Marlins Boss Explains Why Marlins Made Important Roster Moves
In this story:
The Miami Marlins have a day off after taking their series with the Washington Nationals by claiming a win on Sunday.
The day off is well earned. It also comes at a time in which Miami has reset its roster a bit.
In the last few days, the Marlins have made some notable transactions. They optioned infielder Graham Pauley back to Triple-A Jacksonville. They did the same with their struggling catcher, Agustín Ramírez. The Marlins also released veteran starter Chris Paddack, who was part of their starting rotation and struggled the first month of the season.
Meanwhile, the Marlins called up several players, including rookies Joe Mack, William Kempner, Dax Fulton and Robby Snelling. Mack is a top prospect behind the plate, while Kempner, Fulton and Snelling are highly regarded pitching prospects.
So why the roster makeover? President of baseball operations Peter Bendix recently explained the logic behind all the moves.
Here’s Why Marlins Made Recent Moves
Bendix told reporters, including MLB.com, that there’s a good reason why the Marlins made those types of moves.
"We're trying to win,” he said. “We are trying to win this year. We're trying to win beyond this year. We're looking for the best 26 guys, and we're looking for all of our guys to continue to get better. A lot of these moves are designed to really try to put the best team on the field that we possibly can."
Miami ended last season on a surge, as the Marlins finished the season four games out of the final National League wild card berth. Bendix knew his team was close, but he didn’t make many moves to bolster the roster. Three were notable — Paddack, closer Pete Fairbanks and infielder Christopher Morel.
Morel just drove in his first run as a Marlin on Sunday. Fairbanks has been solid but is on the injured list. Paddack went 0-5 with a 7.63 ERA in seven starts before he was released. Even though luring Paddack back was a feel-good story — he was Miami’s eighth-round pick in 2015 — it clearly wasn’t working out.
Two years ago, Miami might have simply hung onto Paddack and let him eat the innings because it didn’t have the starting pitching depth at Triple-A that it does now. Snelling isn’t the only highly regarded pitcher at Triple-A. The list includes Braxton Garrett, who made his MLB debut in 2020, and No. 1 prospect Thomas White.
Bendix just showed Marlins fans he believes the team can compete now. The moves made last week prove it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google