before being eliminated in the Wild Card round by the Philadelphia Phillies.
In shocking Miami Marlins fashion, the team announced that General Manager Kim Ng would not return to her post in 2024 despite 2023’s playoff run. Reportedly, there were disagreements over the direction of things going forward, and Ng felt she had earned more power in her role than the team was willing to give. She was replaced by Peter Bendix, who took over as President of Baseball Operations after spending 15 years with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Josh Bell and left fielder Jake Burger were the Marlins’ big moves at last year’s trade Deadline, and both are returning for 2024. They’ll need both to continue contributing offensively after the Marlins didn’t bring back 2023 contributor Jorge Soler. Bendix will have to decide whether to actually pony up the funds to keep All-Star Luis Arraez around past 2025.
Going into the 2024 season, the Atlanta Braves are the team in the National League East that set the bar for the Marlins to not only compete but prove they can build a franchise for the long run. The Braves dominated the head-to-head series against Miami, going 9-4 in the 13 games.
The Marlins are in the same place heading into 2024 as they were in 2023 — an estimate of around 81 wins, three less than last season. Their playoff odds will drop, leading to missing the postseason with a bottom-ten roster. There’s a severe lack of top-end talent on the roster.
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