Kembali
After coming up short on making the National League playoffs for a second straight season after hanging around in the wild-card race into September, this is shaping up to be an interesting offseason in South Florida.
Presdient of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix has some decisions to make when it comes to what his roster will look like when spring training starts. Now, that is a question that can't be answered right now, with a looming work stoppage on December 1.
After the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays complete the World Series at some point this week, business will be as usual around MLB until December 1.
Miami is reportedly going to listen to some young players, but it would take quite the return for a club or two to pry them away from the Marlins. However, when it comes to needs for Bendix and Miami, there are multiple, but there is one player who is part of the World Series with Tampa Bay that could be a sneaky good addition for the Marlins.
Last winter, Bendix traded away starting pitchers Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs and Ryan Weathers to the New York Yankees. That left a gap behind ace Sandy Alcantara, and youngster Eury Perez pitched well despite being hit with an injury. However, if Miami is going to add depth behind Alcantara, they have an under-the-radar target for the Rays that would not command a lengthy or expensive deal: right-hander Nick Martinez.
The Miami native is coming off a big bounce-back season after struggling in 2025 with the Cincinnati Reds. After finishing 11-14 with a 4.45 ERA for Cincinnati, Martinez signed a deal with Tampa Bay, and in 31 starts, the 36-year-old went 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA and a 3.9 WAR. In three postseason appearances, Martinez is 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings with 11 strikeouts.
Miami has some rotation depth behind Alcantara and Perez on paper for 2027, but bringing a veteran to deepen the rotation with so many questions after their top two makes a ton of sense for Bendix. Finding the right pitcher is key, but Martinez would be a perfect fit and a low-risk, high-reward addition. Would that be enough to get the Marlins over the top and into the playoffs in 2027? Maybe, maybe not. However, it's a risk that Bendix and Miami should take if they want to kick through the playoff door next season.