Fishing for deadline help? Marlins likely to keep Alcantara, add strategically: Sources

The Miami Marlins have not been buyers at the trade deadline since Peter Bendix took over as president of baseball operations in November 2023.

That likely is about to change.

Barring an utter collapse, the hottest team in baseball not only intends to keep staff ace Sandy Alcantara, but also add strategically to its roster, according to people briefed on the club’s plans who were granted anonymity to speak freely.

The Marlins’ potential needs include a third baseman, a back-end starting pitcher and high-leverage reliever. They could trade off their major-league roster to protect their farm system, sources say.

Bendix and his staff can sort out the details after the amateur draft, which starts on Saturday. Much can change with the deadline still three and a half weeks away. But Miami, which improved from 62 wins in 2024 to 79 last season, their first under manager Clayton McCullough, appears to be taking another step forward.

The Marlins have won 16 of their last 20 games, matching the best single-season span in their 34-year history. At 52-42, they are tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for second place in the NL East, three games behind the Atlanta Braves, and hold a three-game lead for the third National League wild card.

Miami owner Bruce Sherman recently signaled the team would hold Alcantara, telling Marlins Radio, “He’s our franchise icon, and for us, I look forward to many years in the future and what this all becomes.”

Some with the club, however, were concerned that the team’s current 26-8 run, following a disappointing 26-34 start, came mostly against mediocre opponents. A three-game sweep against the Seattle Mariners, in which the Marlins won games started by Seattle’s Bryan Woo, George Kirby and Bryce Miller, seemed to settle that question.

Bendix, who wants to build a perennial contender, isn’t about to mount an all-in push to help the Marlins to only their third postseason appearance since they upset the New York Yankees in the 2003 World Series. His farm system, even after trades of Luis Arraez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jesús Luzardo and others, still isn’t strong enough to support such a position.

In January, The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked the Marlins’ system only 22nd in the majors. The team since has lost its top two pitching prospects, Thomas White and Robby Snelling, to season-ending injuries.

Adding salary is one way for teams acquiring players to diminish the cost in young talent. The Marlins might resist that notion – their average home attendance of 12,502 is the second lowest in the majors, ahead of only the Athletics, who play in a minor-league park. But their estimated $75 million payroll is the game’s lowest.

Major-league owners are proposing a salary floor in the next collective bargaining agreement, a provision that would force the Marlins to spend more. But Sherman would be unlikely to add an expensive player – say, San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman, who is owed $100 million from 2027 to ‘30 – on the mere prospect of a floor. Chapman also holds a full no-trade clause.

The Marlins rank 11th in the majors in runs per game, but last in OPS at third base. Isaac Paredes, earning $9.35 million with an additional year of club control remaining, would be another third-base possibility if the Houston Astros sold, which seems unlikely.

A number of lower-priced third-base options, including the Baltimore Orioles’ Blaze Alexander, Texas Rangers’ Ezequiel Duran, Cleveland Guardians’ Gabriel Arias and Los Angeles Angels’ Oswald Peraza, also could be available.

Like most contenders, the Marlins also are likely to pursue pitching.

The Marlins’ rotation features a strong front three of Alcantara, All-Star Max Meyer and Eury Pérez, and Janson Junk came off the injured list on Thursday night. The team’s other starter, Tyler Phillips, has a 4.58 ERA but low strikeout rate in 39 1/3 innings since moving from the bullpen to the rotation.

The depth behind that group, however, is thin. Adding to the concern: Both Meyer and Pérez have injury histories and are likely to blow past their previous career highs in innings. The Marlins pulled Pérez from a perfect game after seven innings Sunday after he threw 92 pitches.

The Miami bullpen is a seeming strength, ranking second in the majors in opponents’ OPS, behind only the Braves. But setup man Anthony Bender went on the injured list June 30 with a right shin stress reaction. And closer Pete Fairbanks has a 6.75 ERA, though his underlying numbers are more presentable.

One Marlins player likely to draw interest is catcher Liam Hicks, who has 13 homers and an .817 OPS while also playing first base and DH.

The Marlins currently are carrying three catchers. If they traded Hicks, Brian Navarreto could become the primary backup to rookie Joe Mack, and the team could summon Agustín Ramírez from Triple A to take at-bats at first base and DH. Or the Marlins could acquire a more established backup catcher.

However this plays out, Bendix is about to enter unchartered territory. It might seem like the Marlins haven’t been aggressive at the deadline since the Paleozoic Era. But they actually bought under Kim Ng in the shortened 2020 season, acquiring outfielder Starling Marte, and in 2023, when they added a number of players who helped them to their most recent postseason appearance.

Those Marlins won only 84 games and were swept by the Phillies in the wild-card round. These Marlins are on pace to win 90 games, the most since their championship season in 2003. And the deadline represents an opportunity for them to grow even stronger.